The DVO, Inc. anaerobic digester at Storms Farm in Bladenboro, North Carolina earned a National Recognition Award as part of the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) 2015 Engineering Excellence Awards Gala last month. The ACEC 2015 National Recognition Award is a prestigious distinction honoring projects that demonstrate exceptional achievement in engineering.

Withers & Ravenel, AgPower Partners, Storms Farm and DVO collaborated on the project in 2013, constructing the largest swine biogas renewable facility in North Carolina.

Before the installation of DVO’s digester, daily manure from nearly 30,000 hogs at Storms Farm was treated in open-air lagoons and mixed with off-site agricultural waste that was previously either land applied or sent to a landfill. Now, the waste is biologically decomposed by DVO’s Two-Stage Mixed Plug Flow™ anaerobic digester and turned into valuable and profitable byproducts.

DVO’s digester greatly reduces odor and greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, the biogas produced by the system is utilized to generate clean, renewable electricity which is sold to the local utility — enough electricity to offset the electrical consumption of nearly 300 average size homes in the area.

“The digester is great for the environment, the swine industry, the state and our farm. We couldn’t be more pleased with our system,” said Billy Storms, owner of Storms Farm.

For more information about DVO’s digester at Storms Farm and the ACEC 2015 National Recognition Award, view the news release HERE.