McGill technology applications

From biological drying to bioremediation, composting does more than recycle

Composting is a recycling technology.  There’s not a more affordable, more sustainable method of recovering organic matter and returning it to the soil than through the manufacture and use of compost.

But McGill technology applications go beyond recycling and soil amendments to include a range of bio-based, waste management solutions:

• Biological drying for high-moisture materials like sludge
• Volume and/or weight reduction for waste streams that must be disposed via landfilling or incineration
• Bioremediation of contaminated soil
• Bioenergy augmentation

The secret to this high level of flexibility is the control and management of the natural biodegradation process.  The higher the level of control, the easier it is to manage the same basic process to meet different goals.

Facility design, process design, and process management strategies all focus on process control.  This control includes automated monitoring and aeration management.

Here are some of the things that this technology can do:

Compost manufacturing

Every permitted composting operation must manage its process to meet regulatory standards for pathogen kill and other factors.  But whether the resulting compost will be of low or high quality depends largely upon management.  Not interested in selling compost? The process can be managed to reduce end product volumes.  This cuts disposal costs for landfilling or incineration.

Though weather exposure and lack of technical sophistication may pose a number of management challenges, even a crude, outdoor windrow facility can produce high-quality products.   Conversely, a sophisticated indoor plant using state-of-the-art technology can produce a low-grade product.

It’s all about understanding the underlying science.  Then — in keeping with the limitations of the physical plant (or lack thereof) and composting methodology in use — managing the natural biodegradation process to meet specific processing goals.

A composting facility marketing primarily to farmers may not need to manufacture a product suitable for golf courses or suburban lawns.   But plunk that operation down in suburbia, where farms are many miles distant and the nearest (and most lucrative) markets are right next door, and goals change.  Such a facility needs to produce a premium product that can be used anywhere by anyone any time of the year.

Same technology + different process management = different products for different markets.  McGill customizes the design and management protocols for each plant so the finished compost products will meet the quality standards of the intended end use market.

Sludge drying, moisture reduction

Compared to sludge dryers, composting is an economical technology for drying biosolids, sludge and other high-moisture materials.  Microbial activity is a “free” heat source.  The feeding activity of the microbes responsible for biodegradation generates heat.  Moisture is released in the form of steam.  No expensive thermal units or centrifuges are required.

Sludge can be dried with or without compost production as a processing goal.  Sludge can be biologically dried  and then transported off-site for further processing.  For materials intended for disposal, bio-drying reduces weight and volume of the waste stream prior to transport and burial/destruction. (SEE:  weight/volume reduction)

Biological drying can be incorporated as a component of a new treatment plant or add-on to an existing treatment operation.

Weight/volume reduction

This biological technology application drives moisture out.   As a result, the processed material — whether a sludge destined for incineration or a high-quality compost — is significantly less in both weight and volume than the original waste stream.

For waste generators transporting to contract facilities for further processing or disposal, this difference can represent a dollar savings in transportation costs and tipping fees.

How much savings?   A rough estimate of 50% reduction in both volume and weight will work for preliminary estimates.  But, to determine the actual number, ask an engineer to do calculations for the specific feedstocks to be processed.  If transporting to a McGill facility, we can make those estimates for you.  Tell us about your project.

Bioremediation

Another application of the composting process is bioremediation, the use of microorganisms (naturally occurring or introduced) to break down pollutants in soil and water.  In the field, this bio-technology is applied to clean-up of sites contaminated with a variety of hydrocarbons, explosives and more.

For many types of contaminants, and depending on the scope of work, McGill can establish a temporary facility for soil and water clean-up at the contamination site or treat in-situ without requiring any material to be transported off-site.

As this technology application utilizes compost, the treated soil is suitable for use as final vegetative cover without an additional application of topsoil.

Bioenergy augmentation

The production of bioenergy generates a waste stream that is compostable.  While this waste can be reused in its raw state for agricultural purposes, more lucrative end uses are generally limited.  Augmenting bioenergy production with a high-rate composting system opens new, high-value markets for this residual and adds another revenue stream to the operation.

Facilities designed for the 21st Century

Recycling high volumes of organic waste requires a reliable, tightly-controlled technology supported by a facility designed to deliver what modern, industrial composting demands — a high-rate process.  McGill’s design innovations — from physical plant to process to work flow — reflect input from people working at all levels throughout our plants and corporate offices, as well as vendors and customers.

That’s why our facilities are unique in the industry and why they work so well.

However, biology takes the design lead, putting the bugs in charge of design and engineering.  As a result, our composting technologies deliver fast throughput without sacrificing environmental protection, performance or profitability.  McGill composting plants offer everything needed to run a fast, clean, trouble-free facility … without any unnecessary bells and whistles.

