MARYLAND FARMS BIOGAS
Lindsay, Ontario
PROJECT DETAILS
» 15,000 tonnes/yr of municipal SSO
FITEC TECH SUPPLY
» Receiving and Pasteurizing System
» Automated Self-Cleaning Digester
» Plant Control System
TEN YEARS OF IMPACTS
» 200,000+ tonnes of organics processed
» Thousands of tonnes of GHG emissions avoided
» Hundreds of homes powered annually by biogas
» 100% compliant and exceeding highest digestate quality standards
» ZERO digester shut-downs or cleanouts required
Celebrating
10 years and counting of zero digester cleanouts.
Maryland Farms, from the concrete roof of the Fitec Self-Cleaning Digester.In 2015, Miller Waste Systems, Maryland Farms, and Fitec Biogas joined forces to implement an innovative solution to a growing challenge: how to responsibly and efficiently process source separated organics from households.
Turning Waste into Energy
Maryland Farms was already operating an anaerobic digester but was facing several operational and logistical challenges. Securing a consistent source of feedstock proved difficult without a partnership with a waste processor. However, processors were hesitant to commit without assurances that their loads would be accepted without interruption. Compounding the issue, the existing digester was accumulating non-digestible contaminants, making a costly and time-consuming tank cleanout inevitable. Additionally, co-digesting food waste with manure led to quality concerns. Residual plastics and other impurities were ending up in the digestate, limiting its use both as a soil amendment and as animal bedding.
The Introduction of Fitec’s Self-Cleaning Digester (SCD) System Fundamentally Transformed the Operation.
Its ability to operate continuously, without requiring shutdowns for cleanouts, gave Miller Waste Systems a dependable outlet for their organic waste. More importantly, it allowed Maryland Farms to confidently accept energy-dense food waste, which significantly increased biogas production and overall revenue. This was achieved without compromising operational efficiency or digestate quality. By eliminating contamination concerns and system downtime, Maryland was able to turn a previous liability into a reliable and profitable stream of renewable energy and nutrient-rich output. Ten years later, the Fitec SCD approach has proven to be extremely reliable and profitable for both the biogas plant owner and the waste management partner. The project stands as a proven model for sustainable organics management, biogas production, and nutrient recycling.
How It Works
Source-separated organics are collected from local municipalities and commercial establishments.
At Miller Waste’s Pickering facility, the material is conditioned and pre-treated by a primary depackaging system to create a high-energy and high-solids biopulp.
The slurry is transported to Maryland Farms, where it is pasteurized and fed into The Fitec Self-Cleaning Digester System.
The digester removes remaining contaminants automatically while producing biogas and nutrient-rich digestate, which is used as fertilizer on the farm.
Floating contaminants that are removed from the digester surface using the Fitec Self-Cleaning Digester System.
Sinking contaminants that are removed from the bottom of the digester using the Fitec Self-Cleaning Digester System.
“…What keeps us returning to Fitec is the consistently high quality of their solutions and the trustworthiness of their team. It’s clear that they have extensive experience with these challenging organic waste streams and have invested significant thought into finding the most efficient way to handle it. If we were building a new facility from the ground up today, there’s no question—it would feature a Fitec Self-Cleaning Digester System.”
A Strong Partnership
This success was built on trust and shared values. Miller Waste handled permitting and ensured consistent feedstock delivery. Maryland Farms manage day-to-day digester operations and return nutrients to the land. Fitec’s technology makes it all possible. Miller Waste’s strategic approach, using rural farm digesters to overcome digestate management constraints, has proven both economically and environmentally sound.
Agricultural-based biogas projects offer a cost-effective solution for managing digestate, but long-term sustainability depends on ensuring that the digestate is consistently clean and free of contaminants. The challenge is that clean feedstocks are limited in supply and often have lower biogas potential. Fitec’s Self-Cleaning Digester (SCD) System addresses both issues by allowing the use of contaminated food waste from industrial, commercial, and residential collection programs. Fitec Biogas delivers both high biogas yields and a clean, land-applicable digestate.
"As one of Canada’s largest municipal service providers, Miller Waste Systems has been actively managing organic waste for over 20 years and specifically in the biogas industry for over 10 years now,” says Kyle Howes, General Manager of the Organics Division at Miller Waste. “As a large company, we typically prefer to solve challenges internally—both to leverage our in-house expertise and to manage costs. However, what keeps us returning to Fitec is the consistently high quality of their solutions and the trustworthiness of their team. It’s clear that they have extensive experience with these challenging organic waste streams and have invested significant thought into finding the most efficient way to handle it. If we were building a new facility from the ground up today, there’s no question—it would feature a Fitec Self-Cleaning Digester System."
Fitec Self-Cleaning Digester: Key Takeaways
allows farm-based digesters to effectively use highly profitable feedstocks to produce biogas.
makes it possible to produce and utilize a digestate product that is clean and nutrient rich and can be applied to the land safely.
never requires tank cleanouts or shutdowns because contaminants do not build up, keeping operational costs low and maximizing biogas production capacity.
ZOOSHARE
PRECISION BIOGAS™
Learn more about Fitec’s standards for biogas systems. With resource-efficient equipment, advanced designs, and expert support: there’s biogas, and then there’s Precision Biogas™.