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A guide o harnessing te energy in livesock wase.

Cow

Power

Beneftyourplanet,

yourcommunityandyourpocket!

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Waste to energy, are you kidding me?Youve probably heard this beore, but well tell you again: you can convert all

the manure in your arm or eedlot into energy, killing two birds with one stone.

On, o on o o n; o, o n bll ll b

c. O course, this is an oversimplication, but i you keep reading, well

show you the ins and outs o manure to energy conversion.

How is this possible?In as ew words as possible: plants store the energy o the sun, the cows eat

that but theyre not able to extract all the energy stored. While the biomass

decomposes, some o that energy escapes in the orm o biogas, the rest

remains in the solids, which can be burned.

What is biomass?When organic material decomposes, it emits gases like methane and carbon

dioxide. The combination o these gases is fammable and is called biogas.

What are greenhouse gases and why are

they important to me?Green house gases (GHG) are carbon dioxide, methane, and other gases which trap

heat in the atmosphere, thus contributing to climate change. Methane, produced by

cattle, is 23 times more powerul than carbon dioxide and is responsible or 14% o

the total GHG concentration in the atmosphere. The Colorado Climate Action Plan

will lead the establishment o a carbon credit market through which armers and

ranchers may receive revenue or reducing GHG emissions.

Contents

Understanding How to Turn Waste into Watts ............................... ... 2

A Brie Background on Biomass to Energy Conversion ................. ... 3

Whats In It For Us? Taking Everyones Perspective into Account .... 4

How Biomass to Energy Conversion Works

Anerobic Digestive System ................ ................. .................. ......... 5

Incineration ................. .................. ................. .................. ............. 10

Gasication................. .................. ................. .................. ............. 10

Pressing ................ .................. ................. .................. .................. . 10

Pros and Cons o Biomass Energy Options ................. .................. . 11

Case Studies ................. .................. ................. .................. ............. 12

Successul Projects, One Step at a Time ............... .................. ....... 14

Excess Energy: Sell or Store ................. ................. .................. ....... 15

Glossary .................. .................. ................. .................. .................. . 16

Sources and Resources .................. ................. .................. ............. 16

About icast and the Autors ................. ................. .................. .......... 17

Lcn

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Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike3.0 United States.

You are ree:

toSharetocopy,distribute,display,andperorm the work

toRemixtomakederivativeworks

Under the ollowing conditions:

Attribution.Youmustattributetheworkintheollowing manner: iCAST - International Cen-ter or Appropriate and Sustainable Technol-ogy (2009). Cow Power, a guide to harnessingthe energy in livestock waste. Funded in partby the Colorado Department o Agriculture.Colorado, USA.

Noncommercial.Youmaynotusethisworkor commercial purposes.

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While all attempts have been made to veriyinormation provided in this publication, neitherthe authors nor the publisher assumes anyresponsibility or liability whatsoever on the behalo any reader o these materials. The reader o thispublication assumes responsibility or the use othese materials and inormation.

1

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Moo.

energydigeser

The sweet smell o our bovine riends and it isnt the

smell o steaks on the grill. Is there a uture without

worrying about what to do with all the manure?

Yes. Imagine in the near uture a day when the waste

o so many cows will be transormed into energy to run

your arm or even power rural Colorado. Envision a time

when cows will become something more than whatsor dinner. Farmers and their cows have the potential

tobecomethefutureofcleanenergythroughwho

wouldveguessedit!manure.

This resource guide will provide you inormation on ways

to turn cattles waste into energy you can use or sell:

electricity, biogas, steam, liquid uel, and heat. We will

provide a summary o the various biomass technologies

available to you.

The intent o this guide is not to showcase every

technology available, but to introduce you to the

concepts and ideas needed to better understand

waste to energy processes applicable to your arm.

Our purpose is to equip you with a basic understanding

o the dierent technologies and the benets o

converting manure into energy.

Envision a uture when waste management is not a

problem, but the solution to rising energy prices and,

with a little bit o l uck, one extra source o income.

Using manure or energy has been around or many years.

People throughout history have used manure to burn

or res when no trees or wood could be ound. Bison

manure was regularly collected by pioneers on their long

trek across the Great Plains to uel their campres.

Farmers around the world have obtained energy rom

their livestocks manure since the 10th century BC1

.Biogas, a fammable gas composed primarily o methane

and CO2, was captured rom decomposing organic

materialsincludingmanuretouseincooking,heating,

and lighting. At the end o the 19th century it was used in

England to uel street lamps. More modern uses include

cooling, and electricity generation.

