Anaergia Inc. and its project partner Grannus Biogas LLC, signed a contract with the Pima County Regional Wastewater Reclamation Department (PCRWRD) in Arizona to design-build-finance-own-operate (DBFOO) a large-scale biomethane upgrading facility. In March of this year, Anaergia and Grannus were selected to enter negotiations with Pima, and the resulting service contract has now been executed.
PCRWRD operates nine wastewater treatment facilities in Pima County, which generate biosolids that can be used to create biogas. The majority of biosolids generated at these wastewater plants are transferred to a centralized wastewater biosolids handling and treatment facility located at the Tres Rios Water Reclamation Facility just outside of Tucson, Ariz., in the Town of Marana. At that facility, biosolids are processed in anaerobic digesters, producing a continuous supply of digester gas which is currently flared. The new biomethane upgrading facility will treat and compress the biogas, creating biomethane which will be compositionally similar to natural gas, and will displace non-renewable fossil fuels.
“We are very pleased Anaergia will provide Pima County with the best technological solutions available globally, that are both economically and environmentally responsible, so that we can better meet the needs of our residents," said Jackson Jenkins, director of PCRWRD.
“Anaergia is very proud to have entered into a long-term relationship with Pima County. This new biomethane upgrading facility will be of significant benefit to the County," said Arun Sharma, president of Carlsbad, Calif.-based Anaergia Services.
Pima County’s primary project goal is to utilize its biogas in an environmentally sustainable manner that generates revenue and can offset wastewater treatment costs. This DBFOO will allow the PCRWRD to focus on its core business of wastewater treatment plant operations and regulatory compliance, while creating a long-term partnership with Anaergia/Grannus Biogas to not only deliver and operate the biogas upgrading facility, but to market and sell the commercial biomethane product.
Source: Anaergia Inc.
