Key Considerations for Increasing Combined Heat and Power (CHP) from Anaerobic Digestion by Adding Fats, Oil & Grease (FOG) and High-Strength Wastes (HSW) to Digesters

This paper reports on the startup and operations of two anaerobic digestion facilities that have recently (within the past two years) implemented biogas cogeneration systems to produce combined heat and power (CHP). The two water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs) have also implemented facilities for receiving fats, oil and grease (FOG) wastes, in addition to high-strength wastes (HSW) from industries, primarily food processing types.The two WRRF's are:1. The Douglas L. Smith Middle Basin Wastewater Treatment Plant (MB-WWTP) in Johnson County, Kansas, USA.2. The F. Wayne Hill Water Resources Center (FWH-WRC) in Gwinnett County, Georgia, USA.This paper identifies common elements of design and operating practices between the two projects that have been successful. The paper also describes issues and outcomes of implementing cogeneration and FOG/HSW handling facilities, with lessons learned to incorporate into similar facilities in the future.