BY

Biogas

Patrick Mazza

CLIMATE SOLUTIONS
SPECIAL REPORT

Harvesting Clean Energy

for Rural Development

is a
series of reports that detail how clean energy
production can revitalize rural economies
and which advocate for policies to promote
this goal. Papers on wind and ethanol, as well
as brief reports on biogas and biodiesel, are
available at www.climatesolutions.org.

Climate Solutions is a public interest group

that is seeking to increase use of clean energy
and catalyze development of clean energy
industries in the Northwest. This is to fulfill
Climate Solutions mission, stop global warming at the earliest point possible by helping the
Northwest become a world leader in practical
and profitable solutions that help both people
and the environment.

Patrick Mazza, Climate Solutions researcherwriter, has written extensively on clean energy
technologies. Papers including Accelerating the
Clean Energy Revolution: How the Northwest
Can Lead and Rising to the Challenge:
Northwests Clean Energy Leadership are
available at www.climate solutions.org.
ON THE COVER Main illustration depicts an integrated operation
planned by PRIME Technologies for the Pierre, South Dakota area.
It includes a 28,000-head beef feedlot with anaerobic digester to
process all manure. The biogas product will provide heat for an
adjacent ethanol plant, which will also make feed for the cattle.
PUBLICATION DATE: FEBRUARY 2002

B Y

Biogas

P a t r i c k

ome of the smallest forms of life

are becoming important allies to
livestock operators who face growing environmental challenges in
managing manure. These microorganism "herds" help farmers solve
critical problems such as odor control and water pollution, and in the
process convert waste into valuable
products.
The microorganisms are naturally
occurring anaerobic bacteria, which
do the work of digestion in human
and animal stomachs. They perform the same task in biodigester
installations by transforming
manure into methane that can
generate energy, marketable compost, fiber and water high in
nutrient content but low in odor and
bacteria.
This factsheet focuses on livestock operation applications. Biogas
is also produced at thousands of
sewage plants, landfills and industrial waste treatment facilities.
Gasified biomass from dedicated
energy crops is viewed as an
eventual alternative to natural gas
in fueling power turbines.

M a z z a

Biogas Background
History Biogas may have been
used to heat water in Assyria around
1000 B.C. The first modern biodigester began operating in Bombay in
1859. Biogas from sewage treatment
brightened streetlights in England
after 1895. Small-scale biodigesters
are common sources of cooking gas
in China and India.

Environmental Protection
Administration (EPA). Recent installations move the number closer to 40,
biogas developer Richard Mattocks
says.

Where Used Those 31 livestock

operations listed by AgSTAR are
spread across 16 states, with Iowa,
Pennsylvania, North Carolina,
California, New York, Minnesota and
Wisconsin as leaders. They include
Revived Interest The energy
15 swine farms, 14 dairies and two
shocks of the 1970s focused new
poultry farms. (Cows and pigs prointerest on biodigestion. Europe
duce waste that is more easily
since then has developed over 450
processed. Poultry manure has a
commercial-scale biodigesters, with
Denmark and Germany as major cen- higher concentration of fine solids
that can cause problems in bioditers. The U.S. began to develop ongesters, and is better suited for other
farm biodigesters in the 1970s and
installed over 100 through the 1980s. treatment methods.) AgSTAR estiBut they were plagued by design and mates biogas would be cost effective
at 3,000 U.S. livestock operations.
construction problems. With the
lessons learned from that experience,
Northwest Opportunities The
U.S. biogas projects are growing
faster than any time since the 1970s. Northwest represents 8% of all U.S.
The 1990s saw a doubling of success- dairy farm receipts. Idaho, where
dairy is the top farm product earning
ful farm biodigester projects, adding
18 to bring the total to 31 as of 2000, 25% of all farm receipts, is the 6th
largest dairy state in the nation. Dairy
says AgSTAR, a biogas promotion
is also the top farm earner in
effort jointly operated by the U.S.
Washington and the third biggest in
Department of Agriculture, U.S.
Oregon. But, notes biogas developer
Department of Energy and U.S.
Dean Ruud, "The dairy industry is
facing a big wall of manure between
it and growth." Practices of spreading
manure on fields are running into
tightening water quality regulations,
while odors are causing conflicts with
neighbors as development presses
closer to farms. Biodigestion can
help resolve manure management
problems and open the way to herd
AA Dairy in upstate New York processes manure from around 600 cows in this
expansion.
plug flow biodigester, and powers the farm with the biogas product.

