SLURRYSTORE PROCESSING SYSTEMS

Turn Manure into Energy

Many livestock producers are turning to anaerobic digestion for a safer and more efficient, sustainable way to deal with manure. As we all know, livestock manure has significant resource potential. It is a valuable source of crop nutrients and now manure also represents a substantial bioenergy resource if processed by anaerobic digestion.

Using oxygen-free conditions, an anaerobic digester uses microorganisms to transform waste into biogas, soluble nutrients and additional cell matter, leaving salts and refractory organic matter. Raw biogas typically consists of methane (60%), carbon dioxide (40%), water vapor and trace amounts of hydrogen sulfide. The biogas produced can be converted to electricity or collected and used as a direct energy source. Biogas also can be upgraded and fed into natural gas pipelines. Unlike fossil fuels, use of renewable resources represents a closed carbon cycle and therefore does not contribute to increases in atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide. In effect, anaerobic digestion is a carbon dioxide neutral solution.

Anaerobic digestion systems offer significant benefits, providing green energy and helping livestock producers meet increasing environmental regulations.

The largest component of a digester system is the digester tank. Engineered Storage Products Company has been manufacturing and installing glass fused to steel structures since 1949. The company has been designing tanks used in digester systems for more than 25 years. Plus, research has shown that an above-ground mixed reactor, similar to the tanks designed by Engineered Storage Products Company, is very efficient.

Most Engineered Storage Products dealers also can supply reception pit pumps, manure storage structures, manure spreader tanks and solids separators. In addition, authorized dealers can help complete the installation of many of the digester components.

“With a digester, a farm has the potential to fix their energy costs for the next five to six years and, after that, eliminate 95% of the costs for the future. No other waste management option provides this kind of return.”
-- David Palmer of BioPower Technologies, Parkston, SD