Co-Mingling Off-Farm Inputs

Douglas Carruthers
Organic Resource Management Inc
March 11, 2006
London AD Workshop

Organic Resource Management Inc.

• 20 years of industry service
• 6,000 food industry customers and growing
• $12+ Million annual revenue

• Why Add Off-Farm Materials?
  
• Current Process
  
• Challenges
  
• Future Process (In Progress)
  
• Off-Farm Organics Partner

Off-Farm Materials - Farm View

• Increase biogas and energy revenue
  
  • 20% addition of good quality material delivers a 100%+ increase in biogas production with little change to the AD facility or operations

Off-Farm Materials - Farm View

• Tipping fees may be part of the value added
  
  • However, in Germany as the number and sophistication of ADs increased, tipping fees dropped

Off-Farm Materials - Societal View

• Increase (reliable) renewable energy production
  
• Lifecycle management of food industry organics:
  
  • Vital solution to meet waste diversion goals
    
  • Cost-effective recovery of resources
    
  • Retain food processor competitiveness; maintain production opportunities for farmers
    

Current Process

• Treating off-farm materials requires a C of A designating the farm as a waste disposal site.
  
  • Notification of neighbours
    
  • Financial assurance
    
• Requires a C of A for land application of digestate (including mixed in manure), unless it meets composting standards
  
• Off-farm materials transporter requires a C of A
  
• Fees?

Challenges

• Farmers don't want:
  
  • More processes; both operational and legal
    
  • The farm designated as a waste disposal site
    
  • To pay fees
    
  • To cause problems with the neighbours
    
• Government wants:
  
  • To ensure proper treatment
    
  • To have an adequate response to neighbours and concerned municipalities that due diligence is completed

Future Process (In Progress)

• OMAFRA and MOE have developed the "On-Farm Mixed Anaerobic Digestion System Design and Operations Manual"
  
  • Set maximum volumes of off-farm materials
    
    • 100 m3/day
      
    • 5000 m3/year
      
    • 25% of farm materials
      
  • Describes types of material that may and may not come to the farm
    
  • Describes pretreatment and storage requirements for off-farm materials

Options to Utilize Manual

• Adapt C of A process to reflect Manual
• Incorporate the Manual into the Nutrient Management Act (C of A not required)
• Treat off-farm materials as an input to a farming operation (therefore not a waste) if the Manual is followed

Off-Farm Organics Partner

• Quality
  
  • Manifested source control
    
  • Consistency of delivered material
    
• Quantity
  
  • Multiple generator base; broad scope & scale
    
  • Province wide coverage and delivery options
    
• Security
  
  • Reliability of delivery

Off-Farm Organics Partner

• Technical and management input
  
  • Multiple-facility experience
    
  • Potential AD performance benchmarking
    
• Value added development
  
  • Nutrient diversion - solids/liquid separation
    
  • Nutrient product development
    
  • Recipe enhancement

Off-Farm Organics Partner

• Long-term contract commitment
  
  • Value stability - financing strength and security
    
• Mitigate "take-or-pay" liability
  
  • Scheduled maintenance or service interruptions
    
• Potential capital participation

Off-Farm Organic Sources

• Grease traps
  
• Dissolved Air Flotation
  
• Food processing residuals
  
• Food-industry off-spec products
  
• Liquified food waste

Organic Resource Recovery System

• Patented food waste collection system
  
• Unique and effective solution for large-volume organic waste generators
  
• Organic Resource Management Inc.