Section 2.1. Definition of a Regulated Mixed Anaerobic Digestion Facility (RMADF)

An RMADF is a type of mixed anaerobic digestion facility which is:

  • An AD facility that treats both on-farm AD materials and off-farm AD materials;
  • Operated for the purpose of managing materials containing nutrients in order to produce methane; and
  • Composed of an anaerobic digestion vessel and any of the components referred to below:
  • Any area of land used for the unloading of AD materials for introduction in a feedstock system
  • Any feedstock system (see below for further definition)
  • Any gas combustion system for biogas generated by the facility that meets specified conditions
  • Any biogas upgrading system and any associated gas treatment equipment for biogas generated by the facility that meets specified conditions
  • Any gas storage
  • Any system for heating AD materials or AD output
  • Any gas pressure relief device
  • Any secondary gas burning facility
  • Any solid and liquid separator used for separating AD output
  • Any odour control system for managing odour emissions from the facility; and
  • Any other component that the professional engineer includes in their design specification for the facility in order to meet the requirements of O. Reg. 267/03.

The anaerobic digestion vessel is the vessel or tank where the treatment of AD materials occurs through time and temperature. The AD vessel does not include any vessel used exclusively to heat materials before treatment.

(see s. 1. (1) "anaerobic digestion vessel", "biogas upgrading system", and "regulated mixed anaerobic digestion facility", O. Reg. 267/03)

Section 2.2. Definition of feedstock system

"Feedstock system" is defined to include any of the following systems for receiving and handling off-farm AD materials, or on-farm AD materials that are fruit, vegetables, or plant materials from the production and processing of fruit or vegetables, prior to the point at which the materials go into the anaerobic digestion vessel:

  1. an anaerobic digestion materials reception system used to receive the AD materials listed above
  2. a storage facility for the AD materials listed above
  3. a pre-treatment system used for separation, cleaning, chopping, mixing, thermal treatment and other size reduction and temperature treatments for the AD materials listed above
  4. an anaerobic digestion materials transfer system used to move the AD materials listed above from one component of the RMADF to another (not including vehicles).

(see s. 1. (1) "feedstock system", "anaerobic digestion materials reception system", "pre-treatment system", "anaerobic digestion materials transfer system", O. Reg. 267/03).

In some cases (described in Section 5.11 of this document) the equipment and areas that are part of the feedstock system are specifically required to have certain odour control measures associated with them.

In addition, some feedstock system components (e.g., storage facilities) have additional construction rules related to spills and leakage management, as outlined in Section 5.1 of this document.

Section 2.3. AD output storage not a part of the RMADF

The storage system for AD output is not considered to be part of the RMADF. Depending on how it is generated, AD output may be Agricultural Source Materials (ASM) or Non-Agricultural Source Materials (NASM), in which case the requirements in O. Reg. 267/03 for the storage of ASM or NASM apply.

(see s. 1. (1) "agricultural source materials" or "ASM", "non-agricultural source materials" or "NASM", and Part VIII, O. Reg. 267/03).

Section 2.4. Biogas upgrading system and gas combustion systems as part of the RMADF

In order to be considered part of the RMADF, there are a number of requirements for the biogas upgrading system or gas combustion system, including that the system:

  • Must be located on agricultural land; and
  • Must be on the same land acquired under a single transfer (as defined in the Land Registration Reform Act) as the other components of the RMADF from which the biogas is generated, or on land (also acquired under a single transfer) that is adjacent to the other components of the RMADF, so long as the upgrading system or gas combustion system is located within 1 kilometre of every anaerobic digestion vessel which generates the biogas that is fed to the upgrading system or combustion system.

Every RMADF which provides biogas for processing in the biogas upgrading system or for combustion in a combustion system must be owned or controlled by the same person.

(see s. 1. (1.1), O. Reg. 267/03).