Today more and more arms around the world are turning

their waste into energy. The closest example is Colorado

Pork2, located in Lamar. In 1998 the state citizens voted

in avor o tougher restrictions on hog waste manage-

ment. This nudged the arm to address the environmental

impacts o hog waste on air, soil, and water quality. Deter-

mined not to let this become a burden, they decided to use

pig power and turn their waste into watts by installing a

state-o-the-art digester. The digester not only addressed

the issues to the hog waste pollution, but provided 50% o

the arms peak energy needs. Weve included more details

about this arm in the Case Studies section.

Farmers, no matter what their livestock is, understand the

huge undertaking o managing all the waste their animals

produce. Transorming manure into clean and renewable

energy can, in a quite substantial measure, take care o that.

solids sorage

manure gas handling sysem

1 www.biogas.psu.edu/pds/ShortHistoryAD.pd2 www.colorado.gov/energy/in/uploaded_pd/ColoradoPorkcasestudy.pd

Atypicalbiogassystem

Understanding How to TurnWaste into Watts

A Brief Backgroundon Biomass to Energy Conversion

2 3

http://www.biogas.psu.edu/pdfs/ShortHistoryAD.pdfhttp://www.colorado.gov/energy/in/uploaded_pdf/ColoradoPorkcasestudy.pdfhttp://www.colorado.gov/energy/in/uploaded_pdf/ColoradoPorkcasestudy.pdfhttp://www.biogas.psu.edu/pdfs/ShortHistoryAD.pdf

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According to the Colorado Department o Agriculture,

livestock industry represents the backbone o the states

$16 billion agriculture industry. On the fipside, manure

rom large scale operations has become a major source o

pollution and unpleasant smells. What can armers do to

help the communities that surround them, the environment,

and their pockets?Additionally, scientists with the EPA and the U.N.,

amongst many others in the scientic community, have

studied how greenhouse gases (GHG) aect climate.

The U.N. notes that livestock contributes more GHG than

automobiles do globally. Why not take that headache and

use it to power your arm?

There are many benets to converting manure into

energy. As we discussed in the previous section, the

law on livestock waste management will turn much more

stringent over time. The demand or ood will continue to

increase and the cost o energy will also increase.

The manure will continue to pile up.

Converting manure into energy helps reduce the amount

o pollutants released into the local environment, cutsdown on greenhouse gas emissions, and provides arm-

ers with a reliable source o energy.

Your neighbors will enjoy a cleaner atmosphere and, with

the proper design, the smell will be signicantly reduced.

In addition, biomass energy can conserve on

ossil uels. Ater cleaning biogas, you can use it

as a replacement or natural gas. I the manure

is converted into electricity, you would still be

helping reducing our depen-

dence on ossil uels. Colorado

gets its electricity primarily romcoal, which is a limited resource.

Animal waste is produced in

eedlots and arms continuously,

that means it is a renewable

resource. Your cows are provid-

ing tons o it every day.

Animal waste may not smell like

money, but it will surely

cut your energy costs

considerably.

Depending on the

number o heads in

your arm, it might

even be possible

that more energy isproduced than what

you need, opening

the possibility

o prot.

Whats in it for us?Taking everyones perspective into account Plane

Green house gasand other emissions

are reduced.

How Biomass to EnergyConversion WorksHumans have been using biomass as a uel since we discovered re. Biogas

is created by capturing the gas emitted rom decomposing organic materials

or by burning organic materials under high temperatures. For instance, you

may have heard o swamp gas in the southern U.S. This is created by bacteria

breaking down organic materials in an oxygen de-

prived environment, like under the mud. Organic

material can be vegetation, ood waste, animal

excretions, etc.

In this guide we will ocus on three dierent ways

to transorm manure into energy. These are an-

aerobic digestion, incineration, and gasication.

The next section will discuss a number o dier-

ent technologies. While ossil uels are a limited

resource and need to be conserved, armers

are also concerned about conserving water or

their cattle and our uture. We will provide some

examples o dierent ways to release the energy

trapped in animal waste and allow you to make

an inormed decision on what technology would

work best on your eed lot or arm.

1. Anaerobic Digestion

Mix manure with liquid (which doesnt necessarily mean water) and let the bac-

teria east begin. The anaerobic digestion method is the most popular method

used in the livestock industry in the U.S. and especially in Europe. There are

more than one hundred arms3 in the U.S. using this technology: Colorado

Pork (see Case Studies section), Huckabay Ridge Dairy (Texas)4,Vintage Dairy

(Caliornia)5, and Gordondale Farms (Wisconsin)6, just to name a ew.

