Charles-
There's at least one small-scale digester of that
size currently operating in the U.S. - at the USDA
Beltsville Agricultural Research Center in
Beltsville, MD. The dairy's herd size is roughly
125-130, with ~100 milking and producing manure at
any given time (dry cattle are let out to pasture).
The digester was built in 1994 and was constructed
as a continuous stirred-tank reactor. I have
tentative plans to conduct research on this digester
simultaneously with a low-cost, pilot-scale digester
project operating on the same waste-stream that's
being constructed by our lab group at the University
of Maryland. I don't have intimate knowledge of the
USDA CSTR's history, but I can tell you what I know.
The digester was originally constructed for odor
control as an upright, cylindrical concrete tank
(I'm not sure enough of the designed HRT to give you
information on it), and was later insulated with
gunnite-coated styrofoam. It operates on
mechanically screw-press separated, scraped waste,
and utilizes the biogas produced to power a boiler
that circulates hot water through a conveyance
system installed within the digester for heating; a
combined heat and power electric generator was
installed in the mid-2000s, but it has never been
brought online. The digester's had a number of
problems come up, including repeated clogging of the
supply lines (originally 3-4" ID, now 6"), the break
down of the screw-press separator and supply pumps,
and the corrosion of the boiler due to inadequate
scrubbing. To be fair, many of the problems
associated with the digester are the result of
fluctuating research interest, funds, management,
and the lack of an effective biogas scrubbing
system, but they exist all the same. Currently, the
digester is up and operating... although obviously
not ideally.
Although most of the digestion systems are covered
lagoons, the AgSTAR website contains a link to a
Excel file detailing the digesters currently
registered in the EPA's system (look under "Farm
Project Profiles"). A few of them approximate the
herd numbers you're interested in.
As a side note, our research at the University of
Maryland, together with research at Ohio State and
the University of Wisconsin, is attempting to
introduce smaller-scale, lower-cost systems in the
U.S. I gave a presentation in October on
small-scale digestion and some of the current
efforts that you can find here.
Good luck hunting!
-Andy
Andrew R. Moss
Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education Fellow
University of Maryland Dept. of Environmental Science and Technology
1445 Animal Sci./Ag. Engineering (Bldg. 142)
University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742
Phone: (865) 363-5535
---- Original message ----
Date: Wed, 12 Jan 2011 12:00:06 -0800
From: <[email protected]>
Subject: Digestion Digest, Vol 5, Issue 5
To: <[email protected]>
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>________________ >Today's Topics: > > 1. Small
Digester and Rankine Engine Questions (Gould,
Merrill) > 2. Re: 250kW hot water biogas boiler
(Ian Bywater) > 3. Re: Small Digester and Rankin
Engine Questions (Randy Mott) > 4. Re: Small
Digester and Rankin Engine Questions (Sam Wampler)
> 5. Re: Small Digester and Rankine Engine
Questions (David Fulford) >________________ >Date:
Tue, 11 Jan 2011 17:07:41 +0000 >From: "Gould,
Merrill" <[email protected]> >Subject:
[Digestion] Small Digester and Rankine Engine
Questions >To:
"[email protected]"
<[email protected]> >
Greetings:
I have two questions I am hoping someone has
answers for:
1. Are there small farms with digesters in
the United States? When I say small farm I don?t
mean 2-3 cows, I mean a farm with around 125 dairy
cows, which is the average herd size in Michigan.
If so, where are they and what has been their
experience with their digester? I suspect there
probably are no small farms with digesters in the
US, but I would really like to know. I have had
numerous inquiries from farmers with small farms
in West Michigan about putting in a digester on
their farm. If my assumption is correct that there
are no small farms with digesters, are there farms
with comparable numbers of dairy cattle with
digesters outside of the United State? If so,
where are they and what has their experience been
with their digester?
2. Has anyone had experience using a Rankine
engine as part of an energy producing system?
Thanks in advance for any insight you can provide
me.
Charles Gould
Michigan State University Extension
West Olive, Michigan
>________________ >Date: Fri, 7 Jan 2011 20:51:07
+1300 >From: Ian Bywater
<[email protected]> >Subject: Re:
[Digestion] 250kW hot water biogas boiler >To: For
Discussion of Anaerobic Digestion
<[email protected]> >
Hi Edward,
I know a boiler expert here in Christchurch, New
Zealand that I'm sure has the right expertise and
can help.
Ian Bywater
On 7/01/2011, at 8:42 PM, Edward Matos wrote:
A milk processing company in our vicinity
(Tanga, Tanzania) has had a lasting interest in
converting its milk pasteurising process from
running on propane to running on biogas. I am
doing them a little favour by helping them to
make a feasibility study and find the right
people that will make this happen. Unfortunately
I have very little experience in biogas
combustion and would like to find out if anyone
here is/knows someone who could help us on this
subject.
_________________
Director, Natural Systems Limited
(Unit 5B/ 3 Settlers Crescent)
PO Box 41032
Christchurch 8247
New Zealand
T +64(0)3 376 5549
M +64(0)27 579 6333
F +64(0)3 365 4146
S bywateri
W www.naturalsystems.co.nz
The Most Exciting Green Technology Company in New
Zealand (NBR 2008)
Bayer Innovators Award finalist, 2010, Agriculture
and Environment category
NZ patent 530362
>________________ >Date: Wed, 12 Jan 2011 08:50:57
+0100 >From: "Randy Mott" <[email protected]>
>Subject: Re: [Digestion] Small Digester and
Rankin Engine Questions >To: "'For Discussion of
Anaerobic Digestion'"
<[email protected]> >
We don?t do projects in the US, but my
understanding is that 500 cows is a rule of thumb.
I have some literature?.
