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On-Farm Composting & Biogas Technology and Research project to solve organic farm waste problems
The Compost@Enviros team are currently working on a Farm Waste Composting project through which we have gained a number of insights into possible methods in which some farm waste problems may be solved. As the chosen process includes composting and anaerobic digestion this solution comes with the added bonus of biogas energy.
Background
For many years it has been appreciated that diffuse and specific agricultural pollution to watercourses comprise a significant proportion of the contaminant loading borne by our watercourses nationwide, and practices in fertiliser and sludge application have been refined to reduce these pollutants as far as possible.
More recently, it has become clear that, in some seaside areas, efforts to improve bathing waters by upgrading sewage treatment works alone have been taken as far as possible. It has also been recognised that in order to further improve compliance with the European Bathing Water Directive (EBWD) it will be necessary to tackle the presence of high numbers of farming derived faecal indicator organisms (FIO) in some watercourses.
Although 2003 was Scotland's best ever for EBWD compliance with only 3 of the 60 beaches failing, it was clear that further improvements are still essential. After competitive bidding, Enviros was engaged in December 2003, as the technical consultant on an innovative project under which the Scottish Executive, is working in partnership with SEPA, NFU (Scotland), and with partner construction contractor Greenfinch Ltd.
The Project
In essence the project is driven by the need for full EBWD compliance, and to reduce faecal indicator organisms (FIO) in bathing waters, emanating from watercourses where high rainfall/flows are present in combination with short river length/drainage paths from high livestock density farming.
However, while investing a planned £2.6 million during 2004 in demonstration composting and anaerobic digestion facilities at seven farms in two small catchments in Scotland, it is likely that this Scottish Executive funded project will prove to be a flagship for the principle of Farm Waste Composting in the UK. This is particularly well timed as, for the first time, agriculture is now to be brought within the scope of the European waste management directives as well as the implementation of the CAP reform which requires the land to be maintained in Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC) including cross compliance with other EU Directives.
The Process
The demonstration process will take farmyard manure and farm slurry, aerobically compost the manure, and anaerobically digest the slurry. The degree to which the elevated temperatures achieved during the initial sanitising stage of composting and digestion will reduce the incidence of faecal indicator organisms will be analysed and the impact on the corresponding FIO count in the watercourses investigated.
The benefits of aerobic composting are well documented elsewhere on this web site.
The benefits of anaerobic digestion on-farm to generate biogas under investigation include:-
- a greatly reduced pollution potential from the resulting digestate;
- vastly reduced pathogen count;
- almost complete elimination of odour;
- the resulting sludge provides a readily available source of nitrogen for crop growth;
- slurry handling characteristics are improved in the digested product;
- biogas is produced which provides an energy (methane) source for use within the farm;
- the process is considered highly sustainable, especially if the energy produced is used to replace fossil fuel derived energy - which would otherwise contribute to global warming.
- The biogas process: Anearobic digestion is a natural biological process which transforms organic material into a bio-fertiliser (sludge), and biogas (mostly methane) which is a form of renewable energy.
If you require further information about this project, about anaerobic digestion, or simply have a problem we may be able to solve, contact us here.
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