Bioenergy feasibility study of a raw corn and peas processing facility in Lethbridge, Alberta

Abstract

A bioenergy feasibility study was conducted for Canada Safeway on their Lucerne vegetable processing plant located in Lethbridge, Alberta. An energy load profile for the plant was estimated using utility records from the years 2005 to 2007, inclusive. Organic load was calculated from the wastewater utility records for the same period. The study used a common energy unit (the kilowatt, kW) to compare plant energy load with a theoretical biogas yield and proposes a bioenergy system. Based on two existing cogeneration plants of similar size located in Alberta, a system size of 800 to 1000 kW is proposed. The proposed system assumes wastewater ‘peak shaving’ and the establishment of ‘feedstock co-digestion’. An estimated cost for the facility is Canadian Dollar (AD) 7M to CAD 8M (2002 dollars), with an assumed return on investment of 8 to 9 years.