The lure of manure
Where others see manure, Norwegian company Energreen see a source for energy. Their BiEnergy concept is a way of capturing greenhouse gases, as well as producing both fertilizer and energy from one of the biggest polluters in the world, farm animals.
A climate threat? Methane and nitrous from manure is more harmful to the ozone layer than CO2. (Photo: Stockxpert)
Farm animals are responsible for almost a fifth of the pollution causing global warming according to the UN report “Livestock’s long shadow”, and methane released from manure is 21 times more harmful to the ozone layer than CO2. However, processed correctly, manure also represents a huge potential for sustainable energy and fertilizer production, while at the same time, reducing greenhouse gas emissions with up to 85%.
Stiftelsen Vekst and Energreen have designed a closed loop concept for greenhouse gas harvest and considerably improved energy efficiency from manure-based bio gas handling. This is enabled by several new patented inventions.
Cheaper and easier
Manure will be transported from farms by specialized trucks. Manure is pumped from storage tanks and treated on the truck to increase energy density. Up to 90% of the manure is fluids. The fluids are separated from the solids prior to transportation by a vacuum based separator. The fluids are cleaned and can be disposed of in nature or in the grey water system. Now only the energy-packed solid part of the manure is transported to a biogas plant, with only 1/10 of the cost and CO2 emission.
The ThermoConverter
At the biogas plant, the methane gas developed from the manure is converted to electricity and heat. This is a process traditionally marred by low efficiency and high maintenance cost. With Energreens patented solution the ThermoConverter, this is now changing.The ThermoConverter will produce more energy from your heat source than any other technology, as well as reducing maintenance costs significantly.
Further reading
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