• Steel and concrete construction — our physical plant delivers decades of reliability with minimal upkeep
• Contained and computerized process — a controlled process is an efficient process
• Industrial scale — a proven technology for mainstream waste management
• All organics at any moisture level — consolidate multiple facilities under one roof
• Low operating cost — no windrow turners, no leachate to collect and manage, off-the-shelf components
• Profitable — we are a commercial company operating multiple facilities using this technology.  If there were a more efficient, cost-effective technology or facility design on the market, we’d be using it.

Composting is a science, not art

For people who understand the science, there is no “art” to composting.  It’s about biochemistry and the delivery of moisture, temperature, oxygen and food — in the right balance — to create and maintain a processing environment that will encourage the proliferation of the specific microbial populations responsible for biodegradation.

Everything at McGill facilities — from building design to engineering to operations management — supports the process.

This science-centric approach delivers rapid breakdown of compounds and accelerated stabilization for food waste, sludges, woody materials and other organics.  It also ensures a high level of environmental protection and produces compost products with the consistent quality demanded by top-dollar compost markets.  With McGill Composting Technologies™ you get it all in one neat, profitable package complete with evergreen support:

• Systems designed to meet your needs
• Easy operation and no-hassle maintenance with off-the-shelf parts
• No leachate generation and no windrow turners
• 1/10th the space of a windrow operation with the same throughput

Can we build one for you?

McGill’s composting facility designs and technologies are available for licensing by third-party facility owners.  These processing and production facilities are specifically designed for the management and recycling of high volume, biodegradable waste streams.  Process goals may include biological drying, volume reduction and/or premium compost manufacture.

Designs offer a high level of environmental security for the most challenging organic wastes.  The process is fast and reliable.  Combined with its operations protocols, McGill composting facilities deliver consistent, premium product quality batch after batch.

Build small now to grow later.  Plants are pre-engineered to reduce development time and save money.  We can support your development efforts or develop the project for you turnkey.  You decide what you need and when you need it:

• Facility design and technology licensing
• Public-Private Partnerships (P3)
• Composting systems with superior environmental protection as inherent design elements
• One process, one facility, all biodegradables, including biodegradable plastics
• Premium compost products with real market value
• An additional high-value revenue stream for AD/bioenergy facilities
• Optional McGill facility management, intake and/or compost marketing and sales

McGill’s industrial solutions and composting technologies are customized to fit your site, your volume and your budget.

For more information, tell us about your project or download our 2017 package plant InfoSheets.

McGill composting process description

McGill composting facilities are designed to support the proprietary process responsible for the accelerated biodegradation of target compounds.

The modular design and rapid throughput provide a flexible, adaptable and cost-effective way of turning all kinds of organic waste into premium compost products.

LEARN MORE:  Operations overview — how we work

Blending

Optimal moisture, porosity, and carbon-to-nitrogen ratio are just some of the goals of the blending process. Specific formulations are based on the volumes and types of feedstocks processed and depend on their physical and bio-chemical characteristics.

Primary processing and curing

McGill utilizes a proprietary modification of the aerated static pile composting process developed at Rutgers University in the 1970s.

Computerized-control of the air delivery and extraction system optimizes composting conditions by maintaining ideal temperatures for the specific microbes responsible for biodegradation.

Tight control and automated monitoring of the processing environment reduces the time required to meet regulatory compliance for pathogen kill. This, in turn, provides cost-cutting, rapid throughput while delivering high quality compost products.

Once time and temperature goals have been met, the material is classified as a product and no longer regulated.  This “fresh” compost has some market value, primarily in agriculture.  However, most markets require a more mature product.

Data-logging

Real-time and historic data for each processing bay can be viewed on the computer screen and exported as spreadsheets and graphic visualizations for easy archiving and compliance.

Process flexibility goes beyond compost production

Once pathogen and vector requirements are met, the system can be optimized to meet various requirements and process goals.  Parameters such as degradation rate, moisture reduction, quality, output volumes, cost, etc. can all be adjusted to meet the specific goals of the facility owner.

At most McGill facilities, the process is optimized for high-quality compost production.  But a facility might also be designed and managed for biological drying (bio-drying) as a cost-effective alternative to conventional sludge dryers.  Another site-specific goal might be moisture and volume reduction for a special material that needed to be landfilled rather than recycled.

Emission security

McGill composting and biological treatment (bioremediation) facilities are designed for biofiltration of air from inside buildings and encapsulated processing bays.  Air is extracted from the blending and processing areas of the building and treated before release to the atmosphere.  Depending on location and design preferences for client-owned facilities, air extraction and biofiltration can be added to indoor off-loading, curing and screening zones, as well.

