ANAEROBIC DIGESTION

 Anaerobic digestion is a process through which bacteria break down

organic matter such as animal manure, wastewater biosolids, and food
wastes in the absence of oxygen.

 Anaerobic digestion for biogas production takes place in a sealed vessel

called a reactor, which is designed and constructed in various shapes and
sizes specific to the site and feedstock conditions.

 These reactors contain complex microbial communities that break down

(or digest) the waste and produce resultant biogas and digestate (the solid
and liquid material end-products of the AD process) which is discharged
from the digester.

 Multiple organic materials can be combined in one digester, a practice

called co-digestion.

 Co-digested materials include manure; food waste (i.e., processing,

distribution and consumer generated materials); energy crops; crop
residues; and fats, oils, and greases (FOG) from restaurant grease traps,
and many other sources.

 Co-digestion can increase biogas production from low-yielding or

difficult-to-digest organic waste.
Anaerobic System Design and Technology
There are several process steps that can be used alone or in combination to treat and manage
manure. The following diagram illustrates the elements of a biogas recovery system. Details
about each element are provided below the diagram.
Organic Waste Collection System
Manure is collected and placed in a centralized location in a way that is compatible with
biogas recovery. Co-digestion feedstocks, such as food processing waste and food scraps, are
delivered to the facility where it is prepared for processing.

Biogas production is best suited for farms that collect manure:

 As a liquid, slurry or semi-solid;

 At a single point (a lagoon, pit, pond, tank or other similar structure);
 Every day or every other day;
 Free of large amounts of bedding or other materials (e.g., rocks, stones, straw or
sand), which can clog the pipes of the digester and hinder operation.
Other materials such as feed additives with antibiotics and equipment cleaning and
maintenance compounds (e.g., detergents, acids and halogens, etc.) may be harmful to
anaerobic bacterial action. The typical use of these materials has not been a problem in full
scale digesters. However, threshold levels for these compounds have not been established, so
operators should be careful not to release large quantities of these materials into manure
before it is fed to the digester.

Organic Waste Handling System

The waste handling system prepares the feedstock for use in the anaerobic digester.
Depending on the type of feedstock and the type of digester, pretreatment may be required.
Pretreatment steps may include:

 Size reduction: Depending on the type of AD/biogas system, the incoming feedstock
may need to undergo size reduction. This is usually the case with continuously mixed
low solid systems requiring a homogenized feedstock that is easily pumpable and
mixed into the reactor.
 Contamination removal: Depending on the feedstock’s source, contaminants such as
sand or packaging can show up at the facility. Prior to digestion, they need to be
removed because they can disrupt the AD system over time. There are many available
preprocessing options that can remove sand (sand separators, hydro-cyclones, or sand
settling lanes), plastic bags, and other non-digestible materials (trommel screens or
hydro-pulpers). Materials separated as contaminants are usually sent for disposal at a
landfill.
 Equilibration and Storage: The final blended feedstock is temporarily stored before
being introduced into the reactor. Storage prior to digestion equilibrates and
homogenizes the material and evens out fluctuations in the amount and other
characteristics of the feedstock. Depending on the size and temperature of the
equalization and storage vessel, hydrolysis and acidogenesis can begin leading to
significant odors.

Biogas Handling System

 Photo of a biogas treatment system for a pipeline gas project

 Captured biogas is transported through a pipe from the
digester, directly to a gas use device or to a gas treatment
system. In most cases, the only treatment needed is to
remove excess moisture prior to combustion. However, if
the feedstock contains high concentrations of sulfur, then
hydrogen sulfide is removed from the gas to prevent
corrosion of the combustion device.
 Temporary biogas storage may be needed to help balance
production with demand, utilization system capacity, and/or
end user needs.
Anaerobic Digester Outputs
Anaerobic digestion produces two valuable outputs: biogas and digestate.

Biogas

Biogas is composed of methane (CH4), which is the primary component of

natural gas, at a relatively high percentage (50 to 75 percent), carbon dioxide
(CO2), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), water vapor, and trace amounts of other gases.
The energy in biogas can be used like natural gas to provide heat, generate
electricity, and power cooling systems, among other uses. Biogas can also be
purified by removing the inert or low-value constituents (CO2, water, H2S, etc.)
to generate renewable natural gas (RNG). This can be sold and injected into the
natural gas distribution system, compressed and used as vehicle fuel, or
processed further to generate alternative transportation fuel, energy products, or
other advanced biochemicals and bioproducts.

