User Manual
Contents
1. Please Click here for additional information on Water Requirements Figure 3 Decision Tree Flow Chart 42 Determining the Most Appropriate Technology In the case that the preliminary feasibility assessment provided a result that your facility is not a good fit for AD or that feasibility is highly questionable based on your responses to the questions outlined in Section 4 1 you will be prompted with the following question Would you like to neglect water requirements and evaluate all AD technologies for your site Yes No e Answering Yes to this question will override appropriate technologies based on answers provided in the Preliminary Feasibility portion of the tool Section 4 1 and Online Decision Tool for Anaerobic Digestion at Colorado Cattle Operations User Manual consider all possible AD technologies This option allows for further exploration of the tool and will give you the option to make a comparison of water requirements for all each technology e Answering No to this question terminates the tool since installation of any conventional AD technology would require extensive water addition There are many AD technologies to choose from including complete mixed plug flow fixed film covered lagoon and upflow anaerobic sludge blanket The purpose of the next component of the tool is to provide guidance on which technologies may be best suited based on your needs for the system in terms of treatment ef2. Yes No 11 Online Decision Tool for Anaerobic Digestion at Colorado Cattle Operations User Manual If you apply the wastewater from your lagoon onto fields at a higher rate than required for irrigation remove excess water please select yes to this question Given the dry climate in Colorado excess water from a lagoon can improve technical feasibility for installation of an AD system Do you consistently need to remove excess wastewater from lagoons Yes No Please answer yes to this question is you remove water from the lagoon more than a few times per year Do you have any of the following equipment on site Solid Liquid separator If you have a large scale solid liquid separator onsite used to process a majority of the wastewater select yes to this question Solid liquid separators are required for processing for manure wastes going into a digester The ability to lower or increase the total solids greatly expands the available options for AD systems Large Scale compost furrower If you have a large compost furrower used to convert manure into compostable material which can later be sold or used for bedding please select yes to this question While solids can be reduced in an AD system the end products will contain solids requiring management Feasibility is improved when the infrastructure is already in place for composting solids Skip loaders Select yes if you have smaller man powered skip loaders used to
3. Colorado Cattle Operations User Manual unit Economic analysis has shown that when approximately 5 000 is spent per month on energy AD may be economically viable Have you received formal complaints about odor Yes No If you have received formal complaints about odor AD installation can often be a great solution to the problem AD systems can reduce ammonia emissions and since systems are sealed for biogas collection and use release of odorous constituents is highly reduced compared to an open lagoon Installing an AD system can mitigate potential lawsuits resulting from odor Do you raise swine or chickens Yes No The OFADT tool has been developed for cattle operations such as feedlots or dairy farms answering yes to this question will improve your economic feasibility but will disqualify you for using the technical feasibility guide as detailed in Section 4 AD feasibility Tool NOTE After completing the economic feasibility tool it is recommended that you talk with your local AG bank the Colorado s Governor s Energy Office and a technology provider consulting firm 6 Technology Provider Selection and Guidance for Maintenance The OFADT website also contains several additional sections to help you better understand AD and to provide further assistance with follow up information support for selection of a technology provider and guidance for maintenance of an AD system 6 1 Technology Provider Selection This section c
