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METHANE RECOVERY FROM ANIMAL MANURES: THE CURRENT OPPORTUNITIES CASEBOOK Table 1.1: Status of Farm-Based Digesters in the United States Slurry Plug Mix 7 86 0 18 10 0 11 5 0 24 0 81 7 47 26 10 Lagoon Other TOT AL 0 28 0 29 0 17 4 10 0 10 4 94 Operating Not Operating Farm Closed Under Construction/Planning Phase Planned but Never Built TOTAL 7 1 1 0 1 The numerical status is not the whole story. Surveyed farmers who have installed and continue to operate digesters are generally satisfied with their investment decisions. Some chose to install digesters for non-economic reasons, primarily to control odor or contain excess nutrient runoff. Farmers have found that the returns provided from electricity and coproduct sales from the digester, however limited, are preferred to the sunk-cost of conventional disposal that provides zero return on investment. Moreover, without the environmental benefits provided by AD technology, some might have been forced out of livestock production. AD is sometimes the only technology that allows growth in the livestock production business. Turning a waste liability into a profit center that generates annual revenues can moderate the impacts of declining commodity prices and diversify farm income. None of the farmers surveyed with an operating anaerobic digester said that they regret their basic decisions. Most would have preferred to spend less money on design and installation, but they are unsure of exactly how costs could have been cut. Many seek new ways to increase profitability by selling coproducts, primarily the digested solids. They would like additional assistance in determining how best to optimize the value-added coproducts. Beating the odds, a few have met the challenge of making their systems work despite bad design or equipment. The hard knock of practical experience makes them the true superstars of farm-based AD technology in the United States. Still, at face-value, the performance data are not encouraging to a farmer considering whether to install an anaerobic digester as a waste treatment option. Overall, the chance for failure, i.e., having a non-operating anaerobic digester, is about 50% in the United States. However, given the fairly dismal track records of other energy technologies ranging from synthetic fuels to other renewables, this level of performance is probably no better or worse than others that received government support during the energy crises of the 1970s. Among the types of farm-based digesters actually built, the failure rates for complete-mix and plug-flow technologies are staggering; 70% and 63%, respectively. For covered lagoon digesters, the failure rate is 22%. Because there are fewer operating slurry digesters, their current 100% success rate is certainly inconclusive. Once slurry digesters have a larger market share, the opportunity for system failures caused by poor design, fabrication, and operation will be more equal to that of the other technologies, and the slurry digesters performance can then be gauged. 1-2PDF Image | Methane Recovery from Animal Manures The Current Opportunities Casebook
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