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BIOGAS Harvesting Clean Energy

A NEW ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY

Northwest Applications Ruud is
working on proposals for mass
digesters in Washington capable of
handling loads from 10,000 cows
and more. Meanwhile, Portland
General Electric plans to construct
one of the largest biodigesters in the
U.S. in 2003. Serving several operations with up to 25,000 cows, this
Boardman, Oregon facility will generate 4 megawatts, enough to run
2,500 average homes. PGE in
December 2001 brought a biodigester with a 100-kilowatt generator
on line at Cal-Gon Farms, a 500head Salem dairy. More than $16
million will be invested in these PGE
biogas projects.
In the Tillamook, Oregon area,
Craven Farms dairy ran a biodigester
in the late 1990s, but new owners
are pasturing herds, which has
reduced the manure stream below
the level needed for operation. The
Craven experience nonetheless
helped shape a Port of Tillamook
Bay plan for a digester to process
manure from over 2,000 cows. The
project has received $1.7 million in
federal funding. Construction bids
are to be solicited in spring 2002.
Energy Northwest is considering a
mass-scale biodigester-generator
complex to serve dairy farms in the
Sunnyside, Washington area. The
City of Myrtle Point near Coos Bay,
Oregon is also looking into a digester
for local dairies.

Portland General Electric is operating this

complete mix biodigestor which serves the
500-head Cal-Gon dairy farm near Salem.

Biogas Benefits

FOR

RURAL COMMUNITIES

regulations to be in place by the end

of 2002 will place new restrictions on
discharges from large animal operations. Salmon recovery will also
bring run-off limits. Biodigesters may
provide cost-effective solutions that
help meet these regulations.

Odor Control Studies show

biodigesters yield odor reduction
above 90%, while systems which
store manure for only a few days
increase odors. Odor management
is the major driver of U.S. farm biodigester growth.
Energy Production Biogas is
around 50-70% methane, also the
Pathogens, Pests and Weeds
basic constituent of natural gas. The
Manure carries fecal coliform bacte- remainder is mostly carbon dioxide.
ria that can cause health problems.
Biogas typically contains around 600
Biodigestion at 95 deg. F and above Btu per cubic foot. It has a lower
destroys 99% of these pathogens. It energy value than natural gas, which
also alleviates the clouds of flies that is nearly all methane. But all natural
can plague animal operations, and
gas-burning equipment can be modivirtually eliminates weed seeds that fied to use biogas. That includes
pass through animal digestive tracks. electrical generators, heaters and
vehicles. At least 23 U.S. farm biodiNutrient Management Manure gestion operations generate electriciis rich with fertilizing nitrogen, potas- ty. Heat and steam recovered from
sium and phosphorous required for
electrical engine or turbine operation
plant growth. Spread on fields, these can be recycled to the digester to
elements can run off into streams
maintain required temperatures.
and lakes and cause too much plant Haubenschild Farms of Princeton,
growth. Decaying plants suck oxyMinnesota, a 760-cow dairy, genergen out of water and suffocate fish.
ates all its power needs with biogas
Biodigestion offers some nutrient
from its biodigester, and sells enough
management opportunities. In onsurplus to the local electric coop to
farm operations, separation of solids run 45 average homes. Utilities benduring the biodigestion process
efit, since distributed electrical generremoves around 25% of nutrients.
ation closer to users helps them
Odor reduction and weed seed elimi- reduce power line investments.
nation make the solids marketable as Utilities can sell the power under
compost in watersheds where nutri- Green premium programs since bioent overloading is not a problem.
gas is undeniably renewable. But in
AgSTAR says some forms of lagoon
some areas, utilities have raised
biodigesters do a good job of separat- roadblocks to connecting generators.
ing out nutrients that can be market- When considering a biogas installaed. Mass-scale biodigesters could
tion, contact your local utility to
take nutrients off the farm entirely.
determine its willingness to cooperate.
Regulatory Solutions Livestock
operators face tightening regulations. Cleaner Air Methane is responsiThe National Pollution Discharge
ble for around 10% of global warmElimination System and Clean Water ing from U.S. sources. The 31 U.S.
Act, both administered by EPA, are
farm biodigesters keep 4,800 metric
driving operators to restrict run-off of tons of methane out of the atmosmanure into water bodies. Federal
phere annually. Simply by installing

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Harvesting Clean Energy

A NEW ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY

biodigesters at all farms where they

are cost-effective, that figure could be
increased to 426,000 tons. The evolution of carbon trading systems
could eventually provide a market in
which such greenhouse gas reductions could be sold to parties seeking
to offset their own emissions.
Fertilizer and Fiber Digested
product is more stable than untreated manure and may be more readily taken up by plants. According to
AgSTAR and digester owners,
digested manure can be composted
and sold for $4-8/yard. Fiber separated from manure can be used as
animal bedding.

