Bioenergy Devco receives permits to expand Delaware facility

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) has approved permits associated with the expansion of Bioenergy Devco LLC’s Seaford facility—an expansion that will enable the company to produce biogas at its organic waste composting operation at the site.

A DNREC Secretary’s Order authorizes Annapolis, Maryland-based Bioenergy Devco to construct an anaerobic digestion system, a wastewater pre-treatment system and a biogas upgrading plant. The company currently accepts organic waste from poultry industry sources for composting.

The DNREC order approves five new permits for Bioenergy Devco, including:

• a resource recovery permit from the DNREC Division of Waste and Hazardous Substances;
• two 7 DE Admin. Code 1102 Natural Minor air quality permits from the DNREC Division of Air Quality; and
• two wastewater facility construction permits from the DNREC Division of Water.

The permits are published at the DNREC website at de.gov/biodevco. The permitting process for Bioenergy Devco’s biogas production included a significant amount of outreach to and from the community, according to DNREC Secretary Garvin’s order.

“The permits being issued to [Bioenergy Devco] are reflective of the applications submitted to DNREC, the comments provided by the public on this matter during the public comment period and the Oct. 26, 2022, public hearing, as well as being consistent with our mission to protect human health and the environment,” the order states.

Once the permits are issued by the impacted DNREC divisions, Bioenergy Devco will be authorized by the state of Delaware to initiate the construction phase of the Seaford facility’s expansion. When construction has been completed and certified by DNREC, Bioenergy Devco will begin operating the anaerobic digester in addition to the existing composting facility. Composting operations at the Seaford facility have continued throughout the permitting process.

Once Bioenergy Devco’s expanded Seaford operations reach full capacity, it will process an expected 250,000 tons of organic wastes from the poultry industry annually into stable compost which can be used regionally to replace chemical fertilizers—along with the biogas—to be produced and injected into Chesapeake Utilities’ pipelines for use by the utility’s Sussex County customers. Bioenergy Devco’s processing of poultry waste is expected to lessen the nutrient burden on local watersheds, helping to reduce pollution and nutrient runoff within Delaware and the Chesapeake Bay.