Biogas Plants
Some of the unfavourable effects on the environment caused by the big production of livestock manure can be improved by handling the slurry in a biogas plant and/or in a slurry separator.
In a biogas plant methane gas is produced by allowing bacteria to digest the slurry in a oxygen free tank. Electricity and heat are produced by the incineration of the methane gas in a combined power and heat plant. A typical biogas plant is mainly driven by slurry with different vegetable and animal waste products from the food industry added.
There are several advantages connected with the use of biogas:
- Electricity and heating sales
- Organic waste is treated and converted in a CO2 neutral process
- The nutrients in degassed slurry are better allocated
- More accessible nitrogen for the plants
- Diminish leaching
If the amount of slurry has to be reduced to facilitate transportation or to increase the density of the nutrients
, one can combine the biogas plant with a slurry separator. Degassed slurry is much easier to separate than raw manure, as a substantial part of the dry matter is converted during the process.Picture copyright: Landbrugsraadet