4. applying directly to the land or by trucking the lagoon water After you have answered the above questions you will be provided with a preliminary assessment of feasibility as indicated with a green light for Technical Feasibility is a Go a yellow light for Proceed Online Decision Tool for Anaerobic Digestion at Colorado Cattle Operations User Manual with Caution and a red light for Your Site is not a Good Fit The color of the light is based on the above questions and is represented on the decision tree schematic provided on the web site Figure 3 What is your primary collection method for manure Flush Manure Concrete Scrape Dry Lot Is there a consistent nearby source of wastewater that you can access Is there a consistent nearby Isthere a consistent source of wastewater that you nearby source of can access wastewater that you can access y Is there parlor wash Do you have parlor available for use wash available for use Do you have to remove water from your lagoon Do you have to remove water from your lagoon more than two times per year or do you use more than two times per year or do you use lagoon water for irrigation lagoon water for irrigation You may be able to achieve a 20 solids after adding onsite water sources however you need to ensure that you can constantly meet the outlined water requirements click here for water requirement info
5. at Sybil Sharvelle Colostate edu AD Feasibility Tool developed by Jeff Lasker Sybil Sharvelle and Lucas Loetscher Colorado State University Figure 6 Methane Generation Potential Example Questions 14 Online D ecision Tool for Anaerobic Digestion at Colorado Cattle Operations User Manual 4 6 Results Summary Upon completio n of data entry into the AD feasibility tool the user will be supplied with a Results Summary Figure 7 The specific components of the Results Summary are described below Results Summary Feasibility Assessment 75 out of 100 Proceed with Caution Technology Selected Technology Score Methane Production Energy Production 4 Plug Flow Click for More Information Plug Flow 7 39 Silver 2532 ft day 9288 kWh day Annual Energy Savings 320705 yr Availible Low Grade Heat 7887 kwh day You should choose the most appropriate technology for your facility based on both the Technology Score and Water Requirements While a technology may be a good fit based on how you ranked the scoring criteria the water required may render the technology unfeasible or undesirable Please evaluate both the technology score and water required by clicking below See Scores for All Technologies Figure 7 Example Results Summary Feasibility Assessment Score The score represented in the first box shows the feasibility assessment on a scale of 1 100 where a higher the feasibility score means a
6. determined by imperial testing Organic Matter OM Any piece of matter that comes from once living organisms and is capable of decay or is the product of decay Total solids TS The percent of solids which is left after the water for the material has been evaporated at 212 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 24 hours Total solids are the reciprocal of moisture content Volatile Solids VS The percent of solids left after the material has been incinerated at 550 degrees Celsius or 1022 degree F for more than one hour 22 Online Decision Tool for Anaerobic Digestion at Colorado Cattle Operations User Manual References Environmental Protection Agency Agstar Program Farmware v 3 4 USEPA December 2010 LINK Massachusetts Technology Collaborative Mass Natural fertilizer Co INC Feasibility Study of Anaerobic Digestions of industrial organic waste using dry fermentation technology Brendle Group amp MTC January 2010 PDF Wilkie A C 2003 Anaerobic digestion of flushed dairy manure In Proceedings Anaerobic Digester Technology Applications in Animal Agriculture A National Summit p 350 354 Water Environment Federation Alexandria Virginia 2003 John H Martin Ph D Eastern Research Group Inc An Assessment of the Performance of the Colorado LLC Anaerobic Digestion and Biogas Utilization System U S Environmental Protection Agency March 2003 LINK Dennis A Burke Dairy Waste Anaerobic Digestion Ha
7. either scrape concrete pads of manure or used for general farm operations Skip loaders help to transport manure to desired locations 4 5 Estimating Methane Generation Potential and Water Requirements The next section will cover the necessary information for estimating the methane and energy potential at your site as well as the purpose of each of the questions Figure 6 Please note that the only required values here are the number of cattle all other values are optional and only serve to provide more accurate results Number of Cattle Required Information Number of lactating cattle If you operate a dairy please enter the current number of lactating cattle Number of non lactating Cattle Also known as dry cattle this is the number of current non lactating dairy cows onsite Number of Feedlot Cattle if you operate a feed lot please enter the total number of cattle onsite Number of Heifers Please enter the number of heifers and calves onsite 12 Online Decision Tool for Anaerobic Digestion at Colorado Cattle Operations User Manual The number of cattle is the primary value for determine the amount of water required to achieve the waste solids content required for AD The number of cattle is applied to estimate total energy production This value is required and a zero or blank value will result in a prompt from the tool to enter values Average Weight per Cow Defaulted at 1 400 Ibs Please enter the average weight
