Smart2BeGreen: Onion Fuel. . . from Smart Tips
August 26, 2009
Onions may make you cry,
But they can be a fuel supply.
Onion juice ferments you see,
Waste becomes energy!
Crying All the Way to the Bank
In Oxnard, California, Gills Onions, a national onion processor and distributor, has constructed an Advanced Energy Recovery System (AERS) that converts 100% of their onion waste into ultra-clean renewable energy and a high-value cattle feed. The AERS creates enough methane biogas to power two onsite 300-kilowatt fuel cells, which operate the plant's refrigeration units and lighting.
• Like a Big Stomach: Juice extracted from onion waste is sent to ferment in an anaerobic digester that contains bacteria from an Anheuser-Busch beer brewery. The bacteria feast on the carbohydrates in the fermenting juice and produce combustible methane gas.
• Cost Savings: The AERS provides annual savings of $700,000 in electricity costs, $400,000 in disposal costs, and has lead to more than $3 million in government and power company incentives.
• GHG Reductions: The AERS eliminates up to 30,000 tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions per year.
• Waste-To-Energy: Gills Onions is one of many companies using their biomass waste to create energy. Other types of biomass waste employed include animal manure, vegetable oil, whey, municipal solid waste, and industrial wastes.
