Digester

HERE IS HOW WE MAKE ELECTRICITY FROM COW MANURE

  • 65,000 gallons/day of manure is pumped 1700 ft. from the dairy into one reception pit.
  • 30,000 gallons/day of co-feeds are brought into the other reception pit.
      • Examples of co-feeds: calf bedding, day-old feed, fats, oils, greases, organics, food waste.
      • These co-feeders act as a boost to the manure, allowing more methane gas to be produced.
  • Each reception pit can hold 35,000 gallons and contain large agitators to keep the material fresh and mixed.
  • The final mixture then is pumped into the digesters (green tanks)
  • Each digester holds 950,000 gallons which makes a total of 1.9 million gallons.
  • The digesters are then heated up to 100 F using heat recovery off is the generator engines.
  • The heated manure material produces biogas, which is a mixture of methane, carbon dioxide, and oxygen.
  • This biogas is drawn to the engine room by an 8 inch 500 foot long pipe. It is then compressed for the fuel supply of the engines.
  • The engine then turns a generator producing electricity which is sold to NIPSCO.
  • There are currently 2 Caterpillar 3512 generators:
      • Kilowatt capacity produced is 1,000 kw or 1 megawatt (enough to power 1,000 homes/hour)
      • Heat production is 3.1 million BTU/hour
      • A BTU is energy needed to heat or cool 1 pound of water one degree.
      • 1 horse power equals 2,544 BTU/hour - Homestead Green Energy produces 1,226 horse power of heat.
      • Effluent (leftover material after this process is completed) is pumped back to the dairy for solid separation
      • The solids are used to bed the cows and the liquid is applied to the land.


NEWS ARTICLES ON THE DIGESTER!!

The farm has had many visitors over the years and we have given many tours!

Here are some articles that have been written about the farm.

IPF_01-11_03.pdf
The Farmer's Exchange Online Local Dairy Uses Manure to Generate Power.pdf
Turning cow poo into power is profitable for US farm.pdf
plymouthIN.pdf
Indiana Dairy.pdf
Indiana Dairy Farm Turning Waste Stream Into Cash FlowTrending _ Labroots _ Virtual Events, Webinars and Videos.pdf
Turning cow poo into power is profitable for US farm - The Economic Times.pdf
Homestead Dairy.pdf
From Poop to Profits_ How Cow Poo is Powering An American Farm - Clapway.pdf
Dairy Farm Produces Enough Energy From Poop To Power 1,000 Homes _ IFLScience.pdf
c5650763-e77f-4441-96f7-ac1e8e478731.pdf
Anaerobic Digesters are Profitable for US Livestock Farms - The Green Optimistic.pdf
0ce5924d-e0b1-48c4-a5c4-230181f0e8ea.pdf
Cow poo smells like money for US farm _ Inquirer Technology.pdf
Cashing in on Biogas to Energy _.pdf
A US dairy farm has turned dung into electricity for 1,000 homes - Agriland.pdf