3www.epa.gov/agstar/operational.html

4www.window.state.tx.us/specialrpt/energy/renewable/eedlot.php 5www.theregister.co.uk/2008/03/05/bovine_biogas_plant/

6www.epa.gov/agstar/pd/gordondale_report_inal.pd

ProYou can oset thecost o the energy

on your arm.

PeopleSurrounding

communities enjoy ahealthier environment.

AnaerobicDigesersand Feedlos!Usually eedlot manure is ull

o straw and grit. This makes

it really hard to use a digester

to convert it into energy.

However, recent developments

are looking very promising,

so dont discard digesters i

you have a eedlot!

4 5

http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2006/1000448/index.htmlhttp://www.epa.gov/agstar/operational.htmlhttp://www.window.state.tx.us/specialrpt/energy/renewable/feedlot.phphttp://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/03/05/bovine_biogas_plant/http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/03/05/bovine_biogas_plant/http://www.epa.gov/agstar/pdf/gordondale_report_final.pdfhttp://www.epa.gov/agstar/operational.htmlhttp://www.window.state.tx.us/specialrpt/energy/renewable/feedlot.phphttp://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/03/05/bovine_biogas_plant/http://www.epa.gov/agstar/pdf/gordondale_report_final.pdfhttp://www.epa.gov/agstar/pdf/gordondale_report_final.pdfhttp://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/03/05/bovine_biogas_plant/http://www.window.state.tx.us/specialrpt/energy/renewable/feedlot.phphttp://www.epa.gov/agstar/operational.htmlhttp://www.epa.gov/agstar/pdf/gordondale_report_final.pdfhttp://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/03/05/bovine_biogas_plant/http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/03/05/bovine_biogas_plant/http://www.window.state.tx.us/specialrpt/energy/renewable/feedlot.phphttp://www.epa.gov/agstar/operational.htmlhttp://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2006/1000448/index.html

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How It Works continued

Anaerobicdigestivesystems

B. COmpLete mix FLOw

This method uses an air-tight and heated tank. The tank

uses a motor-driven propeller to mix manure and liquid

together. Heat can come rom a number o sources.

A mixing device is required or this specic system.

While this technology requires more upront cost or

installation, it requires less water and has a aster

turnaround transorming manure into power. It requires

90-97% liquid and can produce power all year round.

The complete gas fow transormation takes place in

as little as 5-20 days. The cost is $200 to $400 per AU.

C.pLug FLOw

Fresh manure is piped into one end o a cylindrical air

tight tube and exits out the other end as cow power gas.

This tank is also heated and requires the same type oheating equipment, storage, and gas handling system

as the complete mix system. However, unlike the other

two anaerobic systems we have discussed, this system

requires the least amount o liquid and works below

ground level. In addition, the heating system is narrower,

which takes up less space.

The amount o liquid required or the plug fow system is

between 87-89% and will provide a steady gas fow all

year round. The cost is $200-400 per AU.

Furthermore, the EPA reports that the plug fow models

are the most ecient and cost eective o all the anaero-

bic designs.

Wha is an animal uni (AU)?An animal unit is 1,000 pounds o live weight.

a. COveredLagOON

This method is quite simple and can work rom the

septic/waste management system most dairies and other

livestock armers already have in place. Waste is mixed

with liquid and piped i nto an anaerobic covered pond.

The pond must be covered to keep oxygen rom enter-

ingwhichinhibitsbiogasproductionandthebiogas

rom escaping. This method provides an added benet

that eliminates the odor o the manure rom getting into

the air or into the ground water. This is true or all threeanaerobic digester types.

Covered lagoons are particularly well suited or dairies.

Generally the warmer the air the aster the digester will

produce methane (within certain limits, o course.)

Thereore, in the warmer months armers will be producing

more energy rom the waste.

This system requires 97% or more liquid to process the

manure eectively into methane. The cost is between

$150 and $400 per Animal Unit (AU). While this technology

is one o the least expensive, it works best in wetter and

warmer climates.

biogas

fuid

sludge

mix

mixer

ground

sludgepipe

Digestereed

Plug Flow System

groundinjectionpipe

efuent gas

efuentsubstrate

substrateinfow

Cell 2

Biogas

Digestereed

Biogas

Mixer

DigesterEfuent

Storage StorageCell 1

Biogas

DigesterEfuent

Feed manure

There are three types o digesters: WaseAdditionally to the biogas, anaerobic digesters

producesolidremnantswhicharealsoknown

asdigestateandwastewater.Afteranadditional

maturation process, digestate can be turned into a

high quality soil conditioner that has the potential to

reduce the need or inorganic ertilizers. Wastewater

can be used to increase the moisture content o

the manure entering the process. However, not

all wastewater can be used this way, and urthertreatment is oten required.

