The IFARM WES was designed to overcome common problems of early anaerobic digesters such as inoculation, the need for mixing feed and effluent, and instability.
| • | Inoculation and startup are accomplished through leachate management | |||||
| • | A liquid recycle method provides moisture, nutrients and bacteria to the fresh feedstock | |||||
| • | Fermentation products (such as inhibitory volatile organic acids formed during startup) are removed via the liquid handling system to a mature bioreactor where they are converted to biogas | |||||
| • | The process achieves maximum bioconversion of organic waste in less than 30 days without producing any odors or pollution | |||||
| • | WES is also capable of handling heavy metals removal to improve the quality of the resultant soil conditioner |
In pilot tests with non-yard waste feed, the system achieved 50% conversion in 25 days with a biogas yield of 4-5 cubic feet per pound of organic matter added. In similar tests of yard waste, conversion of 25% was achieved in 30 days with a yield of 2-3 cubic feet per pound of organic matter added. (This yield will be quite variable depending on the yard waste components.)
Process performance estimates indicate that a 500 ton per day MSW plant would generate 250 tons per day of compost and over 1.5 million cubic feet of biogas.
| < The IFARM Waste to Energy System™ |
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