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Composting and Thermal Energy
Systems for Manure, Bedding
and Biomass Handling
Session: Making and Saving Energy
on the Farm
Northeast Renewable Energy
Conference August 26, 2008
Brian Jerose, WASTE NOT Resource Solutions
(802) 933-8336 and [email protected]
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Hot, Hardworking Decomposition
157 F, 9/7/06
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General Concept and Questions
Composting is taking place on many farms,
by businesses and municipalities but not universally adopted
Rising energy costs, awareness of soil quality, and efforts to
reduce waste promote some composting applications also odor and bedding concerns Can improving composting system cost-effectiveness include
recovery of heat energy from decomposition?
Is this a viable option compared to expanding or creating new
liquid manure pits?
Can composting be efficiently integrated into greenhouseoperations and reduce heating costs?
Is this viable practice for food processors, slaughterhouses,
communities and institutions? Use of hot water to preheat process water or heat radiant floors (shops, barns, etc)
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What is Composting? The process of rapid decomposition of raw organic
materials such as food scraps, leaves and manure in
a primarily aerobic (with oxygen) manner.
Can be managed to encourage thermophilic (heat-loving) microorganisms that generate temperatures
from 120 to 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Encourages
rapid degradation of raw materials and the
destruction of weed seeds and pathogens. Can also occur at lower temperatures and/or
utilizing earthworms (red wigglers or Eisenia
foetida) as decomposers
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Windrow Turner
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Compost Ingredients/ Feedstocks
Anything biodegradable (breaks down into water, carbon
dioxide or humus)
Typically nitrogen rich ingredients include food scraps,fresh grass clippings, manure, seaweed and food
processing waste.
Carbon rich ingredients include leaves, wood chips, old
hay, sawdust, wood shavings, and paper residuals.
No plastic, metal, glass or other inert substances.
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The Compost Recipe
Carbon (C) to Nitrogen (N) ratio ideally is 30 C: 1 N
(dry weight basis)
Typical volume estimate 3 parts brown (carbon-rich) to1 part green (nitrogen-rich)
Homogenize, stir or mix as much as possible (connect the
browns and greens)
Starting moisture should be about 60-65% (squeezing a
handful of compost should get one drop of water - no less,
no more)
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Building Your Compost Heap
Think structure - let air and moisture in and out of your
compost, think fluffy not packed.
Good structure imparts porosity, mixing in wood chips orother coarse materials leaves space to breathe
Fine sawdust or paper may seal or crust over the outside of
compost pile, blocking air and moisture
A good mix of particle sizes is ideal and if you cant mix thematerials regularly, ALWAYS COVER YOUR GREENS
WITH BROWNS (make a compost sandwich)
Minimum 3 x 3 x 3 to generate heat from pile
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Troubleshooting Problems Odors - Too much green, needs more browns and/or pile
may be too moist. If mixing in more browns is difficult,
cover outside of pile with more browns. Addressing odor
problems should address most issues with scavengers.
Cold compost - too little or too much moisture and/or
high amount of browns to greens. Mature compost is cool
but looks like forest floor soil/duff and has earthy scent.
Moisture leaking from pile - too moist, need more browns
COMPOST HAPPENS - Youre just encouraging faster
decomposition without nuisances.
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Why Compost? Recovers valuable resource of manures, bedding, spoiledfeed and converts residuals into a valuable soil amendment
Avoids wasteful practices pushing into ditches or over
banks, energy used to chop/agitate in pit and haul as liquid
Potential economic savings from reducing fertilizer, labor
and hauling/spreading costs
Composting above 130 F destroys pathogens (E.Coli,
Salmonella, Johnes) and most weed seeds
Can conserve nitrogen versus N losses in liquid application
if certain practices are used (high C:N, reduced turning)
50-90% of manure N is lost in liquid handling systems
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Why Compost?
Recovers valuable resource and converts residuals into a
valuable soil amendment
Avoids wasteful practices of landfilling where foodscraps only turn into leachate, methane, other odors and
seagull food; or incineration making smoke and ash
Potential economic savings from reducing trash disposal
and manure handling and hauling costs
Natures recycling! One of best examples to teach
recycling and microbial ecology in action.
