Minden Gardnerville Sanitation District's
 Grease Digestion & Cogeneration Project Wins EPA Award

The Minden Gardnerville Sanitation District (MGSD) wastewater treatment plant's grease digestion and cogeneration system was given this year's EPA award for innovative use of State Revolving Loan Funds.

MGSD received about $1.4 million in American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) funds to build the cogeneration system. The new system went into operation in late March 2011 and has already resulted in a significant electricity cost savings for MGSD.

Gas is generated from the anaerobic digestion of brown grease that is supplied from area restaurants. The new facilities at MGSD accommodate the reuse of restaurant grease that previously was shipped to the Lockwood landfill. The grease is uniformly fed to the high capacity digester via a 10,000 gallon mixing tank.

Over 80,000 cubic feet per day of natural gas that is created in the digester is then used as a fuel source for the new 200 Kw generator. The electricity generated meets up to 80% of the power needs for the wastewater treatment plant which serves the Minden-Gardnerville area. Through savings in electricity costs, the project will pay for itself in about five years.

Grease receiving station

Generator for cogeneration

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