Delft Blue Veal Inc. – 2120 Clyde Road, Cambridge, Ontario

Owner: Founded over 35 years ago by Jerry Bartelse, Delft Blue Veal Farms is a division of Grober Inc. Delft Blue is a principal national supplier of fresh, frozen, and fully cooked portioned veal and other value added meat products for Canada’s top foodservice and retail customers.

Farm background: Delft Blue Veal Farms produces high quality milk fed calves. Over an 18-week period these animals are fed a human food grade diet and grow from 100 pounds to over 500 pounds. With 2,700 calves, the farm’s large operation embarked its anaerobic digestion project for a number of economic and environmentally sustainable reasons.

Biogas System: The calf manure is the main input for one 1,750 m3 anaerobic digester along with discarded organic residuals provided by several food processing companies. The mixture is fed into the digester and produces up to 65% methane which runs one 140 kW MAN engine generator and a 359 kW genset, up to 24 hours/day to produce 499 kW of electricity to sell to the grid. The engines also produce hot water for use on the farm as part of their improved animal husbandry program. It is predicted that Delft Blue Farm’s cogeneration unit will produce enough electricity to power 500 homes 24 hours, 7 days a week, while reducing the farm’s fossil fuel consumption by 80%.

Biogas Benefits to the Farms: The implementation of the biogas system at Delft Blue Farms was critical for the management of its 2,700 calves or 17,739,000 litres of manure annually . The biogas system allowed for the removal of manure below the calves for better air quality (eliminating the need for electrical fans to evacuate odours). Fresh manure input into the digester provides better solids content to improve the Renewable Natural Gas production. In addition, the daily scraping of manure from the floors below the calves, extends the life of the concrete, thus sustainably elongates the life of the barn. The daily removal also improved the quality of the work environment and reduced stress for farm workers. The hot water produced by the two engines provides heat to the digester and other heat loads in the biogas plant. In addition, hot water is used in the barns to reduce the amount of fossil fuel purchased for heating and process demands. The farm is reducing its dependence on fossil fuels to 80%, selling surplus electricity generated to the grid thus creating a viable business enterprise that will have electricity sales as its baseline revenue. Output content produces land nutrients (digestate) and animal bedding for the calves.

Broader Societal Benefits: The biogas system has enabled the farm to significantly reduce its carbon footprint through the use of biogas to offset fossil fuel consumption, the capture of GHG, and the application of nutrient enriched digestate in lieu of commercial fertilizers for crops. Organic materials such as calf manure are treated through the AD process providing added protection to our surface and groundwater sources.

FIT Program Benefits: For Delft Blue, a reliable supply of electricity is sold under the FIT program to the OPA generating income for the farm. Jobs were created in Ontario retaining PlanET Biogas Solutions, Martin Machinery, among others, during construction and throughout operations. The marketability of veal, being that it is produced with the lowest carbon footprint, has opened up significantly to larger retailers at market value to consumers.

Future Opportunities: Delft Blue is a leader in its field promoting sustainability and innovation on farm. The biogas system has been an integral part of their growth. Delft Blue continues to work on uses for the digestate produced including, reclaimation of marginal lands using waste straw, hay and other post harvest cellulose based vegetation covered with liquid digestate and seeded immediately. This land in turn is able to grow vegetables/crops, sequester carbon, and add value back to the economy. Delft Blue Veal biogas system has acted as an educational resource in anaerobic digestion and project implementation for the public at large, particularly to other veal farms considering anaerobic digestion.

Contact: Ross Blaine – rblaine@grober.com
415 Dobbie Dr., Cambridge, ON, N1T 1S9
tel (519) 622-2500 x213
cell (519) 716-7677

Courtesy of

275 Slater Street, Suite 900, Ottawa, ON, K1P 5H9
tel (613) 822-1004
website www.apao.ca
email exec_coord@apao.ca

The Biogas Process

Click here to view large version of the Biogas process to match numbers with text below

1. Liquid manure is produced by the farm’s veal calves. All manure is automatically pumped directly into the digester at frequent intervals throughout the day.
2. Fats, oils and greases (FOG) from off-farm sources are delivered to the biogas plant for digestion. Digesting these products in a biogas plant diverts these organic wastes from landfills.
3. The off-farm waste is pasteurized at 7a °G for one hour to remove all pathogens from the liquid in compliance with the Ministry of Environment regulations.
4. Solid waste is fed into the digester via a PlanET Dry Feeder. The feeder is loaded once a day and is automatically fed into the digester at even intervals throughout the day.
5. The anaerobic digester is the heart of the system. All inputs processed in this 2,-100 m3 concrete digester at38°C. In the absence of oxygen, bacteria from the manure break down the organic matter and convert it to biogas, very similar to what occurs in a cow’s stomach. The digester is continually stirred by way of submersible mixers to ensure an efficient biological process.
6. An automatic flare ensures that all excess biogas that is not consumed by the engines is destroyed in an environmentally acceptable manner.
7. Two MAN engines burn the biogas to produce 499 kW of electrical energy for resale to the local electricity grid. The engines, packaged by Martin Machinery, are specifically designed for burning biogas. In addition to electricity production, these two engines produce hot water used for heating purposes.
8. Electricity produced by the biogas engines is distributed to the local electricity grid. Electricity is sold to the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) under the province’s new Feed-In Tariff (FIT) program. Protection devices are installed to ensure consistent, safe generation of electricity.
9. In addition to biogas, the anaerobic digester produces digestate as an end-product. Digestate is a high-value  fertilizer that can be used for land application for crops, golf course fertilizers, or straw bale gardens.
10. Hot water generated by the biogas engines is captured and used to provide heat to the digester and other heat loads in the biogas plant. In addition, hot water is used in the barns to reduce the amount of fossil fuel purchased for heating and process demands.

