Comparative Energetic and Economic Analysis of anaerobic digestion of organic and farm animal waste for regional digesters in Tasmania.

Abstract

The goal of this research is to increase awareness of various benefits of using animal manure and food wastes as Anaerobic Digestion (AD) inputs to produce renewable energy in regional areas of Tasmania. The results of this research will provide useful guidance to policy makers, the public, energy investors, Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO owners), food waste generators, and businesses that are specialized in Anaerobic Digestion (AD applications). The analysis and tools developed will allow waste planners, haulers, entrepreneurs, and others to obtain many combinations of information about commercially generated organic wastes in Tasmania. This will facilitate decisions about how to best target wastes for collection, which generators to target, how to structure collection routes and infrastructure, and where to site AD systems. This paper outlines: the development of geo- spatial database to identify and locate concentrated organic waste resources in Tasmania; the design and development of a software tool to help quantify the production of food waste (especially food processing waste / municipal organic waste), and The development of an economic model to simulate the costs and benefits of on-farm co-digestion systems and or specific built facilities