In the United States (US), the City of Pasco, Washington (WA), Burnham RNG LLC, and project partners Biogas Engineering Inc., Cascade Natural Gas Corporation, a subsidiary of MDU Resources Group Inc., Gross-Wen Technologies Inc., Sustainable Energy Ventures LLC, Swinerton Energy Inc., and Xylem Inc., hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony celebrating the groundbreaking expansion of the Process Water Reuse Facility (PWRF) and Pasco Resource Recovery Center (PRRC).
This innovative facility transforms process water from seven local food processing plants into multiple beneficial resources.
Through a unique combination of processes, the Pasco Resource Recovery Center (PRRC) generates renewable natural gas (RNG), nutrient-rich soil amendments, and algae for use in bioproducts while it returns clean water to be used for agricultural irrigation, all while reducing environmental impact.
The expansion of system users in the Pasco area, including the addition of Darigold, is driving increased demand for process water treatment.
The upgraded Process Water Reuse Facility (PWRF) will increase treatment capacity and enhance environmental benefits at a reduced cost, thanks to Pasco’s strategic 30-year public-private partnership with Burnham RNG that built, owns, and operates the PRRC.
Swinerton Energy served as the EPC contractor for the PRRC, ensuring project completion on time and within budget.
This facility is truly cutting-edge. By repurposing water from food processing plants, we’re improving our environmental impact, meeting state and federal environmental standards, and harnessing valuable resources like renewable natural gas, all while sharing costs with industry partners, said Maria Serra, Pasco public works director.
Key features of the US$180 million project
- Sustainable Water Reuse: The upgraded system can now recycle more than one billion (US) gallons (≈ 3.785 billion litres) of water annually from local food processors, treating it to a higher standard for safer agricultural irrigation.
- Enhanced Water Treatment: Two 34-million-gallon (≈ 129 million litre) anaerobic digesters provided by Xylem will use microorganisms to break down organic material in the process water.
- RNG Production: The anerobic digestion (AD) process will produce raw biogas that will be upgraded into pipeline-quality RNG using advanced gas upgrading technology engineered and supplied by Biogas Engineering. The estimated 330,000 MMBtu/year of RNG will be locally distributed by Cascade Natural Gas.
- Algae-Based Water Purification: A greenhouse filtration system from Gross-Wen Technologies will use algae to recover nitrogen while also capturing carbon dioxide (CO2), benefiting both water and air quality.
- Expanded Water Storage: The facility’s newly expanded holding ponds will store up to 450 million gallons (≈ 1.7 billion litres) of treated water until it is needed for irrigation, ensuring efficient and sustainable use of resources.
This project does much more than treat wastewater; it unlocks long-term value for the City of Pasco and its industries. By integrating advanced treatment, nutrient recovery, and energy production, we and our partners have built a system that makes wastewater a financial and environmental asset, said Chris Tynan, CEO of Burnham RNG.
