Rhode Island To See New Anaerobic Digester After Major Delays

A new anaerobic digester (AD) facility that requires biomass boiler heating equipment will open on Rhode Island soon, after several delays held up its launch.

The site in Johnston, USA, which could process 249 tonnes of organic waste every day, initially opened in August 2017. However, it had to close shortly after due to suffering from some mechanical problems. It was also the victim of ownership and financial restructuring, which held back its launch date, ecoRI News reported.

Once operational, the facility, run by Orbit Energy Rhode Island, will handle organic waste from grocery stores, food manufacturers and schools in the area that would otherwise be destroyed.

It is thought that the $18.9 million (£14.34 million) site will be able to produce 3.2 MW of electrical output once it is up and running.

Not only will it generate power using a biomass procedure, it will help to reduce the amount of waste delivered to the Central Landfill nearby.

WasteDive.com noted that it would be a good idea to monitor the amount of energy output from generated biogas “as it can be sold back to the grid to offset operational costs and potentially increase revenue”. This could be of interest to those keen on new projects in the region.

Last month, Collmart Growers of Pondersbridge put forward its proposals to build a new anaerobic digester site in Cambridgeshire, reported Hunts Post.

Collmart estimated more than 16,000 tonnes of digestate could be produced on the facility every year if Huntingdon District Council approves the plans.