The Netherlands to spend 150 million euros to turn cow manure into energy
- 7 years ago
FRIESLAND, THE NETHERLANDS — The Netherlands has committed to investing 150 million euros in a biogas project to turn cow manure into fuel.
Manure processing is important to the Netherlands as about 10% of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture, mostly methane from animal manure. The Netherlands’ livestock produces about 74 million tons of manure a year, according to the International Dairy Federation. This is too much to directly apply to farmlands as fertilizer, as the excessive amount of nutrients could leak underground and cause algae growth and pollution in nearby water sources.
A way to solve this problem is by transforming manure into biogas. In one experiment conducted at a farm in the Netherlands, manure is transported into an anaerobic digester, where bacteria transforms solid manures into liquid form. The resulting substance releases biogas, which consists of mostly methane and carbon dioxide. The biogas can then be used as fuel while any left over manure can be used as fertilizer.
According to the Guardian, the digester generated 9,342 kWh of electricity in 20 days, which is enough to power three homes for a year. The Dutch government aims to get 1,000 large farms in the country to produce energy from cow manure within four years.
Manure processing is important to the Netherlands as about 10% of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture, mostly methane from animal manure. The Netherlands’ livestock produces about 74 million tons of manure a year, according to the International Dairy Federation. This is too much to directly apply to farmlands as fertilizer, as the excessive amount of nutrients could leak underground and cause algae growth and pollution in nearby water sources.
A way to solve this problem is by transforming manure into biogas. In one experiment conducted at a farm in the Netherlands, manure is transported into an anaerobic digester, where bacteria transforms solid manures into liquid form. The resulting substance releases biogas, which consists of mostly methane and carbon dioxide. The biogas can then be used as fuel while any left over manure can be used as fertilizer.
According to the Guardian, the digester generated 9,342 kWh of electricity in 20 days, which is enough to power three homes for a year. The Dutch government aims to get 1,000 large farms in the country to produce energy from cow manure within four years.