1. AgriClean David C. Palmer, P.E. Managing Partner
Cost-effective Anaerobic Digestion Technologies and Their Role in
Green Power

2. AgriClean, LLC
An emerging leader in the areas of manure management & anaerobic digestion
Not an outfit with an answer in search of a problem
Rather, a solutions oriented company that can provide a least-cost customized method to meet customer needs
Specializing in dairy, swine and agricultural processing wastes
Energy Recovery
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3. AgriClean, LLC Significant technological solutions
AgriJet process can significantly reduce water volumes used for flushing
AgriGas process can provide a tailored AD solution
AgriClean can optimize organic waste removal and treatment systems plus energy recovery
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4. Types of Digesters Used Depends on…
Type of waste (feedstocks)
Feedstock total solids (TS) concentration
Facility location
Management structure
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5. With Livestock Operations
Manure Management Systems
Traditional flushed barns have dilute total solids (less than 3%)
Scraped barns have higher total solids
(greater than 3%)
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6. Flushing Example #1
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7. Flushing Example #2
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8. Anaerobic Digestion (AD) System Options
Suspended Growth Systems
Solids Retention Time = Hydraulic Retention Time (SRT = HRT)
Covered Lagoons
Complete Mix
Attached Growth Systems
SRT ≠ HRT
Fixed Film
Others in development pipeline
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9. AgriJet
Substitutes pressure for volume in hydraulic flushing operations
Can reduce water use by up to 80% in new facilities and 50% in existing facilities
Programmable control system set to flush at user-specified, such as milking times
All pipes, nozzles and gutters positioned to allow animal movement and to avoid breakage
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10. AgriJet
Depending on design criteria, AgriJet can deliver manure to the digester with up to 6% Total Solids
Greater Total Solids can significantly reduce AD system cost!
More organic loading = higher gas yields and greater energy potential
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11. AgriJet Dairy Farm Example
A 1,000 head dairy using standard hydraulic flushing techniques would use a flush volume of about 100,000 gallons/day
Conventional digester would require a volume of around 2,000,000 gallons
AgriJet system on the same farm will require 35,000 gallons/day for flushing
Fixed-film digester w/ a volume of 175,000 gallons
Other system aspects (pipes, heat exchangers, pumps, solids separators, etc.) are also made smaller
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12. AgriGas
AgriClean has several types of AD systems with gas capture in its portfolio
Covered lagoon
Fixed film AD licensed from the patent-holder
Continuously stirred (complete mix)
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13. Fixed Film AD System Development
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14. Fixed Film AD System Advantages
Designed for use w/ dairy manure, but also well suited for hog manure
Small footprint
2-6 day HRT v. 20 days for suspended growth
Modular design
Deployed at ~30% less cost than suspended growth
High Methane yields
Up to 80% Methane v. ~60% for suspended growth
Very high destruction of Volatile Solids (VSd)
Up to 65% VSd w/ hog manure
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15. On-Farm Projects Underway
Fixed-film digester and biogas use system on a 400 head dairy (around 560 animal units or AU) near Hillsboro, MS in partnership with the Mississippi Alternative Energy Enterprise
Fixed-film digester and biogas use system on a swine finishing farm producing 30,000 animals/year (around 1600 AU at steady-state) near Greenville, NC in partnership with the Animal and Poultry Waste Management Center of NC State University
Fixed-film digester and biogas use system on a swine farrow-to-finish operation producing 64,000 animals/year (around 3580 AU at steady-state) in Canada
Covered lagoon digester and biogas use system on a 4000 head swine nursery farm in Montpelier, MS
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16. Ag Processing Plant Projects Underway
Fixed-film digester and biogas use system at a 1000 head/day beef packing plant
Covered lagoon digester with biogas capture at a 6000 head/day swine processing facility
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17. What is Green Power…?
Solar
Wind
Geothermal
Biomass
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18. What is Biomass…? Wood, forestry residuals Agricultural waste
Industrial waste
Municipal waste
Food processing residuals
Other organic by-products
Crops grown for energy production
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19. What is Anaerobic Digestion…?
A biological process that occurs in the absence of dissolved oxygen
Three temperature ranges for AD
Psychrophilic (ambient…swamps, sediments of lakes and ponds, landfills, intestines of animals)
Mesophilic ( degrees F)
Thermophilic ( degrees F)
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20. How is Biogas Produced?
Microbiological conversion of organic wastes into methane, carbon dioxide and trace elements like hydrogen sulfide
Amount and quality of biogas depends on the composition and biodegradability of the feedstock
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21. How is the biogas used to create energy?
Most efficient use is to replace other fuel sources like natural gas or propane
The gas can also be used to fuel engine generators or microturbines to produce electricity
In some cases the gas is used to fuel vehicles
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22. Utility Issues Interconnection agreements
System and generation protection requirements
Normal and emergency operating provisions
Metering
Cost and ownership
Power sales agreements
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23. Harris Farm Project Overview
Under contract from the NCAG Smithfield/Premium Standard Farms Agreement for Environmentally Superior Technologies through NCSU’s Animal and Poultry Waste Management Center
Projected economics to be at or below the costs of current lagoon/sprayfield-based treatment systems
Farm owner agreement allows for the retained ownership of the system by AgriClean
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24. AgriClean

25. Harris Farm Project Overview
12,000 head finishing farm
Animals are added in two barns every two weeks
LAW remains fairly constant; w/ tank 35°C, biogas production should not vary significantly
Barns use a pit recharge, pull plug flushing system
Flushing schedule is every 3 days
Daily flow now in excess of 240,000 gpd
20,000 g/barn/day
Changed flush schedule & AgriJet system indicates the use of 30,000 gpd for flushing and 18,000 gpd of flow from the animals
4,000 g/barn/day
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26. Harris Farm Project Overview
Organic loading used to establish initial volume
COD is controlling factor
Based on the lab analyses, digester loadings at 48,000 gpd will be:
Component Concentration (mg/l) Pounds
TS 25, ,079
VS 21, ,589
COD 40, ,079
TKN 2, ,151
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27. Harris Farm Project Overview
Farm connected to the electrical grid
Sales agreement to sell peak power to Greenville Utilities from existing diesel engine/generators
Current plan is to offset the increased farm load resulting from the waste treatment facility
Present utility rates and standby charges in North Carolina make it uneconomical to sell excess power
Exploring using the biogas to meet farm’s existing peaking contract
May provide an economical sales structure to sell peak power from the biogas
AgriClean

28. What are the economics of producing Green Power from Anaerobic Digestion?
It costs about 6.5 cents per KWh to produce electricity from AD
In most parts of the country, the price utilities will pay for this renewable energy is about half what it costs to produce it
Currently the environmental benefits of AD (odor control, water, air and land pollution reduction) are the driving factors in selecting this as a preferred waste treatment option
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29. How can utilities encourage the development of this source of Green Power?
Progress Energy has a target of 5% of its load from Green Power (about 1,100 MW)
Some others have targets as high as 25%
TVA and its distributors offer a Green Power Switch program including solar, wind and biomass
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30. AgriClean Contacts Nashville TN, David Palmer @ 615-279-9797
Scott
Pierre SD, Phil
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