American Biogas Council announces 2017 Biogas Industry Award winners

During its annual conference in Portland, Oregon, the American Biogas Council (ABC), Washington, announced the winners of the Biogas Industry Awards, presented at a sold out dinner celebration at Biocycle Renewable Energy from Organics Recycling 2017 (REFOR17), Oct. 17. The winners included four biogas systems, one innovation and one individual all recognized for their contributions to the growth of the U.S. biogas industry. In addition, 12 projects received the ABC's longevity award, an earned by biogas systems which have been continuously operating for more than five or ten years.

The award ceremony followed the announcement of 12 projects and innovations which made the ABC's shortlist, the finalists for the Biogas Industry Awards.

"Our award this year recognize projects that are great examples for future projects a great new tool for finding nutrient recovery technologies and a champion for the biogas industry," says, ABC executive director, Patrick Serfass. "We are so proud to be awarding these shining stars of the industry."

Biogas systems turn organic material into soil amendments and gaseous fuel by using anaerobic digestion, a natural, biological process in a sealed tank. There are more than 2,200 operational biogas systems in the U.S. today with the potential for over 13,500 new systems to be built.

Winners include:

Project of the Year:

• Monogram Clean Energy Plant, Martinsville, Virginia - Monogram Foods operates a production plant in Martinsville, Virginia, that produces beef jerky and other meat snacks. In 2016, to support the expansion of its production plant and address waste treatment needs, Monogram initiated construction on a new Clean Energy Plant (CEP) that principally uses an Anaerobic Digester (AD) to treat its wastes. The CEP was completed in June 2017. It was conceived by Monogram staff, its engineers, and its financial representatives to address waste and wastewater treatment needs in a sustainable fashion. The biogas is used to produce both heat and power for plant operations.

• Pine Island Farm Digester Facility, Sheffield, Massachusetts - Pine Island Farm is a large dairy farm in Sheffield, Massachusetts. To address problems of large scale farming, such as manure management, groundwater protection and odor control, Pine Island Dairy Farm installed an on-farm DVO anaerobic digester. The AD system generates electric power and heat. The electric power is being used at the farm and net metered to other commercial consumers. Waste heat is reclaimed from the gen-set and utilized to heat the digester and other areas of the dairy operation. Digestate reuse has eliminated the need for the farm to buy bedding and the nutrients in the liquid are increasing crop yields while decreasing the need to invest in herbicides to combat weed seeds.

• Reinford Farms Anaerobic Digester, Mifflintown, Pennsylvania - Reinford Farm hired RCM, now part of Martin Construction, to reduce odor and better manage the manure supply on their 750-head dairy. The system was oversized intentionally to prepare for a herd expansion, but shortly after startup, the farm decided to use the excess capacity to co-digest food waste with the manure. The farm is utilizing the full potential of the digester system by not only producing and selling electricity but utilizing waste heat to operate a grain dryer and heat several farm buildings including their home. The digestate solids are used for bedding and the liquid is used for fertilizer.

• Synergy Biogas, Covington, New York, In 2011, CH4 Biogas built a 400 ton/day mixed waste biogas facility at Synergy Dairy in New York. The facility digests manure from about 2,000 milking cows with food-grade organic waste. Biogas from the digester fuels a 1426 kWh generator. In addition, the facility produces about 16,000 cubic yards per year bedding for the dairy, 30 million gallons liquid fertilizer for land application and 8,000 tons CO2 emission reduction credits. The project was originally built as a full-scale demonstration project meant to showcase advanced European AD technology that maximizes energy output. Facility performance was evaluated by Cornell University which found it to be the most efficient digester in New York.

Friend of the ABC:

• Dr. David Babson - Throughout the most recent parts of his career at the US Environmental Protection Agency, the Union of Concerned Scientists, the US Department of Energy, and now the US Department of Agriculture, David Babson has been a tireless advocate for anaerobic digester-produced biogas in the EPA Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), guiding ABC members through the maze of RFS terms, RIN calculations and more. He regularly helps to educate and guide industry through conferences and events, and one on one guidance related to a number of biogas related topics in the federal government.  

Innovation of the Year:

• Newtrient LLC Technology Catalog - In March of this year, Newtrient, Rosemont, Illinois, launched an open-source, technology catalog that provides a comprehensive analysis of relevant dairy manure-management technologies in the United States. To help industry, especially dairies, choose the manure-management solution that might best work at their site, the Newtrient Technology Catalog provides a reliable, third-party technology evaluation tool covering over 180 technologies related to biogas production or digestate management.

Longevity Awards:

Biogas systems that have been continuously operating for 10-plus years:

• Castelanelli Bros. Dairy Digester
• Schrack Farms Anaerobic Digester

Biogas systems that have been continuously operating for 5-plus years:

• BioTown Ag
• Dairy Dreams
• Double A Dairy
• DuBois Energy
• Flint Biogas Plant
• Kane's Cow Power
• Monument Farms
• Pine Island Farm Digester
• Reinford Farms
• Synergy Biogas