COLUMBIA, Md. – Howard County, Maryland-based Bioenergy DevCo (BDC) announced its entry into a 20-year partnership with Perdue Farms in which Perdue Farms will supply BDC with organic material from its processing facilities and BDC will purchase and manage the Perdue AgriRecycle organic soil composting facility near Seaford, Delaware. The Seaford facility is currently permitted to recycle 30,000 tons of poultry processing, hatchery and operations byproducts, and litter from farms on the Delaware-Maryland-Virginia (Delmarva) Peninsula.

“Our commitment to environmental stewardship is stronger than ever. We see this partnership as an opportunity to further expand on the work we’ve done so far,” said Randy Day, CEO of Perdue Farms. “With Bioenergy, we have found a partner that enables us to be more sustainable, create cost-savings, and help produce renewable energy while continuing to address soil health and nutrient management in the environmentally sensitive Chesapeake Bay watershed.”

BDC intends to use anaerobic digestion (AD) at the AgriRecycle facility through which microorganisms will biodegrade organic materials in a closed system, which naturally transforms organics to create truly renewable natural gas, as well as a nutrient-rich, organic soil amendment digestate. The odor-free digestate is considered Class A compost and will be used to enhance the site’s existing compost production. Utilities, communities and other companies value the natural gas AD creates as well. 

“Our mission is to make sure anaerobic digestion becomes the de facto solution for managing organic material in the United States, and the Perdue AgriRecycle facility, which is already composting at a large scale, is the perfect venue to showcase the potential for this technology,” said Shawn Kreloff, founder and CEO of Bioenergy DevCo. “The use of anaerobic digestion, combined with enhanced composting of organic material, reinforces Perdue’s ongoing commitment to driving economic development in the region and adopting innovative solutions that are good for the environment and the bottom line.”

Under the terms of the agreement, BDC will operate the existing composting facility while working within the Delaware Dept. of Natural Resources and Environmental Control and Sussex County permits process to construct an anaerobic digester at the site while continuing to support the compost facility.

“We believe the relationship between Perdue and BDC offers a large-scale opportunity to create a truly consistent source of clean, renewable natural gas in a sustainable way that will benefit the industry and the environment for years to come,” Kreloff said. “The ability to finance, design, build and operate a facility like AgriRecycle that includes both AD and compost options for managing organic material makes BDC an essential asset not only to Perdue but the poultry industry and the communities on Delmarva where it does business.”