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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Bowling Green, Kentucky » Food Animal Environmental Systems Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #399322

Research Project: Developing Agronomically and Environmentally Beneficial Management Practices to Increase the Sustainability and Safety of Animal Manure Utilization

Location: Food Animal Environmental Systems Research

Title: Methane production from livestock waste covered anaerobic digesters: a potential greenhouse gas reduction and energy production

Author
item Lovanh, Nanh
item RUIZ-AGUILAR, GRACIELA - University Of Guanajuato
item Loughrin, John
item Sistani, Karamat

Submitted to: American Chemical Society Annual Meeting Symposium Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/10/2023
Publication Date: 3/26/2023
Citation: Lovanh, N.C., Ruiz-Aguilar, G.M., Loughrin, J.H., Sistani, K.R. 2023. Methane production from livestock waste covered anaerobic digesters: a potential greenhouse gas reduction and energy production. American Chemical Society Annual Meeting Symposium Proceedings. proceeding# 3827144.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Livestock wastes can serve as the feedstock for biogas production (mainly methane) that could be used as alternative energy source. The green energy derived from animal wastes is considered to be carbon neutral and offsetting those generated from fossil fuels. In this study, an evaluation of methane production from anaerobic digesters utilizing different livestock residues (e.g., poultry rendering wastewater and dairy manure) was carried out. Anaerobic continuous flow systems (polyethylene cover) subjected to different operational conditions (i.e., flow rate, seasonal temperatures, and etc.) containing poultry rendering wastewater and dairy manure were set up to evaluate methane potential from each scenario. Biogas productions were sampled and monitored by gas chromatography and photoacoustic gas analyzer over several months of operation. The results showed that methane productions increased as the temperature increased as well as the type of feedstocks utilized. The rates of methane production were 0.0478 g per g of COD for the poultry rendering wastewater and 0.0141 g per g of COD for dairy manure as feedstock. Hence for a poultry processing plant with a rendering wastewater flowrate of about 1.2 million gallons per day, the potential of capturing about two million kilograms of methane is possible for energy production per year from the waste retention pond.