May 5 2010
Recently at the Engineering Excellence Awards aka the engineering industry’s Academy Awards, the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) awarded the Grand Conceptor Award to HDR Engineering, Inc.’s Gills Onions Advanced Energy Recovery System Project located in Oxnard, California. In 2009, this award was given to CDM for the development of Groundwater Replenishment System for the Orange County Sanitation District and the Orange County Water District.
The American Council of Engineering Companies chose the Gills Onions Advanced Energy Recovery System Project among eight contestants that included the Sea-to-Sky Highway project located in British Columbia, Canada; and the Dallas Cowboys Stadium located in Arlington, Texas valued at $1.3 billion.
The Gills Onions Advanced Energy Recovery System Project is valued at $9.5 million and generates power by converting onion waste. In this facility, the juice extracted from onion peels is treated in an anaerobic reactor for generating methane-rich biogas. This biogas after being treated is utilized to run two fuel cells which supply electrical energy for the processing facility. The owner of this project, by means of this project, has achieved significant energy independence, reduced operational expenses, reduced carbon footprint and eliminated waste.
Source: http://www.acec-ca.org/