ICM/PBS personnel provided design, fabrication, technical development, start-up and training services for the implementation of the anaerobic Bio-Methanation system at the Heartland Corn Products Fuel Ethanol Plant in Winthrop, MN. The turnkey Bio-Methanator plant is a skid–mounted unit designed and built by ICM-Phoenix for HCP.

     The plant consists of a single upflow expanded-bed, 30,000-gal bio-reactor, capable of removing up to 4,000 pounds per day of COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand). The bio-reactor is located out-of-doors, while all control and sampling units are skid-mounted and located inside the plant's process building.  The two level skid was used as a basic structure to provide an add-on building to the existing building, by adding metal skin and insulation to the outside of the skid.

     The entire anaerobic system was pre-fabricated at the ICM shop in Colwich and shipped to the site in Winthrop for installation, which required less than one week. The main bio-reactor is pre-molded FRP including all internals.

     The entire unit was installed in March 2001, during plant construction, and started up in May 2001. Start-up was completed in ten days and the plant was turned over to operating personnel shortly thereafter. The plant has operated successfully since start-up averaging over 90% COD reduction of evaporator condensate and consistently producing effluent waters suitable for re-use in the cook section of the fuel ethanol process. This technique results in a “Zero Process Discharge “ plant at HCP. No process water is discharged to the environment.

     Daily operating costs are extremely low, requiring only one to two hours per day of operator and lab time along with small amounts of nutrient chemicals and less than 17 operating horsepower. Bio-gas produced by the system is piped to the plant’s DDGS dryer providing an energy return of approximately $7,000 per year, which more than pays operating costs of the Bio-Methanator.