The process of manure management is heating up – literally. After four years of development and design, EcoCombustion Energy Systems Corporation has commercialized a manure-burning system dubbed Elimanure.
Described as the first of its kind, Elimanure differs from other manure management systems in that it is able to remove all of the manure from a producer’s nutrient management cycle, says Paul Schneider, president of EcoCombustion Energy Systems Corporation.
The reason why this manure removal is so important is because the Environmental Protection Agency’s Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) regulations have become even more stringent.
“The focus on getting the phosphorus off the land due to years of overapplication is becoming a great burden to dairy farmers,” says Schneider.
The CAFO regulations limit both the number of times manure spreading can occur and the amount of manure per acre during application. Schneider reports that many dairymen only need 1.5 acres per cow but are required to have at least three.
“The burden of purchase or renting the land for manure application is extremely cost prohibitive to dairymen,” he says. “And it limits the expansion or development of new dairies.”
How it works
Although anaerobic digesters are commonly used today and have proved to be an effective form of manure management, Schneider says the digesters only reduce the volume of a herd’s manure by 5 percent.
Elimanure utilizes all of the manure by drying it, burning or combusting it and producing electricity from this combustion via a turbine generator. Elimanure’s first full-scale prototype has recently been completed on the Wiese Brothers Farm in Greenleaf, Wisconsin. The Wiese Farm has 4,000 animal units and produces 2,220 dry pounds of manure per hour.
With Elimanure, all of the farm’s manure is first taken to the bio-dryer, where the water is evaporated and the manure is dried with hot air. This air is heated from the waste heat of the combustion process and the waste steam from the turbine generator.
“No outside energy or fuel is used to dry the manure – only waste heat from the process,” Schneider says. “This is a cogeneration process common to the paper industry.”
Once the manure is converted to dry biomass, it becomes fuel for the combustor. The biomass is then burned at 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, which Schneider says is complete combustion and the cleanest burning technology today. This process creates steam which goes to the boiler, then to the turbine.
“We send 10,000 pounds per hour of steam to the turbine at 300 psi,” says Schneider. “The turbine is sized at 600 kilowatts, which is enough energy to supply 600 homes.”
The only byproduct is an odorless and spreadable ash. Schneider says this process ensures a 98 percent reduction in the original manure stream. For the Wiese Farm, this reduction has been a remarkable benefit.
“The farm produced 25 million gallons of manure and hauled 6,500 tank trucks of manure per year, at an expense of $400,000 per year,” he says. “They now haul 90 dump trucks.”
Growing pains
Despite the success of the system today, Schneider recognizes it had some initial setbacks.
“We made some catastrophic assumptions with regard to burning manure,” he says. “We assumed, like many smart people do, that manure would burn like sawdust.”
Schneider and his company quickly discovered that manure has higher ash content than sawdust and that when handling high volumes, ash becomes “a very big problem” in the combustor. He says the ash plugged the boiler and heat exchanges and formed lava on the burning bed.
“Solving that issue was the biggest and most costly hurdle we faced,” Schneider says. “As of July, we have solved the issue.”
The solution was to modify and improve the combustor, making it more robust. The original combustor, which he says has served its useful purpose, will be replaced by a new, larger, state-of-the-art combustor.
The costs of manure-free
Schneider says the Wiese system cost $4.5 million, has a pay back of 3.5 years and has been cash flow positive in its first year.
Although he recognizes that initial figure might drop some jaws, Schneider says many environmental organizations offer state and federal grants. Some of these organizations include the NRCS and the USDA.
“The system produces renewable energy and many government initiatives are focused on that,” Schneider says.
In order to make Elimanure a success on their operations, dairy producers need to be willing to work with these government organizations, and they need to keep an open mind about renewable energy, like the Wiese producers did.
“The Wiese Brothers have been a real partner in the development of this process, and they have been very innovative and patient in their support of the research and development of the system,” Schneider says.
For Mark Wiese, the system has endless benefits and was fairly easy to implement, as the farm has not had to alter day-to-day activities. He advises producers who are planning an expansion or building a new dairy to incorporate the Elimanure system from the beginning.
“The system makes it possible to have large dairies without large tracks of lands,” Wiese says.
Because of the lack of odor and large manure pits, he also believes public perception toward dairying will become more positive. The greatest benefit, however, is the opportunity for producers to pass on a farm without passing on the problems.
“The system allows producers to transition farms to the next generation,” Wiese says. “And the next generation doesn’t have to deal with a lot of acres and the debt that often comes with it.” ANM
For more information, visit www.burnmanure.com or contact Paul Schneider at PSchneider@BurnManure.com or (920) 759-9223.
YOUR RESULTS
Are you ready for burning manure? The following checklist can be used to determine if this new technology might be a fit for your operation:
1. Are you planning to expand your operation?
2. Are your current land holdings phosphorus-challenged?
3. Are your costs significantly high for manure hauling?
4. Have you identified the cost versus the benefit of land application of your manure?
5. Is your current manure management plan limiting your expansion or cash flow?
6. Does your community have a negative attitude toward your operation or nutrient management plan?
7. Do you have an odor problem?
8. Do you have land or water quality issues?
If you answered yes to five or more of these questions, this technology is one for you to consider.
Emily Caldwell
Staff Writer Ag Nutrient Management
