19 Sep Lystek-Fairfield Organic Material Recovery Center Adds Another Bay Area Customer for Advanced Biosolids Management
2019 – Agreement Allows the Vallejo Flood & Wastewater District to Diversify Its Annual Planning
Attention: Environmental, agricultural, municipal, recycling & waste management reporters/editors
September 19, 2019 – Fairfield, CA/Cambridge, ON – For Immediate Release | As further validation of the market leading biosolids and organics management services being provided to municipal agencies in the San Francisco Bay area, Lystek International Ltd. (Lystek) is excited to announce that it has reached a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Vallejo Flood and Wastewater District (VFWD) to manage a portion of its annual production of biosolids. Under the terms of the agreement, Lystek will accept undigested biosolids from the VFWD at its 150,000 ton, state-of-the-art, Organic Material Recovery Center (OMRC-FSSD), and convert them into LysteGro®, a US EPA, Class A biofertilizer product.
The VFWD (District) has been an active participant in the Bay Area Biosolids Coalition for several years. During this time, many alternative technologies and sites have been studied and considered for use in the San Francisco Bay area. Lystek independently entered into a unique, P3 style partnership with the Fairfield-Suisun Sewer District to develop the Lystek OMRC. This facility opened in August 2016, and since then has received and processed over 100,000 tons of biosolids. The center utilizes its patented and proven, low pressure Thermal Hydrolysis Process (LystekTHP®) to convert biosolids and other organic materials into the LysteGro product. Within its first year of operations, the product was also licensed by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) for use as a bulk fertilizer and accepted as an agricultural product by the Solano County Department of Agriculture (SCDA). LysteGro is highly valued by area growers because it offers an affordable, nutrient-rich product that is also high in vital, organic matter for sustaining and building soil health. These factors eliminate many of the previous barriers and prohibitions imposed on traditional use of Class B biosolids.
Historically the District has transported its biosolids to Tubbs Island and where it is applied, once a year as fertilizer for silage crops grown for animal feed. While this has been a reliable program for the District, forward thinking staff understand the importance of diversifying their biosolids management plan.
“This agreement provides the District with a reliable and proven contingency plan, in cases where Tubbs Island may be unavailable for management of our biosolids,” says Jennifer Harrington, Director of Environmental Services for the District.
For Lystek, the agreement contributes to the growth and success of the OMRC-FSSD as it continues to scale toward maximum, operational capacity, adding to volume commitments it has previously secured from a growing list of Bay Area agencies, including San Francisco, Petaluma, Santa Rosa, and more. The center is rapidly expanding and demonstrating Lystek’s ability to divert hundreds of thousands of tons of biosolids from landfills annually, in favor of higher and better uses.
“We appreciate the opportunity to service the Vallejo Flood and Wastewater District. This agreement further validates our role as a preferred provider of practical and reliable biosolids management solutions for agencies in and around the San Francisco Bay area,” says Jim Dunbar, General Manager of the Fairfield, California based OMRC.
“We are proud that the OMRC-FSSD is playing an important role in the responsible movement toward a growing, more circular economy,” Mr. Dunbar adds.
About Lystek
Lystek International is a leading provider of Thermal Hydrolysis solutions for the sustainable management of biosolids and organics. The multi-use, award-winning Lystek system reduces costs, volumes and GHG’s by converting wastewater treatment facilities into resource recovery centers. This is achieved by transforming organic waste streams into value-added products and services, such as the patented LysteMize® process for optimizing digester performance, reducing volumes and increasing biogas production; LysteGro®, a high-value, nutrient-rich biofertilizer and LysteCarb®, an alternative source of carbon for BNR systems.