Pacific Southwest, Region 9
Serving: Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Pacific Islands, Tribal Nations
Turning Food Waste into Energy at the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD)
EBMUD’s Food Treatment Process
Preparing the Food for Digestion
In order to prepare the food waste for deposition into anaerobic digesters, it must be processed into a homogenous pulp. The food is pretreated by the hauler and then further treated using EBMUD’s patented process which removes contaminants and grinds food to an applesauce-like consistency. The hauler pre-processes the food to remove large objects and ferrous metals, and then grinds the food into approximately two-inch pieces. EBMUD further processes the food by:
- Removing large debris with a rock trap and grinder; and
- Removing grit and smaller debris, such as plastics and aluminum foil with a paddle finisher.
After going through the paddle finisher, a pulp is leftover which is then added to the anaerobic digester.
East Bay Municipal Utility District’s Patented Food Waste Treatment Process. Larger image»