Design and licensing customization

Our composting facility designs offer the ultimate in choice to fit the project’s requirements with footprints, environmental control, and other features tailored to your bio-wastes and volumes.

• Compost 2 types of feedstocks or 20 — in the same batch.
• Process 15,000 tons per year or 150,000 — we size to fit your needs.
• Put those processing bays in a fully-enclosed building or choose open sides for the work zones.

Our basic composting module is, essentially, a reinforced concrete building with coated steel and translucent-panel roofing.

There are three main work zones:  (1) intake and blending, (2) primary processing and curing and (3) screening.

Core components of the aeration system can be housed in an “attic” space above the processing bays or installed on the exterior of the building.

Your site, its neighborhood and the regulations of jurisdictional agencies will dictate the level of environmental control/security required.  Ready to get started?

Flexible own-operate options

From multi-source, regional composting centers to dedicated facilities for single corporate or municipal clients, McGill’s design-build-operate (DBO) services offer ownership and operating models tailored just for you:

• McGill build-own-operate on our property (we finance)
• McGill build-own-operate on your property (we finance)
• McGill build-operate, customer own (you finance)
• McGill build, customer own-operate (you finance)
• McGill license, customer build-own-operate (you finance)

Want a modern, environmentally-secure composting facility with no capital investment?  If you bring a suitable site and guaranteed minimum volumes to the table, we can structure a project requiring little to no capital outlay on your part.

Minimums depend on regional tipping fees and other local influences, but guarantees of 35,000-50,000 tons per year would be typical of many U.S. markets.

Composting add-ons for WWTPs, AD facilities and more

Our biological systems can also enhance efficiencies and reduce operational costs for sludge drying, thermal Waste-to-Energy (WTE), and anaerobic digestion, either as a retrofit to an existing operation or integrated into the design of a new facility or system.

Co-location at water and wastewater treatment plants, landfills, transfer stations and incinerators are ideal for both McGill and our customers.

We can even take over a yard waste or biosolids composting site and use less space than an outdoor windrow operation processing the same volume of materials.  One McGill facility can process all biodegradables, such as biosolids and sludge, yard waste, food waste, cooking grease, compostable plastics and the biodegradable fraction of construction and demolition debris (C&D).  Unpainted/untreated gypsum products can be processed, as well.

Key facility features include:

• Modular design for the flexibility required to meet your current and future needs
• Rapid throughput via accelerated thermophilic treatment to cut materials handling/labor costs and reduce residence time, requiring less space and resulting in lower capital costs
• Product-focused design and process management for high quality compost with real market value
• Emission security and treatment for mitigation of odors and other nuisance issues
• Real-time and historic compliance data for improved process control and record-keeping
• Optional green energy add-on for maximizing the value of your organic waste stream

McGill regional composting facilities are individually designed to meet specific needs. Primary considerations are capacity,  location and the type of waste being processed. Encapsulated (totally enclosed in concrete) processing modules have a minimum capacity of four wet tons per day. There is no maximum design limit for a McGill facility.

Processing modules include a concrete aeration floor, intake/exhaust fans, concrete walls and roof.  Options include computerized process control and data-logging, a concrete blending apron, metal building enclosure, biofilter, and McGill operations management. Operator training is included.

Operations support

To maximize the potential of your McGill facility, we provide operations support and related services specific to compost manufacturing, bio-drying and biological treatment systems.

These include:

• Start-up and staff training
• Operations management, strategic planning and facility planning
• Systems/construction design and engineering
• Intake and compost products marketing
• Waste/compost markets analyses and waste audits
• Applied research and demonstration
• Site surveys, assessments and troubleshooting
• Assistance with regulatory issues and permitting

Compost sales strategies customized for your locale

Why make an agricultural-grade product if the nearest farm is 50 miles away? Can you sell high volumes of landscape-quality compost if you are far from an urban center?  We know how to balance available feedstocks with local product demand to craft a product mix that’s right for your region.   Grow market presence with customized sales strategies designed for your community … including McGill-managed programs based on revenue-sharing.

Only what you need.  Only when you need it

Beyond design-build-operate models and technology licensing, our experienced teams can assist in all aspects of start-up and on-going management of your composting facility, whether designed by McGill or someone else. Who better to troubleshoot your operation than a company with more than 20 years of hands-on experience with just about every kind of organic waste material generated on the planet?

Careful planning = successful operations

Assessing the potential of a new market, finding the right site, obtaining all required permits and securing intake contracts are all components of project development for new McGill composting facilities.

