Manure extracts used to produce energy

MSU researchers are turning poop into power.

The university is researching how to utilize the methane in animal waste as a form of energy, which would be used to power generators and peoples’ homes, said Steve Safferman, associate professor of biosystems and agricultural engineering.

“There’s three options for the gas,” he said. “One option is to use it in a generator as electricity. Another is if you have the need for heat you can use it in boilers, and the third is to make high-quality natural gas (that) can be directed into a pipeline.”

Because each cow produces 150 gallons of liquid manure a day, the supply for methane is there.

“We have approximately 320,000 cows (in Michigan) and they all produce manure,” said Phil Taylor, an MSU Extension educator in Eaton County. “If we could turn that manure into an energy source, that’s a good thing.”

The research stems from farm owners’ problems with odors from livestock, Safferman said.

To combat the issue, farmers are using methane digesters, which break down manure into methane.

“It’s like a human stomach,” said Charles Gould, an MSU Extension educator in Ottawa County. “That’s how we get gas, is the microorganisms in our stomach.”

Manure is then separated into a liquid fraction and a solid fraction, and the gas from the liquid is used to make electricity, Gould said. Landowners could financially benefit by using the solid fraction of manure for other products, such as fiber for building material.

Despite the benefits, the process hasn’t become mainstream in farming due to monetary roadblocks.

“The primary reason at this point is the rate of return is not there,” Gould said. “The power companies are only willing to give us an avoidance cost, so it’s not profitable.

“The other reason is it’s expensive but technology is bringing the price down, so it’s becoming more and more in reach.”

The financial burden of this technology is something to be remedied, because the environmental benefits for converting waste to energy are overwhelming, said James Clift, policy director of the Michigan Environmental Council. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, methane is about 20 times more harmful to the atmosphere than carbon dioxide.

“From the environmental side, it’s nice because it’s a greenhouse gas that leads to global warming, so to the extent we burn it turns it environmentally friendly,” Clift said.