8. of 6 000 per month on utilities gas electric and water Yes No Combined utilities includes water natural gas propone and electricity If your total monthly utility bill on average exceeds 6 000 select a yes for this question Do you have a lagoon onsite Yes No A lagoon on site renders water storage and handling much easier Do you pay for offsite manure disposal Yes No Paying for offsite manure disposal adds substantial costs to the overall manure management strategy for the site If you do pay for offsite manure disposal a good rule of thumb is to not pay over 1 ton mile This is also a good indicator for economic feasibility of an AD system Do you obtain water from a utility eg City County Yes No The price of water can greatly affect the ability of a farm to recycle water or use excess water in order to lower the total solids of manure suitable for pumping If you obtain water from a city or county and not from a well of rural utility association RUA please select yes for this question otherwise select no Do you spend approximately 5 000 per month on electricity and natural gas Yes No Excluding water from your monthly utility expenses do you spend more than 5 000 on electricity and natural gas The price of these energy sources can vary greatly from farm to farm so it is more logical to estimate based on total cost rather than the cost per 20 Online Decision Tool for Anaerobic Digestion at
9. of all cows here excluding heifers and calves The average weight per cow is used to determine the animal unit equivalent AUE The AUE calculation helps to determine the total amount of manure produced onsite see Section 9 Terms and Definitions for more information on AUE Cost of electricity kWh Defaulted at 0 1 per Kwh Refer to your last utility bill and divide the total cost of the bill by the number of Kwh used for that month The average electricity cost for northern Colorado is around 9 46 cents per Kwh If you are unsure of your current electric cost please use this value NOTE This tool assumes that you would be offsetting your current electricity bill in order to offset some of the costs of operating the tank If you expect to offset more electricity than you use onsite you will need to enter an average cost which accounts for both offsetting energy costs onsite and what you can expect to receive for energy sold off site Typical electricity prices are negotiated around 0 02 S0 03 per Kwh in Colorado Total Milk production per day If you r facility is a dairy enter the average daily value of milk produced onsite Otherwise enter a O or leave the answer blank The units for this value can be changed to gallons cubic feet cubic meters or pounds Total milk production is used to further define the amount of manure produced onsite Entering the amount of milk is not required but will help to determine more accurate evaluat
10. summed and normalized it becomes possible to assign an overall score to each of the selected technologies Figure 5 The output is greatly dependent on the scores assigned to criteria outlined in Figure 4 It is recommended that the user makes use of the Retry button located at the bottom right hand corner of the graph as highlighted in Figure 5 This allows the user to change assigned values for each criteria and evaluate the impact to final scores for each technology Online Decision Tool for Anaerobic Digestion at Colorado Cattle Operations User Manual Individual Scores for Technology _ Fixed Film Upflow Sludge Blanket Covered Lagoon Complet Mix Plug Flow Technology Score Figure 5 Example Overall Scores for Individual Technologies 4 3 More Detailed Feasibility Analysis After continuing beyond the technology recommendation output another round of questions is asked involving the general characteristics of your site The purpose of these questions is to obtain a more detailed assessment of feasibility than was previously provided Section 4 1 The following is a list of the questions and summaries of possible answers Do you meet the definition of a CAFO yes no CAFO s are defined based on the total number of animal equivalents you have onsite use the related link on the website to find the exact criteria for CAFO definitions Bedding Material choose one Straw Generally recommended a
