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Catalyst Power

 Quick Facts

Biography

Christopher Bush, the founder and President of Catalyst Power, started his career in construction before moving to professional sales. His last engagement was in solution team building for the Telecom industry. Chris’ idea for Catalyst Power was born more than 4 years ago out of preparation for a different project when a need arose to find environmental and energy solutions.

Details

How did you first hear about AD?
Chris was first exposed to AD by a brief sidebar story on Vermont’s “Cow Power” program in the back of a Popular Science magazine.

Digester location
2016 Inter-Provincial Hwy, Abbotsford BC. map

Digester description
The project is a complete mix mesophilic (about 38 Celsius/100 degrees Fahrenheit) digester designed by PlanET Biogas Solutions. It consists of four 24 meter diameter tanks which are 6 meters high. There are two primary digesters, one secondary, and a post storage tank. The biogas will be upgraded to natural gas using 'Greenlane Biogas’ water scrubbing technology. The facility has an approximate footprint of 1.5 acres.

Feedstock
‘Catalyst One’ will be rolled out in two phases. Phase one will process up to 200 tonnes/day of agricultural material, such as dairy and poultry manure and crop residues. Phase two will process up 350 tonnes/day of agricultural material. The facility will also receive up to 40 tonnes/day of non-agricultural waste, such as food processing waste.

Output use
The two main outputs of the digester will be biogas and digestate. The biogas from Phase one will be upgraded to natural gas pipeline specifications and fed into the local utility grid. Options for utilization of the biogas that will be produced with Phase two that are beyond the local capacity are being pursued. The liquid digestate will be converted into several products for sale by a local organic fertilizer company, while the solid digestate will be used to produce animal bedding. Research and development is also underway to see what other revenue streams can be created from the digestate.

Project difficulties
The primary barrier for Chris has been that he is the first on-farm digester in BC. Therefore, there were very little or no guidelines for Chris to follow when he started. Chris was forced to put the project into little “boxes” for various regulators. Furthermore, absolutely NO ONE else shared the urgency he faced in getting this work completed. As a result, it has taken two and a half years to complete what was expected to be 10 – 12 months of work.

What could be done to help reduce these difficulties?
Chris feels that with the completion of ‘Catalyst One’ there will be a trail blazed, creating a guided path for future projects. This should make future projects easier to implement as Chris’ work has created a healthier and more functional environment for AD facilities.

On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 being excellent) how would you describe progress to date?
If Chris were to ignore the length of time the process has taken, it is a 9.5.

Expected project milestones

• Construction is well under way with the concrete now completed.
• Roofs, cladding, insulation, major equipment, etc. are all underway.
• ‘Catalyst One’ should be completed in May 2010.

Do you have any advice to others potential digester operators?
Chris feels that farmers should not attempt this type of project on their own, and that they should get professionals to help. If you are a farmer, or have any component required to build a facility, at least consider becoming part of a team in order to get your plant to the scale required for success in BC. 

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