Anaerobic Digestion Found to Produce Renewable Energy

[jpak]

http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story;jsessionid=aywurxQOrczh?id=43892


February 22, 2006

Hague, Florida As the nation looks to agriculture for renewable fuels from crops and other sources, University of Florida (UF) researchers have developed a manure management system for livestock farms that produces energy, saves valuable nutrients for fertilizer, cuts greenhouse gas emissions and stops offensive odors.

"The key to our waste management system is a natural biological process called anaerobic digestion that relies on microorganisms to transform animal manure into methane gas. Anaerobic digesters, which process waste under oxygen-free conditions, are different than conventional aerobic systems that use oxygen to treat the waste." -- Ann Wilkie, an associate research professor with Univ. of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences

"It's an environmentally friendly solution for an unpleasant housekeeping task," said Ann Wilkie, an associate research professor with UF's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. "It's not often that one technology can solve several major problems, but our innovative animal manure management system is a sustainable option for dairies and other livestock operations that produces renewable energy and protects the environment."

She said the growing number of big dairy and swine livestock farms -- along with urban sprawl in rural areas -- has resulted in greater awareness and concern about the proper storage, treatment and utilization of manure. Without proper management, animal manure can get into groundwater supplies, and odor problems can irk nearby residents.

<more>

[TreasonousBastard]

1. I was under the impression that elephant shit...

from zoos and circuses has been used for years as a heat source.

I think someone was working with pigshit, and it's been know for years that if you could bottle cow farts, the average herd could heat a small town.

No shit!

[sui generis]

2. bell peppers and onions seem to do the trick for me

completely renewable, wait 20 minutes, then cubic meters of methane about every 20 seconds and no migratory birds get killed, however odor problems can irk nearby residents.

Yikes.

[Ursus Rex]

3. Yeah, it can - dad and I built a system like they describe, ca. 1981

Despite being an lifelong union electrician (or maybe because of that), he hated the power company, and eagerly tried ways to generate our own power throughout the 70's and 80's - this was the most manly, I guess, and lent itself to dropping-in (using a big generator off the collection tank), but it was also the smelliest, nastiest, and least pleasant (the gas produced also contains a LOT of sulfur gases, which stink, corrode metal parts, etc.)

the waste-management/disposal angle was just an interesting benefit, to us - one reason it fell by the wayside was that we had to go out and get the manure, even buying it sometimes (obviously, that was counter-productive)

He finally settled on a mix of things, but the biggest single improvements came from super-insulating everywhere, big shade trees (South Alabama, so we mainly worried about staying cool for 9 months out of the year, and even sometimes in the "winter"), and other passive stuff (which is still providing returns)

[DinahMoeHum]

4. San Francisco is considering this. . .with doggie doo.

Link:
http://articles.news.aol.com/news/article.adp?id=20060222095109990010&cid=2194

:evilgrin:

[Dogmudgeon]

5. This isn't exactly new

Indian scientists developed one such system in the 1960s to produce "Ghobar Gas". It was low-tech, guided by the "small-is-beautiful" philosophy, and was fairly popular. The Mother Earth News did several stories on methane generating systems.

The downside, though, is that methane is a greenhouse gas, about 20 times as potent as carbon dioxide. But it could be very helpful in maintaining agriculture (as well as public sanitation) during crisis periods.

--p!