Compared to other sectors, such as agriculture, wastewater and landfill gas, America’s food industry has a long way to go if it is to fulfill its potential to develop anaerobic digestion (AD) plants fueled with food waste, then it is critical that these plants optimize every part of the AD process in order to maximize economic and environmental returns.
The majority of food waste AD plants produce electricity (with or without using the heat generated) using combined heat and power (CHP) generation units. When using CHP to create energy from the biogas produced by AD, one area which is often overlooked is ensuring that any water present in the raw biogas is removed; if water enters a CHP engine it can decrease its efficiency, resulting in reduced biogas yields and engine damage. The new Biogas Dehumidification System (BDS) from HRS Heat Exchangers removes water from biogas, protecting CHP engines from corrosion and cavitation. It also comes with a heat recovery section as standard, increasing an AD plant’s overall energy efficiency.