Digesters usegenerators totransorm the biogas

6

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sysem size

gas

elecriciy

briquees

seam

business model

unbiasedexper

echnology(methOds OF CONversiON)

governmen grans(see pages 14 - 16)

waer needs(see pages 5 & 11)

(see pages 12,15)

(see pages 10,11)

(see pages 5-7,10,11)

(see page 15)

(see page 11)

(see pages 6,7,10,11)

(see page 10)

(see page 10)

98

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How It Works continued

aNaerOBiC digestiON

+Relatively low upront investment. Simple technology.Relatively easy operation.

High use o water. Somewhat ragile biological bal-

ance. Longer processing periods. Wastewater is not

easy to dispose o.

=Most suitable for wet manure, and small tolarge-scale operations.

iNCiNeratiON

+Less water required than in anaerobic methods.Plumbing o manure not required. Clean handling and

storage. No waste: ash can be used as ertilizer.

Expensive pollution control equipment and can haveexcessive energy losses. Higher upront investment.

More sophisticated technology may lead to higher

operation and maintenance costs.

=Most suitable for dry manure, and large-scaleoperations.

gasiFiCatiON/syNgas

+Can produce dierent orms o energy, such as bio-gas, steam, and electricity, more eciently. Plumbing

o manure not required. Waste can be reused.

Higher upront investment. More sophisticatedtechnology may lead to higher operation and

maintenance costs.

=Most suitable for dry manure, and large-scaleoperations.

BriquettiNg / pressiNg

+Pellets can be transported easily. Fuel suitable ordierent devices. Simple technology. Easy operation.

Low investment. Easily scalable.

Not presently suitable or high volumes. You wouldneed to either use all the briquettes or develop a

market on your community.

=Most suitable for dry manure, and small to medium-scale operations.

2. Incineration

Throw a ew cow pies on the re! This is what the in-

cineration technology entails. It is the direct burning o

biomass. In act, many arms in rural India make manure

cakes to use in cooking. While this is an i nexpensive

method, it will have some pollution issues.

However, there are newer and cleaner incineration

systems available. The process, which is at the same time

cutting edge and the oldest one available, involves our

stages: collection, drying, burning, and cogeneration o

heat and electricity.

First, manure is collected and dried. What happens is that

moisture lowers the energy content o manure. Excessive

heat produced by the next step, incineration, can be used

to dry the manure.

The incineration process is very similar to what happens

inside an engine that burns coal to run, like in old trains.

The coal was burned in a stove, which heated a boiler

with water, which in turn powered the locomotives engine.

In this case, the steam is used to run a cogenerator that

produces electricity and heat with a high eciency ratio.

One benet o the incinerator is that the waste heat can

be used in other ways as well. Also, the payback on in-

vestment can be in less than with other methods, but that

depends on the energy consumption o your arm, and

the quality o the available manure. The remaining ashes

can be used as ertilizer, which makes waste disposal

really easy and a potential source o income.

3. Gasification

Gasication has been around since the 19th century.

Beore electricity and natural gas were as popular as

they are today, this process was used to produce gas or

lighting and cooking. Through gasication, animal waste

is converted into syngas, which can be used as a uel to

generate steam, electricity, and heat.

Syngas is produced in a system where little oxygen

is present and the waste material is heated to a high

temperature. One example would be what many people

around the world have done with wood or centuries.

Wood is burnt at a high temperature or superheated, this

is called pyrolysis, which is just basically super heating

organic matter. Some o the wood turns to ash/soot (tars).

The rest is turned into charcoal. This charcoal is muchmore ecient than the wood or just incinerating manure.

Char, as it is called, is light weight and is a concentrated

potential energy source. The tar can be used as a ertil-

izer, and char is combusted to orm syngas.

4. Pressing Poo into Power

I you plan to use the gasication or incineration technol-

ogy you may want to consider pressing the manure into

briquettes. This might interest you or several reasons:

Briquettes, or pellets, can be easily transported and have

a high energy content relative to their size. I you believe

your local community could be a good market or them,

then briquetting could be a protable option or you.

Briquetting is one o the least expensive solutions, andis easily scalable. You can start with one briquette press

and grow as the market or it expands. Presses can be

simple or complex depending on your budget, amount o

manure being processed, and time.

