Anaerobic Digestion in the United States

Farms in the United States, as well in other countries, are increasingly being required by their comprehensive nutrient management plans (NMPs) to store manure, time land application so it coincides with crop growing seasons, and utilize more fields so agronomically appropriate application rates can be met. These practices each increase the potential for manure-borne odor conflicts with farm neighbors. While storing manure reduces a farm’s risk for water pollution, farms are facing increased opposition from those who object to the odor associated with stored manure

Newborn Housing for Dairy Calves - 1st in a Series Your dairy’s future success begins with healthy calves Raised in the right environment

Calves need to be given a good start in life to ensure they will be viable replacements for the herd. Providing adequate nutrition, health care, animal husbandry, and management are essential. Ensuring the proper environment for each animal is equally as important. The type and quality of housing facilities affect all these variables directly or indirectly. All variables should be considered when developing a management plan

Anaerobic Digestion at AA Dairy

AA Dairy is a 600-cow dairy operation located on 2,200 acres in the town of Candor in Tioga County, New York The dairy began operating in the summer of 1993. Odor issues began to cause local concern, and thus, the decision was made to construct an anaerobic digester The digester was commissioned in June 1998 Benefits (other than odor control) derived from this digester include: Electricity and heat generated from the biogas Compost from the post-digested separated solids Irrigation liquid from the separated liquid effluent The electricity produced by burning biogas in the engine-generator set, is used for on-farm needs and any excess is sold to New York State Electric and Gas (NYSEG) under the provisions of the New York State Net Metering law (See Fact Sheet NM-1) The post-digestion separated solids are cured and marketed as compost to local buyers under the name “Field of Dreams Compost” The separated liquid effluent, mixed with milk house wastewater, flows by gravity to an HDPE-lined long-term storage, and is eventually land applied by tanker truck or irrigation by way of underground pipin

Anaerobic Digestion at Aurora Ridge Farm

Aurora Ridge Dairy is a 2,000-cow dairy operation located near the Village of Aurora in Cayuga County, New York. The farm is owned and managed by William Cook. Digester construction began in late summer 2008 and commissioned in August 2009. Digester construction was funded in part by a USDA Rural Development grant and by NYSERDA. Digester effluent is separated using FAN screw-press separators and post-digested separated solids are used for freestall bedding

Greenhouse Gas (ghg) Emission Reductions Due to Anaerobic Digestion of Dairy Manure

Livestock agriculture is a source of greenhouse gas (ghg) emissions in the U.S., and emits one of the most potent greenhouse gases – methane (CH4). Through manure anaerobic digestion technology, a portion of these emissions can be mitigated. The Association of State Energy Research and Technology Transfer Institutions (ASERTTI) protocol, released in 2007, is being used by Cornell University to monitor seven on-production farm anaerobic digesters (ADs) in New York State. Among many other requirements, this protocol recommends to use the EPA Climate Leaders methodology to quantify ghg emission reductions attributed to the anaerobic digester (AD) systems being monitored

Key considerations in fan cooling

Effective natural or mechanical ventilation systems are also needed to provide suitable air quality for cows.

Pump Performance Tests as a Method of Determining Influent Mass Flow to Dairy Farm Anaerobic Digesters

A new on-farm anaerobic digester (AD) monitoring protocol, recently released by the Association of State Energy Research Technology and Transfer Institutions (ASERTTI) is being used to assess seven anaerobic digesters on dairy farms in New York State. A key component of the ASERTTI protocol is to perform a mass balance of the AD system. Mass balance data is needed to determine system performance values such as: degree of manure stabilization, biogas produced per unit of influent, and subsequent electrical power produced per unit of influent. The optimal location in the system to obtain AD influent mass flow data is at the AD influent pump. However, pumps used to pump manure generally lack performance data, making it difficult to quantify mass flow without knowing the performance characteristics of the influent pump

Bunker silo safety

Bunker silo safety measures must be in place to be safety compliant

Greenhouse gas reduction and other benefits of biogas upgrading

Biogas obtained from anaerobic digestion of livestock manure is a complex mixture containing ~60% methane (CH4) and other less valuable gases. Upgrading the biogas to reduce contaminants and increase the CH4 concentration is advantageous for several reasons