If you have any questions, please contact Melissa at worc@aminc.org.
Currently, most organic and food waste ends up in landfills. Not only is this a waste of resources, but as those materials degrade over time, they produce large amounts of methane gas (CH4).
Methane gas is a potent greenhouse gas (GHG) and the second most abundant anthropogenic (human influenced) GHG after carbon dioxide (CO2). Methane accounts for about 20 percent of global emissions and is more than 25 times as potent as carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere.
The presentation will be about how we can utilize well established and proven technology such as anaerobic digestion to divert organic waste from landfills and use it as a resource to produce renewable energy, while still creating valuable soil amendment in the form of compost.
As an example, we look at the anaerobic digestion facility in San Luis Obispo which has been operating for over 3 years, helping the County reach the state mandated 75% diversion goal. The KOMPOGAS-SLO facility is processing and diverting approximately 36,000 tons per year of the county’s organic food and yard waste streams as well as spent Fats, Oil & Grease (FOG) from restaurants.
It produces enough renewable electricity to power about 600 homes. In addition, the plant produces valuable soil amendment that is marketed to agriculture on the Central Coast.
About the Speakers:
Thomas Gratz, Sales Manager, Hitachi Zosen Inova USA