Middlebury Resource Recovery Center

A greener alternative to food waste disposal.

PurposeEnergy Middlebury Resource Recovery Center / Anaerobic Digester
Location
Middlebury, VT
Delivery Method
CM at-Risk
Client
PurposeEnergy
Year Complete
2024
Region
Northeast

Project Overview

This project included the construction of a new industrial organic waste treatment center to convert food and beverage residuals and wastewater into renewable energy and cleaned effluent. The facility consists of an anaerobic digester, a generator to produce renewable electricity from digester biogas, and an associated 2,600-square-foot control building and piping. Central to the project are three 47-foot-tall steel digester tanks and three 33-foot-tall steel flow equalization tanks, hydrogen sulfide (H2S) scrubbing equipment and methane and thermal energy recovery systems to produce less than 1 MW of electricity for the Vermont grid. Work also included the installation of new offsite pump stations and force mains to allow certain local food and beverage producers to connect directly to the facility.

The Middlebury Resource Recovery Center treats approximately 80,000 gallons of food waste and wastewater per day, converting over 90% of the organic content into renewable biogas. It is estimated that this facility will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 2,000 tons of CO2 per year, primarily by the elimination of 278 tanker truck trips each month.

The project also provided an ANR-permitted phosphorus control point to protect nearby Lake Champlain. More than 60 tons per year of phosphorus will be sequestered into solid fertilizer, removing the risk of run-off to the local watershed. The solid fertilizer can be added to compost or directly applied to fields by local farms.

The MRRC services many Middlebury-based food and beverage producers, including Vermont Cider Company, WhistlePig Distillery, Dubois Dairy and Agri-Mark for Cabot Creamery.

Recognition

  • AGC Vermont Best Builders Award

80,000

Gallons/Day Food Waste Treated

90%

Waste Converted to Renewable Biogas

278

Monthly Truck Trips Eliminated

Our Clients

PC’s collaboration and perseverance on this complex project, as well as their commitment to sustainability, was integral to the project's success. Their team worked hand-in-hand with ours throughout engineering and construction, challenging and supporting one another to create an efficient, sustainable and highly functional plant serving Vermont.

Erik Lallum

Chief Development Officer • PurposeEnergy LLC