Big System, Little Footprint

[Towntalk]

A national brands corporation is using landfills to generate heat and electricity for their plant by using the methane the landfill produces.

http://www.scjohnsonwax.com/environment/conserving_10.asp

[irishbobcat]

Big System, Little Footprint

At two tons a day for fourteen days, the system may be processing up to 28 tons of organic waste at any one time, diverting up to 25% of the Athens campus' current landfill waste.
Ohio University is ramping up its waste diversion in order to ratchet down its ecological footprint. The university recently installed the largest in-vessel compost system at any college or university in the nation, scheduled to come online in January 2009. The site also boasts one of the largest solar photovoltaic arrays at any public college in Ohio, and was selected as the first stop on the 2008 Green Energy Ohio Southeast Solar Tour.
Tour participants had the opportunity to view the system and its 10.03-kilowatt roof and ground mounted solar array. The array is grid-tied and capable of supporting approximately 50% of the electricity needs of the composting unit, allowing the university to significantly reduce the facility's carbon footprint.
The system, manufactured by Wright Environmental, is sized to handle up to two tons of organic waste per day. Temperature, moisture, and aeration inside the machine are controlled in order to accelerate waste decomposition. Harvested rainwater from the pole barn roof will be used to maintain the system's moisture, as well as to clean the compost collection bins. After funneling through the down spout, the water will travel to the roof wash, which removes leaves, twigs and other debris. The water will be stored in a 2,200 gallon underground cistern and pumped into the system as needed.
This water, along with heat and aeration, will allow the system to produce a valuable soil amendment in just 14 days. At two tons a day for fourteen days, the system may be processing up to 28 tons of organic waste at any one time, diverting up to 25% of the Athens campus' current landfill waste. This diversion will result in an annual greenhouse gas emissions reduction of approximately 1,200 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents – about the same amount of co2 emissions resulting from the energy use of 108 homes in one year. The system has positioned Ohio University as a trailblazer in biodegradable waste diversion, both locally and nationally.
"Ohio University is beginning to emerge as a leader in the area of energy, environment and sustainability," said Ohio University's Sustainability Coordinator Sonia Marcus. "The composting project is an example of our demonstrated commitment to these areas, allowing us to put theory into practice."
A grant from the Division of Recycling and Litter from the Ohio Department of Development's Energy Loan Fund Grant Program helped fund the solar array. The majority of the funding for the in-vessel composting system came from Division of Recycling and Litter Prevention within the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Food waste diversion has been a priority of theirs since 2006.
"We knew a very large portion of the waste stream was ending up in the landfill. So we wanted to make sure that we were investing state dollars to improve infrastructure. If we want people to compost materials we can't just say go ahead and do it. We needed to create facilities where the food waste could go" said odnr Grants Section Manager Chet Chaney. To date, odnr has invested $2 million dollars into the creation of facilities and projects that divert food waste from landfills in Ohio. Ohio University was the recipient of $300,000 in grant funding through both the Market Development and College & University programs.
Food waste will be collected from campus eateries, including dining halls and the food court at the new student center. An average of 2,500 meals are served at the food court daily on compostable service ware made from sugar cane fiber, potato starch and corn plastic. The Dining Services department has been a critical supporter of the project since its inception.
"This one step for dining services will add to Ohio University's bigger sustainability picture," said Gwyn Scott, Executive Director of Culinary and Dining Operations Gwyn Scott.
Since the opening of the student center in January 2007, patrons of the food court have been sorting their waste into trash, recycling and compost bins. Early waste audits indicated that 75% of the compost waste stream contained little or no contaminants, such as chip bags, ketchup packets, and other non-biodegradable items. Once the composting system comes online, pre- and post-consumer food waste will be collected daily by the grounds department and brought up to the site at the Ridges, overlooking the Athens campus.
When food waste is loaded into the in-vessel unit, it will be amended with landscaping waste as well as animal bedding from research labs and sawdust from the carpentry shop, in order to achieve the right carbon to nitrogen balance. Once the waste is processed, the resulting nutrient-rich, soil amendment will be used to improve university grounds.
Because of its multiple benefits to the university – a smaller ecological footprint, avoided landfill waste costs, learning and research opportunities for students and faculty, and reduced food waste – many are invested in the initiative's success.
"I am hoping we will max out the capacity of this first in-vessel composter and that we will soon need to take the machine to the next level," said Scott.

Green Energy can also mean helping reduce food waste and bringing city and county partnerships together.

Dennis Spisak
Mahoning Valley Greens
Ohio Green Party

www.ohiogreens.org

www.votespisak.org/thinkgreen/