In connection with the acquisition, Casella Waste Systems, Inc., a regional solid waste, recycling, and resource management services company, will manage feedstock collection and delivery logistics for an estimated 85,000 tons of biosolids per year collected from a network of wastewater treatment plants.
At Viridi’s overhauled Brunswick facility, the biosolids will be transformed, via anaerobic digestion, into enough energy to heat more than 3,000 homes for a year. The facility will also supply electricity directly to Brunswick Landing, the 3,300-acre campus featuring more than 1.6 million square feet of commercial, industrial and professional office space that is home to both the Brunswick facility and more than 160 other companies.
“We are excited to be working with Casella, whose established track record in successfully managing multifaceted waste streams will be pivotal to our success. Casella has been at the forefront of finding a sustainable solution to this issue since the law prohibiting land application of biosolids was enacted and has played a significant role in bringing this vital piece of infrastructure online,” said Dan Crouse, CEO of Viridi.
Once completed, the facility will offer a solution for managing waste that complies with Maine’s PFAS regulations.
With Maine laws now prohibiting the practice of land-applying biosolids digestate in agricultural settings because of PFAS concerns, wastewater treatment facilities are facing the choice between two less sustainable alternatives: trucking the material long distances or landfilling it, where it requires stabilization and takes up large volumes of space – a strategy that is especially problematic in landfill-constrained Maine.
The anaerobic digestion solution offered at Viridi's Brunswick facility is expected to reduce the volume of the biosolids by nearly 90 percent, from 85,000 wet tons down to 10,000 tons once the material has been digested and dried. Once processed, Casella will transport this more stable, post-process digestate to landfill in a form that preserves landfill capacity, lessens the need for stabilization material, and reduces transportation distances.
With the development of this relationship, Viridi and Casella are providing a sustainable pathway for Maine municipalities to reduce uncertainties in managing their biosolids. Viridi is currently conducting siting, permitting, and environmental due diligence at the Brunswick site. Retrofit construction of the Brunswick facility is expected to be complete by the second half of 2025, with full operations slated to commence in 2026.
