Sustainable Farming Methods and Income

[clockplane]

On the subject of increasing farming income, one way is biogas capture from animal slurry, which can be used to generate electricity. I’m a final year student conducting a study into sustainable energy from biogas, but there seems to be a lack of awareness of the technology.

I am conducting a survey to see how much awareness of the technology there actually is, and you’d really be helping me out by filling out the my survey. It shouldn’t take more than a minute, click here.


One example of this technology being used by farmers to increase income is in Denmark. The slurry is collected from the farmers by truck and brought to a central facility where, along with biodegradable green waste, it can be used to generate biogas and then electricity.


The remaining waste (the digestate) left over from this process is redistributed to the farms from which the manure was taken for land spreading. The digestate has the advantages of:
· More inorganic nitrogen is available to plants (therefore better growth).
· 80% of the odour is removed from the slurry.
· It helps farmers adhere to the nitrates directives.

If you’d like to read more about biogas, check out these links:
http://www.anaerobic-digestion.com/html/on-farm-anaerobic-digestion-an.php
http://www.epa.ie/downloads/pubs/other/viewpoints/EPA_Viewpoint_Anaerobic_Digestion_Sept%2006.pdf
http://www.afbini.gov.uk/index/services/services-specialist-advice/renewable-energy/re-anaerobic-digestion-intro/re-anaerobic-digestion-plants.htm

[reilig]

How much does one of these digestors cost? Is there one near me (North West) and will they pay me if I supply slurry to them?? If I built one myself, what type of investment return could I get from it?

Lets say I have 150,000 gallons of slurry from cows on an anual basis, would it be enough to run my own plant? How much gas/electricity would it produce and how much could I sell this gas/electricity for???

I've read articles on them before, but I've never got any financial statistics from them?????????????

Originally Posted by clockplane

On the subject of increasing farming income, one way is biogas capture from animal slurry, which can be used to generate electricity. I’m a final year student conducting a study into sustainable energy from biogas, but there seems to be a lack of awareness of the technology.

I am conducting a survey to see how much awareness of the technology there actually is, and you’d really be helping me out by filling out the my survey. It shouldn’t take more than a minute, click here.


One example of this technology being used by farmers to increase income is in Denmark. The slurry is collected from the farmers by truck and brought to a central facility where, along with biodegradable green waste, it can be used to generate biogas and then electricity.


The remaining waste (the digestate) left over from this process is redistributed to the farms from which the manure was taken for land spreading. The digestate has the advantages of:
· More inorganic nitrogen is available to plants (therefore better growth).
· 80% of the odour is removed from the slurry.
· It helps farmers adhere to the nitrates directives.

If you’d like to read more about biogas, check out these links:
http://www.anaerobic-digestion.com/html/on-farm-anaerobic-digestion-an.php
http://www.epa.ie/downloads/pubs/other/viewpoints/EPA_Viewpoint_Anaerobic_Digestion_Sept%2006.pdf
http://www.afbini.gov.uk/index/services/services-specialist-advice/renewable-energy/re-anaerobic-digestion-intro/re-anaerobic-digestion-plants.htm

[clockplane]

Assuming 150,000 gallons of slurry roughly equates to 40 dairy cows, you can assume the following:

Total Biogas = 6,450 m3/biogas/yr
Total methane = 4,200 m3/CH4/yr; assuming the standard methane content of biogas as 65%

Total Electricity = 12,550 kWh

At a price of €0.08 per kWh, you can expect to gain an income of roughly €1000 per annum.

In Germany, electricity generated from biogas can be sold at a price of €0.12 to €0.15 per kWh, however their development in this area is far beyond our development in Ireland.

Like most renewable technologies, they depend on economies of scale. In answer to your question of whether such an anaerobic digestion facility exists in the North-West; it doesn't. Generally the plants do not pay the farmers for the manure. The farmers receive digestate from the digestion plant in return, which is a better fertilizer than raw manure, generally saving the farmer money on fertilizer.

The following link is to a rough online biogas calculator

http://www.anaerobic-digestion.com/h...calculator.php

Thanks for filling out the questionnaire.

[pakalasa]

Clockplane,
...just did your survey.
It don't think you'd get the economy of scale here in Ireland, except for maybe very large Beef finishing and Pig units. It would just cost too much to transport slurry over long distances.
I've been to Denmark and they have a serious problem with pig slurry odour. You can smell it everywhere. I'm sure that reducing that smell alone, would justify the digesters.
Ireland is a different story, cattle is our biggest industry. Farms are small and animals are only housed for part of the year. The push by Teagasc and such now is to even reduce that winter period as much as possible.

Sorry, if telling you what you already know, but anyway.....

[John_F]

can slurry carry disease, and would the digestate still have this disease when returned to another farm?

[clockplane]

Pakalasa, I have done some sums already, and your right, it’s probably not feasible. My argument will also include the environmental benefits, taking in the nitrates directive, reducing methane emission from agriculture, as well as some other non-monetary benefit. Thanks though.

[clockplane]

John F, disease will not be carried, as under EU legislation the digestate must be pasteurised at 70oC for at least one hour, killing 99.9% of pathogens.

[kingofthe3rdyrs]

[QUOTE=pakalasa;64662710 The push by Teagasc and such now is to even reduce that winter period as much as possible.
[/QUOTE]

Unless teagasc has figured out how to control the weather i don't know how that is possible.

[kingofthe3rdyrs]

Originally Posted by clockplane

John F, disease will not be carried, as under EU legislation the digestate must be pasteurised at 70oC for at least one hour, killing 99.9% of pathogens.

What about seeds from weeds such as dockings. They would die in the heat too right?

[clockplane]

Yes, practically all weed seeds are killed by the heat.