Digestate

Digestate is the residual material left after the digestion process. It is composed
of liquid and solid portions. These are often separated and handled
independently, as each have value that can be realized with varying degrees of
post processing.

With appropriate treatment, both the solid and liquid portions of digestate can
be used in many beneficial applications, such as animal bedding (solids),
nutrient-rich fertilizer (liquids and solids), a foundation material for bio-based
products (e.g., bioplastics), organic-rich compost (solids), and/or simply as soil
amendment (solids), the latter of which may include the farm spreading the
digestate on the field as fertilizer. Digestate products can be a source of revenue
or cost savings, and are often pursued to increase the financial and net-
environmental benefit of an AD/biogas project.

The Benefits of Anaerobic Digestion

Diversified Farm Revenue

Manure digester systems provide:

 "Tipping fees" received for the management of non-farm organic waste streams. This
not only boosts direct revenues, but provides additional biogas for energy production.
 Organic nutrients from the liquid and solid by-products of digested manure. These can
be used both on-farm or sold to other local or regional agriculture and horticulture
sources.
  Animal bedding or peat moss replacement from digested solids.
 Biogas produced from the breakdown of the manure. Biogas is a source of renewable
energy for electricity, heat, and fuel for on-site use or sale to the local grid.

Rural Economic Growth

Manure digesters create opportunities for:

 Local expertise in contracting, site work, concrete, plumbing, electrical,

permitting, and engineering during planning and construction.
 Skilled labor to keep the system running at optimal levels once
operational.
 Businesses built around nutrients, manure solids, and energy markets.
Cooperative business models can share the risk and reward across farms
and private investors.
 Agro-tourism: advanced manure management has served as a springboard
for people to visit farms, where they learn more about environmental
improvements and where their food comes from.

Conservation of Agricultural Land

Healthy soil and water is important to farmers, their families and the
community. The vast majority of farms in America are family-owned and active
conservation practices can continue to pass this legacy from one generation to
the next.

Implementing manure digesters on livestock facilities can:

 Improve soil health by converting the nutrients in manure to a more

accessible form for plants to use.
 Help protect the local water resources by reducing nutrient run-off and
destroying pathogens.

Energy Independence
Many early farms and other agricultural operations, such as mills, were often
energy independent, getting their power from wind or water sources. Manure
provides an opportunity for farm energy independence. Biogas from manure is
composed of more than 50% methane, the primary component of renewable
natural gas.

Manure digester systems can:

  Meet on-farm energy needs. Biogas can be used to generate electricity for
lighting barns or houses, heat for warming barns and on-site greenhouses,
energy for cooling milk, and fuel for running on-site vehicles. It allows
the farmer to operate ‘off the grid’ and reduces reliance on utilities.
 Provide energy to the local grid. This can help the local utility meet
growing energy demand with locally sourced renewable energy.
 Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by capturing methane gas that may
otherwise have been lost to the atmosphere and by displacing fossil fuel
energy use.

Sustainable Food Production

A safe, nutritious, and affordable food supply is needed to sustain populations
worldwide. Farmers work hard to meet the growing food demand and remain
viable in today’s global marketplace. Efficiently using water and nutrients for
crop and animal needs can cut costs, reduce environmental impacts, and
contribute to a safer, more productive farm.

Manure digesters on livestock farms can:

 Protect animal and human health by reducing pathogens.

 Convert nutrients in manure into a form that is more accessible for plants
to use compared to raw manure. This can increase crop productivity and
yield.
 Recycle nutrients on the farm, creating an economically and
environmentally sustainable food production system.
 Produce heat, electricity, or fuel from biogas which can be used on-farm,
lessening the agriculture sector’s dependence on fossil fuel energy.
 Accept food waste from places like restaurants and grocery stores. This
means less food waste is sent to landfills. Food waste has the added
benefit of increasing the efficiency of farm digesters.

Farm-Community Relationships
Maintaining good relationships with neighbors is important as populations
continue to grow and farms become physically closer to new housing or
commercial developments. Reducing odors and other impacts of livestock can
improve farm-community relations and make business growth possible for
farmers.

Manure digester systems can help:

 Reduce odors from livestock manure.
 Provide an easier path to farm growth. Limiting the impacts of the farm
on the local community makes farm expansion plans much more
palatable to local citizens.
 Connect farmers to their communities. On many farms, installation of
these systems has provided a ‘teaching moment’ with school kids and
adults alike. Many farms regularly run tours of their digester systems,
allowing people to learn about digesters and biogas energy, as well as
where their food comes from and how it’s produced.