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Compost Six Months From Manure
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Vermont Case Study
January 2004, met with Terry Magnan to discuss options for
using composting manure to reduce heating costs
Discussed needs of farm for animal housing, manure
management, labor and site constraints, etc. Applied for USDA NRCS Conservation Innovation Grant
Received $196,000 from USDA, $50,000 from VT Agency of
Agriculture, $50,000 from Agrilab, division of Acrolab of
Windsor, Ontario in-kind engineering, monitoring equipment andpatent license for nearly $500,000 in planning to construction
VT NRCS Alternative Manure Management Program grant to
monitor P, N, C, heat generation and uses in erosion control
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Farm Background Terry and Joanne Magnan, Town of Sheldon, VT
Diamond Hill Custom Heifers, since 1991 have no milking
only calves and heifers, boarded for 15 local dairy farms
Up to 2000 animals, own and rent 1000 acres in towns of
Sheldon, Enosburg, Berkshire and Fairfield
900 acres hay, 100 acres corn
Multiple barns with different housing for various animal agegroups, resulting in varied manure and bedding characteristics,
typically calf manure drier with more bedding
Goal of reducing liquid manure to 50% of total volume
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Diamond Hill Custom Heifers
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Project Timeline
Composting Barn and Calf Barn constructed in 2005
Composting for heat energy recovery starts January 2006
Compost nutrient and organic matter sampling, compostutilization sites started April 2006
November 2006 compost production and compost product
utilization tour
November 2007 Vermont Alternative Manure Management
project final report
August 2008 on-going monitoring of system performance
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Planning and Design
Terry Magnan, Diamond Hill Custom Heifers, Sheldon, VT
Brian Jerose, WASTE NOT Resource Solutions, Fairfield, VT
Joseph Ouellette, Agrilab, Windsor, ONT
Bruce Fulford, City Soil and Greenhouse, Boston, MA
Aaron Robtoy, Bakersfield, VT
Many others supporting in answering numerous questions
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Agrilab Demonstration, Ontario
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The Company
Agrilab Technologies Inc. is a memberof the Acrolab Group of companies.
Acrolab was established in 1948, and is
a world leader in providing innovativetechnological heat transfer solutions.
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City Soil and Greenhouse
Operated 2 greenhouses at Revision House, in Boston, MA
since 2002 provided regional example
Greenhouse 1 loaded with municipal chipped brush and
leaves, bedded horse manure and food scraps
Greenhouse 2 growing salad greens and other vegetables in
raised beds (soil and mature compost mixture)
Air blower draws hot moist vapor through active compostfrom Greenhouse 1 into raised beds of Greenhouse 2
Conducted additional outreach and trials in New England via
SARE grant project
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Developing Compost Feedstock
Recipes
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Compost Feedstock Recipes
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Other Feedstocks
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Mixing
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Mix Loaded on Aeration Floor
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Galvanized Metal Gutter Covers
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Thermal Energy Utilized
System monitoring has tracked 1 to 5 million Btu/day of utilizedthermal energy
150 to 800 tons of active compost at one time
Radiant floor slabs - largest demand for heat is for two 120 x 8concrete sections in new calf barn
Preheats hot water for eventual 155 F, process water (tap water)
well water intake at 45 F
Summer peak temperature 142 F, winter preheater 75 to 80 F
Fuel use tracked for winter 2006 vs. winters 2007 and 2008
Capacity to increase Btu yield exhaust vapor for greenhouse
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Heat Energy Equivalents
3,000,000 (3 million) BTUs produced equally over a 24hour period can be expressed as:
1) 125,000 BTUs/Hour continuous
2) 125,000 Kilojoules/Hour continuous3) 125,000 X 0.293 = 36.6 Kilowatts/Hour continuous
4) 36.6 X 1.34 = 49 Horse Power/Hour continuous
5) 3mil BTUs/day /100,000 = 3 Therms/Day continuous
6) 125,000 /3.96 = 31,566 Kilocalories/Hour continuous
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After 10 20 weeks active
composting, curing in shed
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BehindBarn after
construction
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Views
east
behind
barn
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During and after
compost
applications
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Revegetation
fastest onconservation mix
plot, second on
compost plot,third on seed only
plot, fourth onbare no treatment
plot
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Plots now
vegetated, mostdense growth on
conservation
mix, thencompost, then
seed only, then
bare (mostly
weeds)
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Compost as Soil Amendment Used on farm fields, gardens, exposed slopes, lawns, in
agricultural, commercial, municipal and residential areas.
Builds soil organic matter, provides slow steady release of
macro and micronutrients Improves soil porosity, root penetration, moisture and
nutrient holding capacity.
