Eco Factor: Biogas plant converts manure to methane and electricity.
Cargill has built and is operating an anaerobic digester on the Bettencourt Dairy B6 Farm that is converting manure from the farm’s 6000 cows into 1 million KWh of electricity per month, which is enough to power 1100 typical homes. The anaerobic digester from Cargill’s Environmental Finance group operates by feeding manure into a large, sealed, in-ground, oxygen-free vessel. Bacteria break down the waste, creating methane biogas. The gas is then captured and burned in a series of generators which produce electricity that is sent to the grid.
Along with generating enough renewable electricity to power approximately 1100 U.S. homes per month, the project will also generate carbon credits from reduced methane emissions in the atmosphere. Cargill is currently in the process of selling the first 28,000 tons of emission offsets generated by the initial Bettencourt Dairy digester. At peak capacity that digester is expected to produce 1.3 million kilowatt-hours of electricity a month, enough to power approximately 1400 U.S. homes.
Via: CleanTechnica
