Anaerobic Digestion at the Cayuga County Soil and Water Conservation District's Community Digester

Cayuga County Soil and Water conservation District decided to undertake a digester project in 2006. The primary motivation of the project was to develop an economically sustainable model, under the auspices of Cayuga County Soil and Water Conservation District, a Public Agency under Cayuga County, to address manure management issues facing southern Cayuga County dairies especially the small farmers, improve the water quality and improve the quality of life for Cayuga County local residents. The goal of the operation is to pay for the project using the savings from avoiding purchasing electricity and heat, income from the sale of electricity and renewable energy credits, tipping fees from food-waste and the sale of bio-solids. Electrical power generated by the system will be used to power the District campus, with surplus power sold to the grid or a power marketer under a power purchase agreement. Heat recovered from the cogeneration system will be used to maintain the temperature of the process equipment and the excess will be transported to the public safety building to offset their purchase of natural gas for boilers. Approximately 35,000 gallons of manure will be trucked in daily from local dairy farms and comingled with 8,500 gallons of food waste, delivered from local food processing plants. In addition brown grease and fat sludge will be brought to the plant in tankers for co-digestion. The trucks bringing manure to the plant will be filled with digested effluent to return to the farm for long-term storage and eventual use. Initially, two farms, located 12 and 7 miles away from the facility will be participating in the project. The system has been designed with further expansion in mind.