Boosts microorganisms in soil - promotes fertility
through soil organisms making nutrients available to
plants versus a chemical input
Imparts soil-borne disease resistance
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What compost does for the soil
GOOD TILTH
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Other Composting Heating
Applications/Opportunities Greenhouses, Farm Buildings, Hot Water
Institutions, Municipal/Commercial/IndustrialComposting
Feb. 2007 calculations of 200,000 Btu/hour and
1000 Btu/hour per active ton of compost
Sizing of heating systems based on peak demandscomposting energy system provides consistent
moderate intensity heating
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100 Holstein Scenario
6 tons manure/day (10% solids)
3 tons/day bedding/amendments to achieve proper
porosity, C:N, and moisture content (40% solids)
52 tons/week could equate 220 tons/month for
active or hot composting with 100% composting (no
liquid storage or raw field application) 220,000 Btu/hr with current system performance
should be improved with optimized designs
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30 Jersey Scenario
100% manure composted could yield 45,000 Btu/hr
1.5 tons of manure and bedding/day equal 45
tons/month
45,000 Btu/hour potential
Additions of calf manure, spoiled feed, other drier
amendments can reduce amount of bedding necessary
Other Scenarios?
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Payback Period
Tracking fuel savings for 2007 2400 gallons, then $4800
@ $2.20/gallon, 2008 3100 gallons @ $3.19 = $10,000
Dedicated heat exchanger components, patent license,
estimated $10K to $50K depending on scale
Most practical/economical when integrated with need to
change manure storage and management to composting
Aerated composting system can be labor efficient vs. othermanure management practices to justify infrastructure costs
Savings from reduced manure handling/spreading and
ventilation provided initial financial justification
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Return on Investment
Diamond Hill Custom Heifers Total Project Cost $450,000,
Magnan Investment $125,000, Annual Savings and New Revenue
$46,500
Total Project without cost-sharing 6.86 years
Magnan Investment with cost-sharing 2.69 years
Segregated ROI for Isobar system (w/o cost-share) 5 years
Quinn (calf/heifer farm) without cost-sharing 4.02 years
Quinn proposal with cost-sharing 2.24 years
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How to Evaluate Potential Farm
Savings and Energy Value Establish baseline energy costs for farm heating and
manure handling activities
Project existing and future costs for operating in currentmode or alternative handling systems
How can thermal energy be used to improve efficiency or
add value to farm activities?
Is compost more valuable on-farm to build soil organicmatter, conserve manure N or as additional farm product
for sale?
What to consider when looking at
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What to consider when looking at
composting or other manure
handling options What are current labor costs, availability and reliability?
What is complexity of manure handling system to operate? Where are other value streams for producing energy
(electrical or thermal), soil fertility or bedding?
Can multiple technologies be integrated anaerobic
digestion then composting?
Ability to invest in capital expense of facilities for reduced
on-going operating costs?
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Obstacles to Implementing
Composting to Energy Systems Need to integrate with animal housing and bedding systems,
farm equipment, farm energy use and cropping practices
most recent investments are for liquid manure handling Limitation of bedding availability or other carbon-rich
feedstocks hay, straw, shavings, wood chips, sawdust
Microbe husbandry attention is required to create optimal
conditions for C:N, moisture and aeration in good composting
Calculating return on investment requires calculating
savings or values in multiple farm activities and practices
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Old Technology/New Technology
Reports of Chinese using compost heat over 2000 years ago
Increased knowledge of composting science and heat
transfer systems Potential to integrate with other benefits of composting and
compost use
Alternative to exclusively handling manure in lagoons/pits
Opportunity for considerable refinement in efficiency
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Contact Information Brian Jerose, Partner, WASTE NOT Resource Solutions;1662 Pumpkin Village Road; Enosburg Falls, VT 05450;
(802) 933-8336; [email protected];
www.farmcomposting.com
Joseph Ouellette, President; Acrolab and Agrilab
Companies, Windsor, Ontario, (519) 944-5900;
[email protected]; www.acrolab.com
Terry and Joanne Magnan, Diamond Hill Custom Heifers;
4692 East Sheldon Road; Enosburg Falls, VT 05450; (802)
933-2071; [email protected];
www.diamondhillcustomheifers.com
mailto:[email protected]://www.farmcomposting.com/mailto:[email protected]://www.acrolab.com/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.acrolab.com/mailto:[email protected]://www.farmcomposting.com/mailto:[email protected]8/7/2019 Composting and Thermal Energy Systems
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