KB Bioenergy of Akron, Ohio is a leading edge company in the Biogas space. Located adjacent to the City of Akron, Ohio’s Waste Reclamation Facility, KB Bioenergy . With a unique Public/Private partnership of over 25 years with the City of Akron, Ohio, KB Bioenergy is a leader in the Biogas Industry.
With a construction cost of $32 Million KB utilizes High Solids Anaerobic Digestion, BioFERM/Schmack Biogas Processes and a 2 tank digester system to create 600cfm of Biogas with 30% dry solid residuals and a 15000 dry ton biosolids production annually.
We are excited to announce the following:
Esmil Corp. has been chosen as one of the suppliers of solids handling equipment to the Facility. An MDQ – 404 CL(4 screw) Press will be installed in November 2019 to replace one of the 3 existing Centrifuges to increase dry solids production, lower energy consumption and improve Operations. We are excited for the installation and performance of our Unit, with the goal to replace all existing Centrifuges.
As well as the KB Energy Facility in Akron, Ohio , Esmil Corp. has additional experience with Quasar Energy. Quasar is a long standing Market Leader in the Biogas space and we were able to achieve great results from their Anaerobic Digester Facility in Cleveland, Ohio.
Esmil Corp. has also been represented at the World Biogas Summit in Birmingham England which is the largest international Trade Show dedicated solely to Anaerobic Digestion and Biogas. We have two critical solutions to Clients in this space with residual dewatering utilizing our MDQ Screw Press technology as well as deep filtrate treatment technology. With the strategic acquisition of ESMIL Wastewater Treatment Systems based in the UK, Esmil Corp. is able to deliver a unique “one-two punch” in this Market space. Utilizing ESMIL Technology on the filtrate from our MDQ dewatering Units, we are able to treat the filtrate for reuse by our clients. This is not only a cost savings but attains sustainability goals as well for our clients.
ESMIL TECHNOLOGY PROCESS DESCRIPTION
Our digestate treatment system consists of 3 major process units and is able to produce a dry solid cake and a highly quality treated water suitable for process reuse or disposal and a high nutrient concentrate.
The first stage in our digestate treatment process is the separation of the solid and liquid fraction, otherwise known as digestate dewatering. For this we employ highly effective Multi-disk Screw Press which with the assistance of a small dose of flocculant is able to remove the majority of solids from the liquor (sludge volume reduction of 6-10 times) and produce a dry cake with a dry solids content up to 40%.
For the second stage, we use special vibratory membrane technology – VSEP (Vibratory Shear Enhanced Processing). This effectively works in the challenging feed conditions.
Although the MDQ is able to remove the majority of the dry solids, some will remain along with other soluble contaminants. The dry solids may cause serious issues for standard membrane systems as they are highly susceptible to fouling. VSEP technology however, vibrates the membranes causing high shear forces at the membrane surface, greatly reducing the risk of fouling. Expected water recovery in this stage can be between 65-80%.
Our final stage of digestate treatment is a spiral-wound reverse osmosis membrane technology. This acts as a polishing stage further treating the permeate (treated water) from the VSEP units. Results have shown that a 95% reduction in COD concentration and 98% reduction of Ammonia can be achieved over the 2 passes of membrane treatment.
Floc from Pilot Test at KB Energy
Pilot Unit at KB Energy
Dry cake from Pilot at KB Energy
BioGas
Biogas is the mixture of gasses produced by the breakdown of organic matter in the absence of oxygen. BioGas can be produced from raw materials such as agricultural waste, municipal waste, food waste and other organic materials. Biogas is a renewable energy source.
Biogas is produced by the anaerobic digestion with methanogen or anaerobic organisms which digest material inside of a closed loop system of biodegradeable materials. This closed system is called an anaerobic digester, biodigester or bioreactor.
Biogas is primarily methane and carbon dioxide and small amounts of hydrogen sulfide, moisture and siloxanes. The methane, hydrogen and carbon dioxide can be combusted or oxidized with oxygen. This energy release can be used as a fuel for heating or a gas engine. It also can be compressed to CNG for use in motor vehicles. It is a leading edge technology to reach sustainability in the energy sector to replace fossil fuels.