11. A Online Decision University Tool for Anaerobic Digestion at O NRCS Colorado Cattle Resources Conservation Operations User Manual December 2011 Sybil Sharvelle Colorado State University Catherine Keske Colorado State University Jessica Davis Colorado State University Jeff Lasker Colorado State University Online Decision Tool for Anaerobic Digestion at Colorado Cattle Operations User Manual Table of Contents Ds Introducir 3 14 Backeround A A 3 1 2 Constraints Of Toluca ira 3 LS A A ccs doc LT Issa no SUR a TOST O DESA e CM A DU a SUS E E DS 4 2 1 Web Site Address for Tool olaa es ves iu ha Dada dando ca 4 2 2 Java Enabled eiiccsstesecs n iti cre nano sola da Ann da 4 2 3 Website LA VOUT usasse steed eed Ad Ea TES Sao RS aaa Dead 4 2 4 Input Valuess A isis 5 3 Statement of Confidentiality ooconcnccononooooncnnnnnnnnononcnnnnnnonnnnnonnnnnnnnnnnnno no nnnnnnnnnnnnnn nn ai aaae iaie 5 dx AD Feasibility TOO GUIAS aaa a 6 4 1 Preliminary Feasibility QuestiOnS occcononooocnononncnnnononnnnnnnnncnnonononnnnnnnnnnnono nn nn nnnnnnnnnnnnnnancnnnnnnos 6 4 2 Determining the Most Appropriate Technology ccccocooooncnnnnonononononnnnnonnnonanononnnnnnnncnnnnonnnncnnnnnnn 7 4 3 More Detailed Feasibility AnalysiS cccononcononocnnnnnonononnnnnnnnnnnnnonannnnonnnnonanononnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnns 10 4 5 Estimating Methane Generation Potential and Water Requirements 12 4 6 RE
12. SUIES SUMIMALY a O 15 4 7 Concluding the Feasibility Assessment onis riina iie a i iiaa 17 5 AD Economic TOO careta sabia paea e a a ee a ea a a aea aa akea e a a aa Sa 18 5 1 Economic Feasibility Decision Tree oooocccccononononanonononononononnnoncnnonnnnnnnnnnnncnnnnnnnnnnnnnnncnnanannn enanos 18 5 2 Questions for Determination fog Economic Feasibility oooococononoooannnnnonnnnnaarnoncnnononononos 20 6 Technology Provider Selection and Guidance for MaintenanCe ocococcccncnononnnononnnnnoncnnnanonannnnnnnnnnnnnnnns 21 6 1 Technology Provider Selection sz miena aee Raa TA E iaiia 21 6 2 Guidance for Maintenance of an AD System ccccononococnnonnnononononnnnnnnnnnnnannonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnonnnnnnncnnnnnnnos 21 7 Terms and Definitions reeni iniinis 22 Bix I RETEFENCES iii Ai 23 Online Decision Tool for Anaerobic Digestion at Colorado Cattle Operations User Manual 1 Introduction This document serves as a user manual for step by step instructions on how to use the On Farm Anaerobic Digestion Decision Tool OFADT online tool herby referred to as the OFADT 1 1 Background The OFADT is an online decision support model developed by Colorado State University The main purpose is to provide information for producers and their advisers on installation of an anaerobic digestion system at their facility The secondary purpose of the website is to assist the user to assess feasibility for installation of anae
13. asibilit 2 2 Java Enabled In order for the tool to work properly you must have Java script enabled and it is advisable to have the latest version of Java installed on your computer The latest version of Java can downloaded at the following link http java com 2 3 Website Layout The website is structured into six different sections Figure 1 each representing steps toward determination of feasibility for on farm AD installation at Colorado cattle operations Anaerobic Digestion at Colorado Cattle Operations Powered By GRAMS General Info AD Feasibility Tool Economic Feasibility Economic Feasibility Tool Technology Provider Selection Anaerobic Digestion of Animal Wastes in Colorado Anaerobic digestion can be a very attractive alternative for waste management at animal feeding operations as it contains waste and the byproduct is methane which can be utilized as a source of energy Careful consideration of the feasibility for anaerobic digestion at a given facility is critical This website is intended to provide an unbiased assessment of the technical feasibility of anaerobic digestion and appropriate technology recommendations In addition appropriate technologies for anaerobic digestion are provided based on management practices employed at the animal feeding operation This website is intended to provide a unbiased assessment of the feasibility of anaerobic digestion and appropriate technology recommendations Operating Anaerob