Installing Biogas
Biodigester Types Most biodigesters use one of three major technologies:
1) Covered lagoon A covered
pool of liquid manure carrying
2% or less solids, this design
requires large throughput.
Since it is driven by atmospher-

FOR

RURAL COMMUNITIES

ic heat, it needs a warm climate

so tends to be used in the
Southern U.S. It is the cheapest to operate. This design is
used at around a dozen U.S.
farms.
2) Complete mix In a silo-like
tank manure with 2-10% solids
is heated and actively mixed to
keep solids suspended. This is
the most expensive to build and
operate, but it works well in
farms that use rinse systems for
manure removal. At least 7
U.S. farms use this technology.
3) Plug flow -- A tube-like structure in which manure fed into
one end pushes processed
product out the other, this
design can handle 11-13%
solids. Hot water pipes running
through the plug keep it heated.
This type of biodigester is
appropriate for operations that
mechanically remove manure
from barns, rather than washing
it out. It usually runs at 95-105
deg. F and processes manure in

THE ANAEROBIC DIGESTION PROCESS

BIOGAS

20-30 days. Over a dozen are in

operation in the U.S.
Hybrids that mix characteristics
of these three types are in development.
Scale and Costs Biodigesters
are working at U.S. dairy and swine
operations with herds ranging from
120 to 8,600. Around one-third of
U.S. biodigesters handle under 500
animals, another third 500-1,000
and the remainder over 1,000.
Economies of scale favor larger
installations. Mattocks puts the
cost of a biodigester with generator
for 500 cows at around $275,000,
1,000 cows at $325,000 and 2,000
cows at $475,000 (1999 dollars).
A biodigester might not be the
best option for operations with
fewer than 300 mature milk cows,
Mattocks says.
Deciding on Biogas Deciding
whether to install a biodigester and
what kind to use requires addressing a number of issues, such as
methods of manure removal and
water management, the degree to
which animals are pastured, local
electrical and tax rates, and projected life of the facility. AgSTAR
Handbook: A Manual for Developing
Biogas Systems at Commercial
Farms in the United States, is a
comprehensive guide to evaluating
whether biogas is right for a particular operation, and to implementation, with software to evaluate economics. The book also details
available federal support for biogas.
To order see AgSTAR in Resources.
Mattocks also offers guidelines and
a free evaluation at his website.
See Environomics in Resources.
Oregons state energy loan program
has provided support for biogas.
See Oregon contact on next page.

Several different types of bacteria cooperate in anaerobic digestion.

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B
IOGAS Harvesting Clean Energy
AN
E
O
R
C
EW

CONOMIC

Resources

PPORTUNITY FOR

General

AgSTAR
www.epa.gov/agstar
Order AgSTAR Handbook
from hotline at 800-95AGSTAR.

EPA
MANURE MANAGEMENT FACTSHEET

http://www.epa.gov/globalwarming/publi
cations/outreach/technology/manurem
anagement.pdf

EPA
FACTSHEET ON PROPOSED

OMMUNITIES

PRIME TECHNOLOGIES

basics of biogas
http://www.biogasworks.com

Phil Lusk
605-945-1311
plusk@primecapture.com
www.primecapture.com

Developers

PORTLAND GENERAL ELECTRIC

BIOGAS WORKS WEBSITE

Federal

URAL

CARBON CYCLE INDUSTRIES

Dean Rudd
509-235-4780
druud@icehouse.net

ENVIRONOMICS
Richard Mattocks
718-884-6740
utter@compuserve.com
http://www.waste2profits.com/

Joe Barra
503-464-8552
joe_barra@pgn.com

RCM DIGESTERS
Mark Moser
510-658-4466
http://rcmdigesters.com

NEW REGULATIONS FOR

LARGE ANIMAL OPERATIONS

www.epa.gov/npdes/pubs/cafo_faq.pdf

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

NORTHWEST REGIONAL
BIOMASS PROGRAM,
Jeff James (206) 553-2079
jeffrey.james@hq.doe.gov
http://www.ott.doe.gov/rbep

State
IDAHO
John Crockett, Energy Bureau
208-327-7962
jbcrocke@idwr.state.id.us

OREGON
Office of Energy: John White
503 378-3194, John.white@state.or.us
Mark Kendall, 503-378-6043

WASHINGTON
Jim Kerstetter
Washington State University
Energy Program
360-956-2069
kerstetterj@energy.wsu.edu
Portland General Electrics biodigestor at Cal-Gon Farms.

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SOLUTIONS
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360-352-1763 FAX 360-943-4977
info@climatesolutions.org

www.climatesolutions.org

CLIMATE SOLUTIONS programs are made possible by contributions

from hundreds of individual members and grants from the
W. Alton Jones, Turner, Energy, & Bullitt Foundations.
For membership information, additional copies of this report,
or for a list of our publications, please contact us.

Reviewers
We thank our reviewers:
Dean Rudd
Carbon Cycle Industries

Joe Barra
Portland General Electric
Richard Mattocks
Richard Mattocks

Photo Credits
Cover:
Integrated operation
PRIME Technologies
Cows
George Darr,
Bonneville Power Administration.
INSIDE COVER:
Cal-Gon Farms complete mix biodigester
Portland General Electric
Page 1:
AA Dairy plug flow biodigester
Richard Mattocks
Cows
George Darr,
Bonneville Power Administration.

Page 2:
Cal-Gon Farms complete mix biodigester
Portland General Electric
Page 3:
Anaerobic Digestion Process graph
PRIME Technologies
Page 4:
Cal-Gon Farms complete mix biodigester
Portland General Electric

DESIGN

BY

LINDA GREER

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SOLUTIONS
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