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iBioBooster(iBB) Process: History
Origins in Italy 2010-2017.
In Italy, a feed-in-tariff (FIT) rate for biogas-to-electricity projects limited to delivering <1 MW (99.999kw) stimulated development of industrial-scale anaerobic digesters fueled by energy crops to produce biogas for powering small generators.
The digesters were biologically unstable and underperforming, reducing power deliveries and FIT revenues. Costs of varying seasonal energy crop feedstocks, commercial non-indigenous microbes, lab analyses, nutrients and micronutrients to support the full digester biomass all reduced margins.
Bioengineer Luciano Pesce and Italian company Biobooster srl, with support of Italy Research Centre for Animal Production and University of Perugia, developed a new approach to maximize digester operator net revenue under the FIT.
The solution increased and stabilized digester biological processes, lifted and sustained biogas production / power delivery nearer the tariff limit, and reduced costs per produced unit of biogas in all categories.
- iBB System. The Italy project solutions evolved into the iBioBooster (iBB) process, applying bio-acceleration and bio-automation to increase and stabilize a digester’s methanogen populations, methanogenic process, and biogas production with high methane content.
China iBB Projects, 2015 to present.
Eng. Pesce led the first China iBB process demonstrations at industrial digesters processing separated wastewater from manure of 10,000 pigs, and wastewater from a major cassava-to-alcohol distillery. At both, iBBs increased and sustained biogas quantity and quality (higher methane content, lower CO2 and H2S).
Since 2021, under its 14th and 15th Five-Year Plans, China has added medium‑ and large‑scale biogas and biomethane projects to its national renewable energy, carbon reduction, energy security, and agricultural economy program portfolios. Biogas projects for livestock, agricultural, and integrated waste treatment biogas digester systems now are supported by significant direct and indirect incentives and disincentives. Fn. 1, 2
Eng. Pesce advises a Chinese company on optimizing biogas production and environmental performance at existing and new digesters in China. Projects featuring iBB and related systems include:
- first deployments at manure wastewater digesters among 30 owned by China’s largest food and agriculture company now upgrading to increase biogas production; co‑digestion with other organic materials where feasible
- conversion of identical side‑by‑side CSTR digester tanks to a two‑phase digester system processing separated pig‑farm manure wastewater
- conversion of liquid animal manure lagoons into biogas digesters
- planning / development of new horizontal digester system projects
Estimate: 387 Anaerobic Digesters Currently Are Operating or Are in Development in California
California Anaerobic Digesters
According to California Dairy Industry information (last updated October 2022) https://www.dairycares.com/dairy-digesters:
- Dairy digesters are providing the largest greenhouse gas reduction of all investments in California’s climate action portfolio.
- In total, California has 236 dairy digester projects, capturing methane from 254 dairy farms, and creating either renewable electricity, renewable natural gas, or hydrogen fuel.
- California is home to 17 “clusters” of dairy digesters in various stages of development. Clusters are groups of digesters that share a centralized gas cleanup facility, where the captured dairy biogas is upgraded and then injected into natural gas pipeline, so it can be used as carbon-negative transportation fuel. This is known as a “hub and spoke” model. A total of 214 dairy farms are currently planned to be included within the 17 developing clusters.
- Additionally, another 40 California dairy farms have digesters (operating or in development) that are not a part of a cluster.
- The California Dairy industry represents that, through the development of dairy digesters alone, California dairy farms will soon be reducing releases of greenhouse gases by a total of more than 2.2 million metric tons (CO2-equivalent) per year.
- Bio-Tronic Energy-CA iBB Systems – Based on (1) the DairyCares estimate of 2.2 million metric tons of CO2e/year, and (2) iBB Systems’ performance to date in improving methane capture in the range of 8-28% at five commercial-scale applications:
IF iBB systems were added to every dairy digester included in the DairyCares projection, these further reductions of methane releases could be achieved:
| Range of + Metric Tons (MT)/Yr By Adding iBB | 20-Yr Total (iBB) |
|---|---|
+ 5% methane capture – 110,000 MT CO2e/yr | 2,200,000 MT CO2e |
+ 10% methane capture – 220,000 MT CO2e/yr | 4,400,000 MT CO2e |
+ 15% methane capture – 330,000 MT CO2e/yr | 6,600,000 MT CO2e |
+ 20% methane capture – 440,000 MT CO2e/yr | 8,800,000 MT CO2e |
In California, anaerobic digestion has established a strong presence in the Municipal Waste Water Resource Facility sector.
159 WRRFs in California either have anaerobic digesters or send solids to be treated by anaerobic digestion at another facility. Digested wastewater solids are producing biogas for electricity or heat in digesters onsite or at a 3rd party site. Source: http://www.resourcerecoverydata.org/biogasdata.php
In California, anaerobic digestion has established a strong presence in the Municipal Solid Waste Stream and Co-Digestion sectors:
Stand-Alone Anaerobic Digesters (22)
As of May 2021, 11 Stand-Alone Digesters were operational, 9 more were pending, and 2 were inactive.
Co-Digestion Anaerobic Digesters (12)
[e.g., food waste, food and green waste, fats/oils/grease (FOG), sewage sludge, manure].
As of May 2021, 4 Co-Digestion Anaerobic Digesters were operational and 6 were pending; 1 was inactive.
Source for Stand-Alone Digesters and Co-Digestion Digesters: https://www2.calrecycle.ca.gov/Docs/Web/115971