Lynchburg Renewable Fuels Facility

Lynchburg, Tennessee

Project Details

Date: 2021 – 2025

Client: 3 Rivers Energy Partners

Creating a “Win-Win” for Renewable Energy and Liquor Production

As liquor production in the US expands, so too does the amount of stillage (a biproduct of liquor production) generated by large-scale bourbon and whiskey distilleries. While stillage has traditionally been used as a wet feed for cattle farming, excess stillage can be costly and difficult to dispose of. However, with the right technology, stillage can also be used as a feedstock to create Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) and fertilizer. Partnering with 3 Rivers Energy Partners (3RE), AE2S was able to evaluate and engineer a new $42M system that takes stilla

Supporting a “Turnkey” Bioprocessing Solution, from Start to Finish

The most pressing need for the factory was occasional air-binding in their effluent pipe, robbing them of the ability to discharge from their clarifier. AE2S reviewed the effluent hydraulics and recommended installation of a below grade pump vault to boost the discharge pressure from the clarifier. The vault was constructed in 2022 and there have not been issues with air-binding since it was put into operation. As a result of the wastewater treatment evaluation, several operational improvements have been implemented. Along with the operational improvements, a wastewater chiller system was installed to control the temperature of the wastewater in the biological treatment process. Since the chiller system was installed the wastewater treatment facility has been able to routinely meet its discharge criteria.