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Biogas on Dairy Farms: A Survey of Regulatory Challenges

August 24, 2007 | 2 Comments

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San Diego, California [RenewableEnergyAccess.com] Several recently adopted laws and policies in California have set in motion a process to seek strategies and solutions to lowering the state's climate change impacts. A new report released by San Diego University examines the regulatory challenges related to biogas production and use on California's Dairy Farms.

Co-digestion and centralized projects are more common in European countries such as Denmark. California currently has about 22 biogas-producing digesters located on dairy farms. Some European countries have thousands of farm-based digesters and are producing significant quantities of biogas.

Producing energy from organic materials—also known as bioenergy—has
emerged as an important strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In particular, producing biogas through anaerobic digestion of organic matter is gaining momentum in the U.S. and Europe as a viable method of bioenergy production.

Anaerobic digestion is a biological process in which bacteria converts organic materials into biogas in an oxygen-free environment. Dairy-based digesters typically use manure to create biogas. It is also possible to introduce other organic wastes into the process, such as crop residue, byproducts from food processing, and green waste. This process is called co-digestion. In contrast to dairy-based digesters, large biogas projects can be located near sources of manure and other materials that can be transported to a centralized digester.

Market, financing, and regulatory challenges to producing biogas exist in California. The purpose of this report, Biogas on Dairy Farms: A Survey of Regulatory Challenges, is to conduct a preliminary review of existing water, air, solid waste management, electricity, and natural gas regulations to identify challenges or areas of uncertainty that might affect biogas production in Califoria as well as regulatory challenges that could inhibit expansion of the biogas market.

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2 Reader Comments

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hussain-alrobaei-50048

August 29, 2007

Biogas Technology has a very significant role to play in large-scale dairy farms & sewage disposal. It is estimated that cattle dung, when passed through a Biogas unit, yields 30-40% more net energy and about 35-45% more Nitrogen in manure as compared with that obtained by burning dung cakes and ordinarily prepared compost, respectively. Besides, from a biogas plant both the products are obtained. With only minor modifications, microturbines can be run on waste methane from digesters at dairy, and poultry farm operations as easily as at wastewater treatment plants. The driver for farm operators is to manage wastes - especially manure. In addition to providing a treatment route for manure, with fertilizer as an end product, digestion eliminates problems that arise from storing manure in a lagoon, and prevents groundwater pollution. Moreover, Heat captured from the engine-generator and microturbine system is used to maintain the digester temperature and supply heat to the dairy center. When hot water from the generation equipment is not available or insufficient (such as during startup), boilers running on LP gas are used as heat sources. However Compared with putting microturbines at landfills or wastewater treatment plants, the costs of projects at agricultural and livestock operations are higher, for two reasons. The waste collection system is more complicated, and farm operators are less likely to already have a collection system or a digester in place.

Comment
2 of 2

frank-j-heller-54997

September 5, 2007

Even small digester systems are very costly, and take both time and expertise to operate--something few dairy farms have much of.  We have designed a 'fast cycle' vertical tank digester to lower the installation costs, and off loaded operations; but the some components are very pricey-manure chopper/pumps; screw presses; bio-gas conversion and scrubbing......sure you can engineer it, but for every component there is time needed to monitor, inspect and manage it.Fortunately, this an emerging marketplace and we are meeting with ag. engineering and equipment vendors to get components 'sized' to various digester capacities.You can adopt the chinese domes or New Zealand twin tanks; but we have a New England climate to contend with and a not so friendly regulatory environment that limits the financial return from electric sales---4 cents/kw  doesn't merit a large genset; and storage of bio-gas is another problem unless your farm is near a natural gas pipeline. Frank J. Heller, <a href="http://mysite.verizon.net/fjheller" target="_blank">KATAHDIN ENERGY WORKS</a>, Brunswick, ME.

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