You can use briquettes in your arm as uel or urnaces

and stoves purposely design or this source o energy.

Briquettes, due to their high energy content, will burn or

extended periods to generate more energy.

Pros and Consof Biomass Energy Options

Which option works best for your business?

10 11

http://www.gaia-movement.org/files/GWA%20Energy%20Sect%2045-46.pdfhttp://www.gaia-movement.org/files/GWA%20Energy%20Sect%2045-46.pdfhttp://www.gaia-movement.org/files/GWA%20Energy%20Sect%2045-46.pdfhttp://www.gaia-movement.org/files/GWA%20Energy%20Sect%2045-46.pdf

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How can wasebe managed?

t bo o ll c

ol, b ll b

ln nl?

All o the technologies shared in this guide

will have some waste, but much less than

dealing with your manure.

The waste that is letover is a cleanerwaste, since the bacteria that was

present is now gone. What you have

let is a concentrated ertilizer in either

a liquid, dried or ash orm. This can be

saely placed back into the soil, sold on

the market, or the ash could be used in

concrete production.

Some methods, however, may

produce waste that is still ull

o noxious substances. Make sure

you ask your provider what kind o

waste and byproducts are produced

by their technology.

Case StudiesThere are a number o case studies

that have used many o the technolo-

gies mentioned in the guide: Colo-

rado Pork (covered lagoon digester),

Five Star Dairy (WI) (complete mix

digester), and Emerald Dairy (WI)

(mixed plug fow). We provide you

these real lie examples so you can

learn rom their experiences.

Colorado Pork

This arm located in Lamar, Colorado

decided to address the issues o their

wastes ater stringent regulations on

hog waste management were passed

into law in 1998.

Colorado Pork has one o the earliest

covered lagoon digester systems in

the state. It is used to generate elec-

tricity rom the waste. They compress

the biogas collected rom the lagoon

to power a combined heat and power

system (CHP) that generates 80 kW.

This system then recaptures exces-

sive heat, water, and exhaust rom

the engine and places it back into the

digester. They have since added a

30 kW microturbine to their system

or more eciency.

Colorado Pork is tied to Southeast-

ern Colorado Rural Electric, where

they produce approximately 43,000

kWh (kilowatt hours) o electricity

a month. The arm has 5600-6300

sows that produce 15,000-18,000

gallons o manure a day. That pig

power saves the arm $38,700 in

electricity and $10,000 or lagoon

clean-outs every year.

The total cost o the system was

$338,000. Colorado Pork received a

$75,000 grant rom the EPA AgSTAR

program, so the system will pay or

itsel in around 6 to 9 years, possibly

earlier i the energy prices continue

to rise.

Five Star Dairy

Five Star uses a complete mix digest-

er which is developed by Microgy,

Inc. They have approximately 850

head o cattle that produce about100,000 kWh per month, which has

been in operation since 2005.

Microgy operates and maintains

the digester to create methane. The

methane is sold to Dairyland Power

Cooperative, who generates electric-

ity rom the gas and sells it to coop

members. The money raised is then

used by the arm to pay down the

debt on the di gester.

Emerald Dairy

In this case Emerald uses a mixed

plug-fow system that was designedby GHD, Inc., which has been in

operation since 2005. This dairy is

twice the size o Five Star and has

approximately 1,600 head o dairy

cows, which produce 45,000 gallons

o waste a day.

The dairy owns the system and

compresses the methane, which

is then hauled to a acility where

St. Croix Electric Coop sells it to their

customers as natural gas.

Mmm...

12 13

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Excess Energy: Sell or Store

Naturally, one o the biggest

considerations are the costs to

purchase, install, and maintainsystems, as described in this guide.

However, keep in mind that there

are more unding opportunities out

there than ever beore or armers

considering animal waste to power

technologies.

The Colorado Governors has

recently added an Anaerobic

Digestion section to their website.

Learn more at: www.colorado.gov/energy/renewables/biomass-anaerobic-

digestion.asp

In addition, the ederal government

has even more unding opportunities

or armers. Check out the programs

rom the USDA ound at: www.rurdev.

usda.gov/rbs/busp/bprogs.htm

SuccessfulProjects,One Stepat a Time

What will you do with the energy you

dont use?

There are several dierent reasons

why its important to think about the

excess energy. Even i the system is

sized to provide, say, 50% o your

yearly average consumption, there

will be times when the system is

running and you are just not consum-ing that much energy. What are your

options? It depends on what your

system is producing.