Development activities may be triggered by a request from an existing or prospective customer, a conversation with a regulator or legislator, a Request for Proposal (RFP) issued by a municipality or something as simple as a news article from a region of interest.

The initial development process continues until we either (a) discover a reason not to pursue the project further or (b) all required permits are issued for facility construction.  Even after construction begins, business development activities related to the procurement of signed contracts from future waste management customers continues until the facility reaches full operating capacity.  As construction nears completion, business development activities related to compost sales begin.

The development process typically takes 1-2 years, though it can be longer in states where review of the regulatory permit application spans many months.  In most states, however, permit review is completed in 6-9 months.

Phase 1 – Pre-construction development

A typical development budget ranges between $350,000 and $500,000 per facility and follows a specific sequence of investigative and evaluative stages:

Step 1 | Preliminary Assessment.   Broad brushstroke information is gathered about a particular geographic area, usually defined by an anchor metropolitan statistical area (MSA), plus any other metropolitan areas within about 60 miles of that point.  This cursory review looks at:

• POPULATION – population figures allow us to make calculated available-volume estimates based on known per capita generation rates for a number waste streams, including food waste and biosolids.
• POPULATION DENSITY – indicates where waste generators and compost markets are likely to be concentrated, as well as areas where siting is probably not practical due to land acquisition costs and/or neighborhood profile.
• PER CAPITA INCOME – along with the percent of single-family residences, education levels and other demographic information, serve as indicators of both enthusiasm and support for composting services and markets for compost products
• REGIONAL TIPPING FEES – serve as indicators of profitability for an industrial-scale composting facility serving the region.
• COMPOSTING REGULATIONS AND MANDATES – policy and laws governing composting vary from region to region, impact siting, design, construction, operation, feedstock availability and compost markets.
• MANUFACTURING BASE – one or more manufacturers with large, biodegradable waste streams help to solidify foundation feedstocks, while big facilities with large employee populations and in-house food service offer potential sources for food waste.
• FEDERAL FACILITIES – government green purchasing mandates make large military bases and other government complexes likely customers for composting services and compost products.
• COST OF PROPERTY ACQUISITION – agricultural, industrial or timber tract properties recently sold and suitable properties currently on the market provide an estimate of local market prices for land.

During data collection, values are assigned to various criteria and compared to McGill assessment benchmarks.  These rankings are compared to values for existing McGill facilities, as well as other successful commercial composting operations, to determine probable economic viability for a facility serving the proposed location.

Low scores often result from small populations, an insufficient number of “probable” volume generators, or low landfill tipping fees for the area.  In such cases, investigations are halted and the region eliminated as a potential market.  However, if the region’s score warrants further investigation, development moves on to the next step.

Depending on ease of information access via the web, preliminary data collection may take several weeks.  “Ease” is determined by the amount of public access information available from government websites in search-friendly formats.

Step 2 | Marketing Survey.   The purpose of this activity is to (a) confirm the calculated economic assumptions made during the preliminary assessment and (b) use geographic concentrations of specific feedstock generators to help focus the site search.

To confirm calculated assumptions, members of the business development staff conduct phone and in-person surveys of potential customers.  The goal is to gather as much information as possible about waste generation volumes, current disposal methods and related costs to generators in the designated service area, specifically:

• Identity/locate major generators of compost-compatible waste streams in the municipal, industrial and agribusiness sectors
• Disposal/reuse practices employed by those generators, including related costs, technologies, contractors and current contract terms
• Number and location of other high-volume organics processors providing services in the region (big generators prefer to deal with large, experienced recyclers like McGill)
• Pending legislation or policy changes,  announcements of new organics processors expecting to enter the market and any other information that might influence the economic viability of a facility serving that market
• Compost sales potential, i.e., number of sports fields and golf courses, stormwater management programs, landscapers and landscape supply

The length of time required to conduct this assessment also takes several weeks, depending on the market’s potential.  Investigations of promising markets in highly-populated areas could take a few months.

Step 3 | Site Search.  Sometimes, potential sites are offered in a generator-issued Request for Proposals or as property already owned by a potential client-owner.  But, usually, McGill is required to look for possible sites as the next step in facility development.

It surprises some to learn McGill’s first priority when selecting a site is not related to the property itself, but to elements outside of McGill control – state and local regulations, distance from good intake and compost markets, local tipping fees, zoning, compatibility with the host community, traffic routes, etc.

Low evaluation marks for even one of these influences can eliminate a site from consideration.  Every property we find of the right size and in the right geographic area is evaluated first for appropriateness.  Only when it passes this basic test will factors like price and specific site features come into play.

