team photo

Figure 1
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Figure 2
project photo


Team 05

Team Members

Faculty Advisor

Lydia Jacob
Jason Pulla
Aaron Borla
Nathan Chen
Caroline Schuck (not pictured)

Dr. Kristina Wagstrom

Sponsor

Artza Mendi Farm, USDA Small Farms Innovation Project

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COMPOST HEAT AND CO2 RECOVERY

Artza Mendi Farm is a small-scale farm that aims to implement renewable agricultural practices. The owner of the farm, Murray Gates desires to expand operations from egg to vegetable cultivation by constructing a greenhouse heated by compost. Compost piles contain microorganisms that break down simple sugars to produce heat. This process is capable of producing 2.99 MJ of heat per kilogram of food waste. Our objective is to develop a compost heat recovery system (CHRS) that efficiently and economically recovers heat and CO2 for a greenhouse during the late winter and early spring months. Our proposed design utilizes negative aeration to speed up the composting process by pulling heated air from the compost pile. We can send this heated air to the greenhouse by using various unit operations such as a blower, pumps, pipes, and a heat exchanger. Composting produces contaminants that can harm the plants in high amounts, so the heated air passes through a biofilter. To better understand the economic and system feasibility, we designed a model using simulation software such as Aspen Plus. Through combining engineering expertise with agricultural insights, this integrated system will benefit farmers across the northeast and increase the viability of environmentally friendly practices.