Electricity can sometimes be sent

back into the grid. Power utilities are

working with their customers on ways

to place power to the grid. However,

it is key to understand the implica-

tions o this, since it might mean that

you need to install extra equipment.

Additionally, youll need to negotiate

a protable utility contract. Currently,

storage o electricity is expensive and

not very ecient.

Unused biogas can either be stored

in a storage tank or can be piped or

hauled to a local natural gas provid-

er, as long as it meets the standards

o quality.

Some systems have a built-in system

to use excess energy in their own

processes. For example, a gasier

might be able to use the extra heat

generated to dry the manure beore it

enters the gasier.

Solid wastes that are rich in nutrients

may constitute a good ertilizer. I

this is the case, the possibilities o

marketing need to be considered

during the easibility analysis.

Independently rom the system you

are planning to use, an intelligent

design will always include a smart

strategy to deal with excess energy.

Remember the steps or a successul project:

1. so on.

Find out who has the best prices and the best systems. Talk to your

neighbors, county ocials and unbiased experts, like the olks at CSU

Extension, or i CAST.

2. pln .

A easibility analysis and business plan will help you compare your dier-

ent options, orecast possible earnings, and identiy potential weaknesses

and challenges that you havent considered. Examples o points to take

into account are:

Whowillownthesystem?Whatifyouandotherfarmersgettogether?

The provider could own the system and then sell you energy back at a

discounted rate.

Willothersourcesofwasteincreasetheefciency?Aretheyreadily

available?

Taxcreditsandothergovernmentincentives.

Negotiateaprotableutilitycontracttoselltheexcessenergy.

Potentialmarketsforyourby-products:liquids,solids,fertilizers.

Etc.

3. sc o onn n, n o oc o c.

I you dont nd any, talk to your county ocials, they might be able to

steer you in the right direction.

4. dn.

Work together with your technology provider to ensure you understand

the benets, and other implications o your new waste to energy system.

Again, you dont have to know it all, seek the help o unbiased experts.

5. Concon.

Understand whats going to happen once the system is running. What i

theres a malunction?

A hand from

te governmenAgStar, which is part o the EPA, oers

a great deal o unding or armers

using biouels and renewable energy.

These include low interest loans,

grants, and tax incentives. Producing

cow power is easier than ever beore

and armers can become not only

energy producers but stewards or

the environment. Check the Resource

Section at the end o this guide.14 15

http://www.colorado.gov/energy/renewables/biomass-anaerobic-digestion.asphttp://www.colorado.gov/energy/renewables/biomass-anaerobic-digestion.asphttp://www.colorado.gov/energy/renewables/biomass-anaerobic-digestion.asphttp://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/busp/bprogs.htmhttp://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/busp/bprogs.htmhttp://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/busp/bprogs.htmhttp://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/busp/bprogs.htmhttp://www.colorado.gov/energy/renewables/biomass-anaerobic-digestion.asphttp://www.colorado.gov/energy/renewables/biomass-anaerobic-digestion.asphttp://www.colorado.gov/energy/renewables/biomass-anaerobic-digestion.asp

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glln hck was raised on an organic

grain arm in Saskatchewan, Canada. Now

a big-city gal, she thanks her prairie roots

or helping her develop a sense o creativity,

curiousity and consequence that infuences

her work daily.

She holds a degree in Visual Communica-

tions rom the Alberta College o Art &

Design and has now worked or design rms

and independently nearly seven years.

Gillian believes that good design can create

a positive impact on society. It is her hope

that her graphic design work will help people

understand an important message, eel

inspired by what they learn, or even act

and create positive change.

sOurCes

A short history o Anaerobic Digestion:

www.biogas.psu.edu/pds/ShortHistoryAD.pd

Greenhouse gas emissions, EPA

www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions

Ruminant Livestock contribution to Climate Change,

Frequently Asked Questions, EPA

www.epa.gov/rlep/aq.html

Cullar, A., & Webber, M. (2008). Cow power: the energy and

emissions benefts o converting manure to biogas (Department o

Chemical Engineering, The University o Texas at Austin, USA)

AgSTAR Guide to Anaerobic Digesters:

www.epa.gov/agstar/operational.html

Frequently Asked Questions: www.epa.gov/agstar/aq.html

Srivastav, R., & Bieleeldt, A. (2008). Biomass to Energy:

A Farm Biomass Management Resource Guide.(Department o Civil, Arch. and Environmental Engineering,

University o Colorado at Boulder, USA)