Delft Blue Veal is continuing to work on uses for the Digestate produced by the Biogas process

Anaerobic Digesters – Reuse -Recycle -Reduce – Reclamation

• Anaerobic Digesters solve a major issue for the current government and they are not even aware of it.
• Anaerobic Digesters are the only major agri-based initiative that reduces green house gases associated with farming.
• Anaerobic Digesters REUSE farming, food processing and waste produce to produce stable power.
• Anaerobic Digesters RECYCLE by producing land nutrients and recyclable animal bedding thus having a significant LCA impact.
• Anaerobic Digesters REDUCE the cost of power production and the need for fertilizers. Anaerobic Digesters reduce the risk of pollution due to land spreading of manure…remember Walkerton
• Anaerobic Digesters add a fourth R to the three Rs. That is RECLAMATION, using waste straw, hay and other post harvest cellulose based vegetation we can mix our compost with this foraged leftover, cover it in AD liquor and seed immediately… after a few years you now have land capable of sustaining some vegetable crops and these become agents for Carbon Sequestration We have RECLAIMED poorly performing land and added income to our pummeled economy.

This process means we (Anaerobic Digester operators) have provided the current government with it’s first and only tool to deliver the Green Act to agriculture and any future government cannot refute this claim.

Now we a positioned to give the right story… it is not about electricity rates… it is about support to get the AD industry growing and going and the BTW providing dependable power to the grid and later biomass crops that will feed the revamped coal fired plants. They are not closing coal fired plants they are firing them with something else.

Let’s get our story compiled and consolidated then lets start lobbying. Yes, we need to tell our story but we had better put a new version of it out; rather than crapping on the current government, dumping on the OPA…either we are part of the problem or part of the solution and all governments want solutions to brag about and not issues to perturb them.

In end Anaerobic Digesters are providing a comprehensive solution to the Green Act that will be engaged by all political strips.

“Thus the wise win before they fight…while the ignorant fight to Win”

Ross Blaine  – ( anaerobic digesters )

I thought that this time I would go into a little more detail so that maybe you could better understand this data.  I realize that to someone who doesn’t work with a digester on a day to day basis, this data collection may look like just a bunch of numbers and squiggly lines on a graph.  Some of this info may be old news to some of you.

I’ll start by explaining “Gas Quality”.   The gas quality is checked daily for the following contents:

CH4- Methane  (%)

• Average for biogas 55-60 %, as you can see, our gas quality is above average.  What does this mean? Better fuel quality = more kW output per m3 of biogas.  With 55-60 % CH4, the typical output would be 2 kW/m3, our output is 2.2 kW/m3.  What caused the increase in gas quality?  After the ORRS waste was introduced on Oct 3 there was a increase in gas quality.

CO2- Carbon Dioxide (%)

• Average for biogas 30-40 %.  We have a low CO2 content and I believe it is due to the fact our CH4 is higher than average.  The CH4 and CO2 usually balance out close to 100% when added together.  The higher the CH4 content drives down the CO2, and vice versa.

O2- Oxygen (%)

• Norm 0.5-1 %.  Now it may sound counterproductive to add oxygen into an anaerobic digester, but it does serve a purpose.   The biological desulphurization bacteria that grow on the surface of the wooden “roof” inside the digester require a small amount oxygen.  What they do is take the H2S in the gas and break it into sulphur (S), which sticks to the wood, and water (H2O).

NH3- Ammonia (ppm)

• The presence ammonia in biogas usually is an indicator that the pH level in the digester is too high also the retention time may be too short. NH3 is not present I our gas at this time.

H2S- Hydrogen Sulfide (ppm)

• This is watched closely for a couple reason:

o   Higher H2S levels cause more wear and tear to the engine. (MAN engine requirements <200ppm)

o   Higher H2S levels decrease engine oil life time

o   Corrosive gas

• What causes H2S production?  The amount of H2S depends on the amount of sulphur in the feedstock and retention time.  Also I’ve noticed that when the digester is adjusting to a new feedstock there is an increase in H2S for a short while.
• How do you remove the gas? Biologically (as I explained earlier) and chemically with Ferric Chloride (FeCl3).  FeCl3 is a more complex process but the end result is the same, other than the fact it works quicker and more efficiently than biological removal.

Modifications in October and their impacts:

1.       Introduction of ORRS waste into digester.

a.       Increase in gas quality

b.      Increased gas quantity/kW output.

2.       Weaned off of the dairy manure.

a.       Decrease in operating cost

b.      Reduced H2S production (less FeCl3 needed to stay within engine specs)

3.       Increased overall feed rate:

a.       Additional increased gas production

Within the month of October we have more than double our gas output, and November is off to a great start.  Feel free to call if you have any questions.  I will include some information on the FOS/TAC and it’s importance in the next update.  That’s all for now.

[View with PicLens]

Click on above thumbnails to see full graphs for Biodigester for  – Input -Output – Fats Oils and Greases – Gas Quality

Aron Hamm