HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 454-10TO: HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: CITY MANAGER DEPARTMENT: PUBLIC WORKS
DATE: DECEMBER 13, 2010 CMR:454:10
REPORT TYPE: INFORMATIONAL
SUBJECT: Update on Analysis of Organi£s Residuals Management for Palo Alto
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Staff and its consultant, Alternative Resources Incorporated (ARI), are analyzing options for
managing organic residuals and will return to Council with key information in late January or early
February 2011. This is a brief informational report to Council about that analysis and information.
No action by Council is required.
DISCUSSION
ARI, the City's Consultant, is analyzing anaerobic digestion options adjacent to the Palo Alto
Regional Water Quality Control Plant (the "Plant") as part of a broader look at emerging
technologies that could be employed to extract energy and other resources from organic residuals.
Yard trimmings, food scraps, and sewage solids {"biosolids") are the three types of organic residuals
which the City is studying.
The ARI analysis will be quantitative and produce planning-level cost estimates, greenhouse gas
estimates and other data for anaerobic digestion of the three types of organic residuals. A second
consultant, Carollo Engineers, is analyzing wet anaerobic digestion of the biosolids alone, and this
analysis is being incorporated into the ARI analysis. This work will be forwarded to Council via
staffreport in late January or early February.
In the same staff report, staff will update Council on other technologies which could be employed
and staff's discussions with potential regional partners. The other technologies include gasification
and pyrolisis. Like anaerobic digestion, these tec~ologies produce energy from the organic
residuals. Depending on the process design parameters, biochar (a product which can sequester
carbon) could also be a byproduct. Staffwill explain the "pros" and "cons" of these technologies
and the degree to which they have been demonstrated at full scale. Several organics management
projects focusing on energy recovery are being planned in San Jose and staff will be providing
available details on these projects. A full scale dry anaerobic digestion project and a pilot scale
gasification project are being developed in San Jose.
The upcoming staff report is the "Preliminary Analysis" requested by Council as part of a more
complete Feasibility Study to be submitted to Council in September 2011. While the quantitative
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part of the Feasibility Study is limited to anaerobic digestion,. staff will analyze and report on the
other technologies as well.
On a longer time frame, staff is studying other alternatives for managing the biosolids as part of the
Plant's Long Range Facilities Planning Process which began in the fall of 2010. As directed by
Council, sta:fl will be focusing on energy recover technologies in this process and finishing this work
in 2012.
PREPARED BY:
DEPARTMENT HEAD:
CITY MANAGER APPROVAL:
CMR:454:10
J.MI
Acting
~W*--bp ~E 1~ City Manager
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