Energy Economics of Farm Biogas in Cold Climates
Anaerobic digestion of farm and dairy waste has been shown to be capital intensive. One way to improve digester economics is to co-digest high-energy substrates together with the dairy manure. Cheese whey for example represents a high-energy substrate that is generated during cheese manufacture. There are currently no quantitative tools available that predict performance of co-digestion farm systems. The goal of this project was to develop a mathematical tool that would (1) predict the impact of co-digestion and (2) determine the best use of the generated biogas for a cheese manufacturing plant. Two models were developed that separately could be used to meet both goals of the project. Given current pricing structures of the most economical use of the generated biogas at the cheese manufacturing plant was as a replacement of fuel oil to generate heat. The developed digester model accurately predicted the performance of 26 farm digesters operating in the North Eastern U.S.
- Research Organization:
- Clarkson Univ., Potsdam, NY (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- FG36-06GO86007
- OSTI ID:
- 1053592
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/GO86007-1
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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