Considerations for Siting Efficient and Effective Anaerobic Digestion Systems
There has been a marked uptick in interest in establishing anaerobic digesters at sites with a steady supply of organic materials, including farms with abundant animal manure and crop residues, wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), food production facilities, and landfills. Stand-alone digesters constructed to accept organics from multiple businesses are also being considered. Existing facilities would do well to consider how they can manage organics, so it is diverted from landfills and properly reused. Operators could bring waste in as part of an existing facility and not lose the tonnage that would otherwise be lost if food waste was diverted. Read on for an overview of key site considerations for siting anaerobic digestion facilities, from federal guidelines, state regulations, and permitting, to feedstock analysis, site design and layout, costs and revenue, water requirements, and digestate disposal.