Briquette presses or alternate use:

www.echotech.org/technical/technotes/Briquete.pd

An Assessment o Technologies or Management and Treatment o

Dairy Manure in Caliornias San Joaquin Valley, Prepared by the San

Joaquin Valley Dairy Manure Technology Feasibility Assessment

Panel, December 2005

www.arb.ca.gov/ag/ca/dairypnl/dmtaprprt.pd

resOurCes

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Renewable Energy Basics

Biomass: www.nrel.gov/learning/re_biomass.html

Biopower: www.nrel.gov/learning/re_biopower.html

Basics o Anaerobic Digestion, Department o Agricultural

and Biological Engineering, Penn State University:

www.biogas.psu.edu

Governors Energy Oce

Anaerobic Digestion:

www.colorado.gov/energy/renewables/biomass-anaerobic-

digestion.asp

Support or AD easibility study:

www.colorado.gov/energy/resources/unding-opportunities.asp#AD

CSU Extension, Animal Manure Management:

www.extension.org/animal+manure+management

The Intermountain CHP Centerwww.intermountainchp.org

iCAST - International Center or Appropriate and

Sustainable Technology

www.icastusa.org

AgSTAR Loans and Grants or armers:

www.epa.gov/agstar/resources/unding.html

Advancing Colorados Renewable Energy Program

www.epa.gov/agstar/resources/incentive/

COadvancingcoloradosrenewableenergypro.html

mcl mlo grew up on a small arm in

Northern Caliornia and her early experience

includes working with a variety o livestock,

poultry, and growing ruits and vegetables.

Her amilys arm had to deal with severe

drought in the 1970s and ound creative

ways to conserve water.

She has lived in Colorado or nearly 20

years. Her educational background is in

education and received a B.A. in English

rom Metropolitan State College o Denver

and an M.A.in education rom the University

o Colorado at Denver.

Michele has been an independent writer or

many years and maintains a blog, online

newsletter, and is a green reporter or

Examiner.com.

iCAST, International Center or Appropriate

& Sustainable Technology, is a non-prot

501(c) (3) organization located in Lakewood,

Colorado. We began as an initiative rom the

Engineering College at the University o Colo-

rado at Boulder and later became registered

as an individual organization in 2002.

We are dedicated in establishing relation-

ships with local organizations to develop

sustainable solutions or underserved

populations. Our mission is to promote

environmental health, economic viability,

and social responsibility. iCAST projects

are designed to encourage sel-suciency

based on the development, application

and commercialization o appropriate and

sustainable technologies.

iCAST also provides opportunities or

university students to learn how academic

studies and concepts such as sustainable

development can be practically applied to

the real-lie problems acing disadvantaged

communities. Through participation in

service learning projects, students enhance

technical and business skills while learning

valuable lessons in teamwork, communica-

tions and ethics that will help create more

valuable proessionals.

iCAST projects bring together a variety o

partners representing industry, government

agencies, re-search acilities and educa-

tional institutions to serve the needs o local

communities. By leveraging available techni-

cal, nancial and intellectual resources,

iCAST helps meet the challenges o the

uture by building stronger communities and

a well-prepared workorce.

iCAST has partnered in a number o projects

in Colorado and New Mexico: Rialto

Theater Adaptive Reuse Feasibility Study in

Alamosa, Jemez-Pueblo Waste Water Treat-

ment Project, Aordable Arsenic Filters or

drinking water in the San Luis Valley, among

many others.

To learn more about current or uture iCAST

projects or i you have questions about any

o the technologies mentioned in this guide,

please visit our web site at .c.oContact iCAST directly:

Fncco Flo

snbl pojc mn

el: ncco.@c.o

pon: (303) 462-4100 811

Fncco Flo believes creativity, respect

or the environment and one another, andimmediate action is what we need to bring

us closer to a sustainable world.

Ater seven years in the telecommunication

industry, he realized something very impor-

tant was missing in the picture: a purpose.

Various experiences showed him that whathe wanted to do the most is to contribute

to make this a better world, both socially

and environmentally. At iCAST he ound a

place to work or social empowerment and

environmental conservation while having un

as an engineer.

He has a B.S. in Telecommunications

Engineering rom the Instituto Tecnolgico y

de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey.

aBOut the authOrs

aBOut iCast

anobc on: decomposi-

tion o organic materials in an

environment deprived o oxygen.

anl n (au):1,000 pounds o

live weight

Bo: The combination o mostly

methane and carbon dioxide that

results rom organic decomposition.

