GE’s Jenbacher biogas engines are to power the new Liaoning Huishan Cow Farm in China, which will become world’s largest biogas project based on cow manure when completed.
The manure from the 250,000 cows at the Huishan farm, located in Shenyang, will be converted into biogas and is expected to produce 38,000MWh a year through four GE JMS420 Jenbacher gas engines. The energy generated will be sold to the state grid in China.
In addition to the use of biogas for power generation, the liquid – residual from biogas production – will be used to nourish the grass in the pasture and the solid waste can be sold as organic fertiliser.
According to GE, biogas offers customers several advantages as it provides an alternative disposal of dung, liquid manure and biowaste, while simultaneously harnessing them as an energy source.
It also has the potential for reduction in greenhouse gases and is highly efficient for combined on-site power and heat generation. In addition, the remaining substrate from the digester can be used as agricultural fertiliser.
The Huishan Cow Farm is scheduled to begin commercial operation in September 2010.
northumbrian water have just commisioned their bio gas plant, producing gas from domestic and industrial effluent, gas used to generate steam for the process and to generate electricity to put to the grid, making the site almost self sufficient for power,
This is fantastic news.
Methane = The most important greenhouse gas and could destroy life as we know it on this planet
Methane is produced from waste products.
The ever increasing world population produces more and more methane gas
Oil is running out and we need a different fuel.
Answer = Burn the methane
QED
There talk of peak oil and energy getting more expensive. There is also talk of global warming. On both these issues there is disagreement. On global warming as to whether man is responsible for it or not and oil as to whether we are at peak oil or not. What cannot be denied is that there will be a day when peak oil will occur if you don’t believe that it has already occurred. There is also no doubt that we do at least contribute to global warming as to whether or not we can control it by reducing green house gas or not is also a point of disagreement. The people who say we have enough oil for the next 100 years and there are plenty of new oil wells yet to be discovered may be correct. The people who say that we can’t change the course of global warming may also be correct simply because there are so many sources of green house gas that cannot be controlled by man I passionately believe that no matter what the outcome of these arguments we as the people of the world today don’t have the right to waste the energy sources that are readily available to us. These are free in a number of cases I.e. the wind, sun, manure (methane gas). These sources of energy are available to all throughout the world. They can be captured using simple technology or very advanced systems depending on the money available.
Anyone would think that A.D is new, it seems to spring up all the time now, if only all the plants that were built in the 1970’s were kept going, we would be alot further forward in our understaning of the technolgy. There are 100’s of companys now spring up offer the “Anaerobic solution”, based only on the biogass side with no idea what to do with the other by- products. The EU don’t help with the introduction of the NVZ’s. I’ve been running A.D for years, and now looking to install a new plant, but have to look outside the UK to get a plant that will work, shame the UK can’t get into the “Green Industry” before it’s too late!
250,000 cows!! Think about that for a moment. Each one can produce up to 500 litres of methane per day which I assume will be expelled to atmosphere. How much management will these animals demand?
There’s also collection of the waste materials and tractors to spread the residual liquid (over what must be a massive area). Milk trucks, veterinary transport & chemicals, supplimentary diet foodstuffs and transport of the same, the list is endless. How will this help the greenhouse gas situation?
Wether there be 250,000 cows in one single big place or on 5,000 farms makes essentially no difference in their methane output. The difference here is mass production, because everyone wants cheap milk, and it is the economical sense that prompts such operations to go for solutions that make them less dependent on outside resources like energy and fertilizer. Obviously, those cows will be managed mostly by computers and machinery, reducing the need of staff to probably less than 60 people, including accountants and veterinaries. Streamlined production and streamlined waste management. Big downside.. those 5000 farmers will probably be better off going to the cities and work in some factory, getting low wages and needing also.. milk, and for a cheap price. Circle closed.
We have had peak oil, undoubtedly. What remains has to be hydraulic’d out of seams, processed out of sand and rilled ever deeper for.
We need meat. there is not enough landmass for us all to grow enough veggie burgers, sorry. This meat is grown and produces methane, about which, not much is done.
The only concern I have about such a large “Plant” is animal hygene/welfare and the control of disease. A plant that size, with that many cows and hence dung is going to need an awful lot of water. One might also assume that just like “further processed” chicken dinners, that were once produced here, but are now largely produced in China, “further processed” beef dishes will also be sourced from China.
Milk is 95% water and 5% fat plus an emulsifier and vitamins. Who needs cows?