Anaerobic Digestion
Anaerobic digestion (AD) may be a viable manure treatment and handling method for dairy farms. This process produces renewable energy, helps to control water pollution, reduces odors, and reduces the emissions of greenhouse gases. Methane production and then the irrigation of the odorless effluent through irrigation systems during the growing season is a method of manure handling that has a beneficial impact on the environment. These systems combined with a nutrient management plan (NMP) will also improve neighbor relations and will help provide for sustainable development of the dairy industry. For an overview of AD see Anaerobic Digestion on a Dairy Farm: Overview.
Anaerobic Digestion Basics
- Anaerobic digestion is the breakdown of complex organic material by microorganisms in the absence of oxygen. The end products are methane, carbon dioxide, some trace gases, and stabilized organic matter.
- Dairy Manure
- Food Waste
- Digestate
- Methane Gas
- Benefits of Anaerobic Digestion on Farms
- Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions
- Odor Reduction
- Improvement of Water Quality
- Generation of Renewable Fuel/Energy
- Conservation and Utilization of Crop Nutrients
- Revenue Potential
- Pathogen Reduction
- Pre-treatment
- Co-digestion
- Successful operation of the system on-farm
- The economic value of generated power
- High capital cost
Anaerobic Digestion General Resources
- New Revenue for Digesters: The Renewable Fuel Standard and Low Carbon Fuel Standard David McCullough (2015)
- Integrating Anaerobic Digestion and Nutrient Separation: A Synergistic Partnership John Budaj (2015)
- Capitalizing on Energy Opportunities on New York Dairy Farms - Curt Gooch and Jennifer Pronto (2009)
- Anaerobic Digestion in the U.S. - Curt Gooch (2006)
- Centralized Anaerobic Digestion Options for Groups of Dairy Farm - Kimberly Bothi and Brian Aldrich (2005)
- Fundamentals of Anaerobic Digestion of Dairy Manure: background - January 2004
- Fundamentals of Anaerobic Digestion of Dairy Manure: advantages and disadvantages - January 2004
- Reduction of Selected Pathogens in Anaerobic Digestion - Peter Wright, S. Inglis, S.M. Stehman, and Jean Bonhotal (2004)
- Overview of Anaerobic Digestion Systems for Dairy Farms - Peter Wright (2001)
Related Resources
- Coupling Dairy Manure Anaerobic Digesters with Commercial Greenhouses- An assessment of Technical and Economic Feasibility
- Waste Not, Want Not: Why Aren't More Farms Putting Poop to Good Use?
- Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emission Reductions Due to Anaerobic Digestion of Dairy Manure
- Cooperative Approaches for Implementation of Dairy Manure Digesters
- Electricity From What Cows Leave Behind
- Cow Manure Helps Keep the Lights on in Western New York
- Organic Waste Digestion Project Protocol
- The Impact of Dairy Housing and Manure Management on Anaerobic Digestion
Feasibility of Anaerobic Digestion Systems
Before constructing and operating an anaerobic digester, it is best to first ensure that the process is feasible for the farm.
- Small Farms AD Report - Tim Shelford and Curt Gooch (2012)
- Feasibility Study of Anaerobic Digestion in Salem, NY - Kimberly Bothi and Brian Aldrich (2005)
- Feasibility Study of Anaerobic Digestion in Perry, NY - Kimberly Bothi and Brian Aldrich (2005)
- Feasibility Studies of Anaerobic Digestion Presentation - David Ludington - DLtech, Inc. (2004)
- AD Performance Goals: AD Effect on System Components and Costs - Curt Gooch and David Ludington (2005)
- Combining Anaerobic Digestion and Hydrothermal Liquefaction in the Conversion of Dairy Waste into Energy: A centralized Case study for New York State - Nazih Kassem (2018)
Co-Digestion Resources
Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a biochemical degradation process that converts complex organic materials into biogas in the absence of oxygen. Biogas is composed of methane, carbon dioxide and trace amounts of hydrogen sulfide. Animal wastes, especially dairy manure, have proven to be ideal feedstocks for anaerobic digesters. Food wastes, mostly generated from food processing, food service, and retail establishments, also can be excellent feedstocks for AD. Food wastes typically have high ratios of volatile solids/total solids (VS/TS), which indicate high energy content.
- How Food Waste Contributes to Greenhouse Gases - Eric Sharpsteen and Peter Wright (2021)
- Food Scraps Law Impact on Farms and Processors - Jennifer Bockhahn and Peter Wright (2021)
- Lifecycle and Economic Assessment for NYS Dairy Co-digestion - Joseph Usack (2015)
- Experimental and Predicted Methane Yields from the Anaerobic Co-Digestion of Animal Manure with Complex Organic Substrates - Rodrigo Labatut and Norman Scott (2008)
- Innovations in Manure Management: Using food wastes in farm-based anaerobic digesters - Norman Scott, Jianguo Ma, and Brian Aldrich (2005)