Bo: Organic waste used as an

energy source.

gfcon: Any process to trans-

orm biomass into syngas.

incnon: The process o burning

any material, particularly biomass in

the context o this guide.

mn: A fammable gas; one o

the by-products o organic decom-

position.

sn: A fammable gas with hal

the energy density o natural gas.

gLOssary OF terms

16 17

http://www.biogas.psu.edu/pdfs/ShortHistoryAD.pdfhttp://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissionshttp://www.epa.gov/rlep/faq.htmlhttp://www.epa.gov/agstar/operational.htmlhttp://www.epa.gov/agstar/faq.htmlhttp://www.echotech.org/technical/technotes/Briquete.pdfhttp://www.arb.ca.gov/ag/caf/dairypnl/dmtfaprprt.pdfhttp://www.nrel.gov/learning/re_biomass.htmlhttp://www.nrel.gov/learning/re_biopower.htmlhttp://www.biogas.psu.edu/http://www.colorado.gov/energy/renewables/biomass-anaerobic-digestion.asphttp://www.colorado.gov/energy/renewables/biomass-anaerobic-digestion.asphttp://www.colorado.gov/energy/resources/funding-opportunities.asp#ADhttp://www.extension.org/animal+manure+managementhttp://www.intermountainchp.org/http://www.icastusa.org/http://www.epa.gov/agstar/resources/funding.htmlhttp://www.epa.gov/agstar/resources/incentive/COadvancingcoloradosrenewableenergypro.htmlhttp://www.epa.gov/agstar/resources/incentive/COadvancingcoloradosrenewableenergypro.htmlhttp://www.icastusa.org/http://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/current/tmp/scratch22335/francisco.f@icastusa.orghttp://www.itesm.edu/wps/portal/english?WCM_GLOBAL_CONTEXThttp://www.itesm.edu/wps/portal/english?WCM_GLOBAL_CONTEXThttp://www.itesm.edu/wps/portal/english?WCM_GLOBAL_CONTEXThttp://www.itesm.edu/wps/portal/english?WCM_GLOBAL_CONTEXThttp://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/current/tmp/scratch22335/francisco.f@icastusa.orghttp://www.icastusa.org/http://www.epa.gov/agstar/resources/incentive/COadvancingcoloradosrenewableenergypro.htmlhttp://www.epa.gov/agstar/resources/incentive/COadvancingcoloradosrenewableenergypro.htmlhttp://www.epa.gov/agstar/resources/funding.htmlhttp://www.icastusa.org/http://www.intermountainchp.org/http://www.extension.org/animal+manure+managementhttp://www.colorado.gov/energy/resources/funding-opportunities.asp#ADhttp://www.colorado.gov/energy/renewables/biomass-anaerobic-digestion.asphttp://www.colorado.gov/energy/renewables/biomass-anaerobic-digestion.asphttp://www.biogas.psu.edu/http://www.nrel.gov/learning/re_biopower.htmlhttp://www.nrel.gov/learning/re_biomass.htmlhttp://www.arb.ca.gov/ag/caf/dairypnl/dmtfaprprt.pdfhttp://www.echotech.org/technical/technotes/Briquete.pdfhttp://www.epa.gov/agstar/faq.htmlhttp://www.epa.gov/agstar/operational.htmlhttp://www.epa.gov/rlep/faq.htmlhttp://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissionshttp://www.biogas.psu.edu/pdfs/ShortHistoryAD.pdf

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You may reely reproduce any part o this guide or non-commercial

purposes, we ask only that you properly cite the source. Cite as: iCAST -

International Center or Appropriate and Sustainable Technology (2009).

Cow Power: A guide to harnessing the energy in livestock waste.

www.icastusa.org/publications/cowpower.pd. Colorado, USA.

We want to thank Crowley County and Ordway Feedyard or their participation in the project.

poo C

Some Rights Reserved

Pages 12, 13: Methane Pipe, isnoop/Ian Maddox: www.lickr.com/photos/isnoop/

Full Scale Anaerobic Digester, Waste to Power: Step 2, KQED QUEST: www.lickr.com/photos/kqedquest/

Anaerobic Digesters, Cesar Harada: http://cesarharada.com/

Pages 14: The cows, whose manure produces the biogas, ECOSAN: www.ecosan.nl/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/isnoop/http://www.flickr.com/photos/kqedquest/http://cesarharada.com/http://www.ecosan.nl/http://www.ecosan.nl/http://cesarharada.com/http://www.flickr.com/photos/kqedquest/http://www.flickr.com/photos/isnoop/