On Rankin cycle engines, we have followed it
closely in Europe and the US. There is about 15%
more electricity that can come from the heat
exhaust of the initial generators. The capex is
about 1250 Euro/kW. We don?t have much incentive
to do it in Poland since we sell the heat and also
obtain a co-generation certificate for each MWe.
GE Jenbacher is doing some development in Europe
and eventually, I believe, will be trying to offer
this as an option on its generators.
Randy Mott
CEERES
Warsaw
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]]
On Behalf Of Gould, Merrill
Sent: Tuesday, January 11, 2011 6:08 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: [Digestion] Small Digester and Rankine
Engine Questions
Greetings:
I have two questions I am hoping someone has
answers for:
1. Are there small farms with digesters in
the United States? When I say small farm I don?t
mean 2-3 cows, I mean a farm with around 125 dairy
cows, which is the average herd size in Michigan.
If so, where are they and what has been their
experience with their digester? I suspect there
probably are no small farms with digesters in the
US, but I would really like to know. I have had
numerous inquiries from farmers with small farms
in West Michigan about putting in a digester on
their farm. If my assumption is correct that there
are no small farms with digesters, are there farms
with comparable numbers of dairy cattle with
digesters outside of the United State? If so,
where are they and what has their experience been
with their digester?
2. Has anyone had experience using a Rankine
engine as part of an energy producing system?
Thanks in advance for any insight you can provide
me.
Charles Gould
Michigan State University Extension
West Olive, Michigan
>________________ >Date: Wed, 12 Jan 2011 05:20:28
-0800 >From: Sam Wampler
<[email protected]> >Subject: Re:
[Digestion] Small Digester and Rankin Engine
Questions >To: For Discussion of Anaerobic
Digestion <[email protected]> >
Nick,
Why don?t you have Kevin answer the below
question about a small digester.
Sam
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[email protected]
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From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]]
On Behalf Of Randy Mott
Sent: Wednesday, January 12, 2011 2:51 AM
To: 'For Discussion of Anaerobic Digestion'
Subject: Re: [Digestion] Small Digester and Rankin
Engine Questions
We don?t do projects in the US, but my
understanding is that 500 cows is a rule of thumb.
I have some literature?.
On Rankin cycle engines, we have followed it
closely in Europe and the US. There is about 15%
more electricity that can come from the heat
exhaust of the initial generators. The capex is
about 1250 Euro/kW. We don?t have much incentive
to do it in Poland since we sell the heat and also
obtain a co-generation certificate for each MWe.
GE Jenbacher is doing some development in Europe
and eventually, I believe, will be trying to offer
this as an option on its generators.
Randy Mott
CEERES
Warsaw
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]]
On Behalf Of Gould, Merrill
Sent: Tuesday, January 11, 2011 6:08 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: [Digestion] Small Digester and Rankine
Engine Questions
Greetings:
I have two questions I am hoping someone has
answers for:
1. Are there small farms with digesters in
the United States? When I say small farm I don?t
mean 2-3 cows, I mean a farm with around 125 dairy
cows, which is the average herd size in Michigan.
If so, where are they and what has been their
experience with their digester? I suspect there
probably are no small farms with digesters in the
US, but I would really like to know. I have had
numerous inquiries from farmers with small farms
in West Michigan about putting in a digester on
their farm. If my assumption is correct that there
are no small farms with digesters, are there farms
with comparable numbers of dairy cattle with
digesters outside of the United State? If so,
where are they and what has their experience been
with their digester?
2. Has anyone had experience using a Rankine
engine as part of an energy producing system?
Thanks in advance for any insight you can provide
me.
Charles Gould
Michigan State University Extension
West Olive, Michigan
>________________ >Date: Wed, 12 Jan 2011 16:22:12
+0000 >From: David Fulford <[email protected]>
>Subject: Re: [Digestion] Small Digester and
Rankine Engine Questions >To: For Discussion of
Anaerobic Digestion
<[email protected]> >Cc: "Gould,
Merrill" <[email protected]> >
Charles and listers,
The best source of information on AD in USA is the
AgSTAR project run by EPA (www.epa.gov/agstar/).
They have a database of digesters, which includes
a few small ones.
They point to the Minnesota Project
(www.mnproject.org) which is trying to
concentrate on biogas for small farms (125 cattle
or less).
Regards,
David F
On 11/01/2011 17:07, Gould, Merrill wrote:
Greetings:
I have two questions I am hoping someone has
answers for:
1. Are there small farms with digesters in
the United States? When I say small farm I
don?t mean 2-3 cows, I mean a farm with around
125 dairy cows, which is the average herd size
in Michigan. If so, where are they and what has
been their experience with their digester? I
suspect there probably are no small farms with
digesters in the US, but I would really like to
know. I have had numerous inquiries from farmers
with small farms in West Michigan about putting
in a digester on their farm. If my assumption is
correct that there are no small farms with
digesters, are there farms with comparable
numbers of dairy cattle with digesters outside
of the United State? If so, where are they and
what has their experience been with their
digester?
2. Has anyone had experience using a
Rankine engine as part of an energy producing
system?
Thanks in advance for any insight you can
provide me.
Charles Gould
Michigan State University Extension
West Olive, Michigan
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for more information about digestion, see
Beginner's Guide to Biogas
http://www.adelaide.edu.au/biogas/
and the Biogas Wiki http://biogas.wikispaces.com/
--
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Reading RG5 4PU
[email protected], Tel: +44(0)118 326 9779 Mob:
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>________________
>_______________________________________________
>Digestion mailing list > >to Send a Message to
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Change your List Settings use the web page
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> >for more information about digestion, see
>Beginner's Guide to Biogas
>http://www.adelaide.edu.au/biogas/ >and the
Biogas Wiki http://biogas.wikispaces.com/ >