For McGill, an ideal site will —

• Contain 5-50 acres, depending on the size of the facility, the host community, existing site infrastructure and buffers
• Be in close proximity to major highways without having to move trucks through residential neighborhoods
• Offer industrial or other appropriate zoning with compatible neighbors
• Offer a level or gently-sloping site with no streams bisecting acreage intended for the active production zone
• Offer incentives, which may include public/private collaboration opportunity
• Offer acquisition and site preparation costs within budget targets

A McGill project developer searches for and identifies closed or active waste management sites, brownfield and other abandoned industrial sites, forest land, and similar properties in the target region that meet some or all of the above criteria, then forwards the most promising locations to site specialists for “boots on the ground” investigations that include:

• Acquisition and review of property surveys
• Walking surveys of the properties for suitability relative to construction and neighbors
• Windshield surveys of proposed truck access route(s) to verify suitability relative to bridge weight limits and community impacts

Once a good property candidate is identified, initial negotiations with the landowner completed and an option on the property secured, McGill will initiate:

• Formal meetings with targeted customers and regulators.  For regulators, this may include a site visit.
• Archeological, environmental and other site assessments required by jurisdictional entities and/or McGill.   This typically involves the participation of outside specialists.

This process can take 3-6 months.

Step 4 | Zoning.  If a zoning variance or rezoning is required, this becomes the first Phase 2 activity.  While specific requirements vary from state to state and community to community, this typically calls for preliminary engineering and related drawings, formal reports from the environmental/archeological assessment, one or more meetings with zoning officials, public hearings and, sometimes, formal presentations to zoning boards, city planners, councils and other stakeholders.

Once the required zoning has been secured, the project enters the formal permitting stage:

Step 5 | Stormwater permit.  Typically, this permit is secured as a prelude to submittal of required state construction/operating permits.  But if not required as part of the regulatory permit application, development of the stormwater plan and obtaining relevant permits and approvals runs concurrent with regulatory permitting.  This process can take 3-4 months and may require participation by local engineers.

Step 6 | Regulatory permits.  With zoning and stormwater permits in-hand, the project is (finally) ready to move on to the formal permitting process.   This may require completion of site-specific civil engineering and drawings not otherwise required during preparation of the stormwater plan.

Because McGill facilities process all types of organics, it is not unusual for multiple state agencies (solid waste, wastewater, industrial waste and agriculture) to claim jurisdictional authority over one or more phases of the operation.   Typically, the state will designate one agency as the “lead” that will, in consultation with the other divisions, write the permit and assume primary responsibility for ongoing monitoring of the operation.

However, when multiple permits are required, they are prepared and submitted simultaneously.  Permit applications are prepared in-house by McGill staff and/or a local consultant familiar with requirements specific to the locale.  This process typically takes 3-6 months, but can be longer.

The actual application review by state agencies can take anywhere from 6 to 24 months and is outside of the control of McGill.  During this waiting period, McGill is busy generating sales materials, attending trade shows and becoming involved in other regional organizations and activities as a prelude to facility opening.   Construction specifications are finalized, the project is bid, and a general contractor is selected.

It is usually at this juncture that a project manager (the future plant manager) joins the McGill team to secure intake contracts and serve as the liaison between McGill and regulators.

As permit review nears completion, the project manager’s role shifts to that of construction manager.  S/he will serve as McGill’s chief liaison with the general contractor throughout the 18-24-month construction period.

Phase 2 – Construction and Start-Up

Once all required permits have been issued, McGill and the landowner execute the sale or lease documents and construction begins in earnest.    Final specifications are prepared by the McGill team, the project is bid and a general contractor is hired.   While many members of the McGill team will be involved in various aspects of construction oversight, the project manager serves as McGill’s primary liaison between the company and the general contractor’s construction manager.  S/he also coordinates any on-site visits and inspections required by regulators.

“Green field” construction takes 18-24 months.  If the site is located within a landfill or other property where some required infrastructure is already in place, time to start-up can be reduced by up to six months.

About 30 days prior to start-up, one or more members of the McGill development team will be at the site full time to oversee equipment installation.   During this period, the operations and office staff is also hired and trained.  Intake contracts are finalized and transportation scheduled.  Websites are updated and press releases issued.  A ribbon-cutting ceremony is planned.

Once the facility begins to accept material, the “development” phase is complete and “start-up” commences.  During start-up,  training is completed, equipment is tweaked and operating procedures/protocols are reinforced until the facility reaches full capacity or passes its first 90 days of operations (whichever comes first).  At this point, operations are officially handed over to the owner’s management team if McGill is not contracted to operate the facility.