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User's Manual: Co-Digestion Economic Analysis Tool
Citation:
Rock, S. AND J. Ricketts. User's Manual: Co-Digestion Economic Analysis Tool. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Center for Environmental Assessment, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-16/375, 2017.
Impact/Purpose:
The manual is intended to give the user a better understanding of how the model works and explain the various model components. The manual is intended to be a supplemental document to the model but it is not necessary to run the model.
Description:
Many WRRFs have anaerobic digestion (AD) systems that have excess capacity, sometimes significant excess capacity. This is often a result of changes in service area population not rising to match design expectations. Having AD capacity could be an opportunity to create or enhance income streams for the facility while at the same time helping to divert organic material from landfills. This tool can help calculate the cost of upgrading a facility, the expected increase in biogas production, and the enhanced income from tipping fees and increased energy production. The Co-Digestion Economic Analysis Tool (Co-EAT) utilizes the current publicly-available data on the emerging practice of co-digestion at water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs). Co-EAT does not require pre-existing WRRF digesters, and will calculate results with no pre-existing digester in place, however the model was intended to help WWTP operators assess the viability of implementing co-digestion with existing anaerobic digesters. The manual is intended to give the user a better understanding of how the model works and explain the various model components. Each component is broken down by input location and the associated variables are briefly explained. The manual is intended to be a supplemental document to the model but is not necessary to run the model.