New Technology Turns Food ​Waste to Water ​

Published on by in Technology

New Technology Turns Food ​Waste to Water ​

Agua Caliente using new technology to turn food waste to water at Rancho Mirage resort

ky5rMoZ.png

The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians is taking additional steps toward reducing its carbon footprint, installing machines that convert roughly 624 tons of solid food waste into water, rather than send it to local landfills, at the casino resort spa in Rancho Mirage.

Since the ORCA – Organic Refuse Conversion Alternative – was installed on June 14, 43 tons of food waste from the resort’s restaurants and banquet rooms has been processed by the two machines, said Jim Stone, facilities director for the Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa in Rancho Mirage.

“It’s a responsible way to go to lessen our carbon footprint,” Stone said.

Housed in stainless steel containers measuring 115 inches by 35 inches by 49 inches and weighing about 1,500 pounds, each of the ORCA machines processes about 100 pounds of food waste per hour – more than 1 ton per day – turning into water which flows directly to the area water treatment plants.

The technology uses microorganisms to break food down into a liquid that runs into the sewer system.

“It produces a liquid, slurry-like muddy water,” said Stone, standing alongside the machines, which hummed quietly behind him as they worked.

In the past, leftover food was put into trash bags and placed into a compactor then picked up by Burrtec and taken to its compost site, Stone said.

“We were taking out about 10 tons of food per week,” Stone said.

“It gets pricey doing that,” he said, and estimates the spa resort will save $90,000 per year with the ORCA.

Installation of the two ORCA OG100 machines cost the resort about $78,000 and are about $7.35 per day to operate.

“With the projected savings, the payback on these two machines is about a year,” Stone said.

The process can also reduce methane gas from composting food waste and carbon dioxide produced by the trucks taking it to the landfills.

Read full article: Desertsun

Find out more: Orca

Media

Taxonomy