14. clude e Total milk production e Manure production e Lagoon volume e Feed constituent majority e Feed amount per day 3 Statement of Confidentiality The OFADT contains no components of data recording or data transmission abilities All information entered into the tool will be stored only for a short time on your local computer through your internet browsers cookies All data entered into the tool will remain confidential and it is up to the individual to determine how to save print or screen shot the final results All information contained on the website is considered open for public use and can be cited as such Online Decision Tool for Anaerobic Digestion at Colorado Cattle Operations User Manual 4 AD Feasibility Tool Guide The AD feasibility tool provides an assessment of technical feasibility of anaerobic digestion at your facility Output includes preliminary feasibility technology recommendations more detailed feasibility estimation of methane production and a summary of water addition required based on selected technology Figure 3 The step by step guide that follows describes each question asked in the tool in the order in which it is asked and provides additional information when needed Estimated Preliminary Appropriate More Methane Feasibility Technology on Production Assessment Recommendation Feasibility and Water Requirements Figure 2 Outline of the four Steps for Assessing Feasibility 41 Pr
15. d to the number of components and ease of operation for Operational Simplici p a particular AD technology This criterion describes the frequency of required regular maintenance activities Maintenance Required q for the AD technology Capital Investment This criterion ranks the capital investment of the AD technology This criterion ranks the amount of energy required for the digester to be Energy Input 9y mp operational This criterion ranks the energy generated per volume of reacctor for the AD technologies Energy Output Figure 4 Default values for technology criteria scores Treatment Efficiency Ranks the AD technology s ability to remove organics and solids from wastewater This criterion is based on the performance of an AD technology to remove total Online Decision Tool for Anaerobic Digestion at Colorado Cattle Operations User Manual solids TS volatile solids VS chemical oxygen demand COD and biological oxygen demand BOD Operational Simplicity This criteria is related to the number of components and ease of operation for a particular AD technology The performance of a given technology for this criterion is based on the probability of upset the probability of microorganism washout frequency of component tuning and the complexity of startup Maintenance Required This criterion describes the frequency of required regular maintenance activities for the AD technology T
16. ection 5 1 If you have any questions comments or feedback they can all be directed to Dr Sybil Sharvelle at Colorado State University reachable at Sybil Sharvelle Colostate edu The AD feasibility tool was developed by graduate students Jeff Lasker and Luke Loetscher with oversight from Dr Sharvelle 5 AD Economic Tool The following is a step by step guide for determining the economic feasibility of an AD system on your facility This step by step guide will go through each question in the order in which it is asked and provide additional information when needed 5 1 Economic Feasibility Decision Tree The economic feasibility assessment is broken up into several key questions which will determine the outcome of economic feasibility The scoring for the feasibility is separated into three different levels green proceed yellow proceed with caution and red do not proceed A red output indicates that the economics of your site are not supportive of an AD system and even when external funding provided and it is strongly recommended that you consider all funding criteria before pursuing an AD system 18 Online Decision Tool for Anaerobic Digestion at Colorado Cattle Operations User Manual meet the definition of a Large CAFO My Energy use and waste management has the potential to be combined with a community energy or waste managements system Anaerobic Digestion is Not Economically Feasible Anaerobic Digestion
17. eliminary Feasibility Questions What is your primary collection method for manure choose one Concrete Scrape Manure Collection Select if your site collects the majority of its manure by the use of a mechanical scraping of manure collected on concrete Dry Lot Manure Collection Select if the majority of your cows are housed outdoors in large pens where the manure is allowed to sit for at least several days before collection Flushing Manure Collection Select if the majority of the manure onsite is collected by flushing concrete with water and storing the wastewater in a lagoon Do you have a nearby source of wastewater that you can access Yes No Consider nearby industrial food processing and municipal wastewater facilities These all may generate wastewater that you can access and add to your system If you possess the ability to add wastewater to your manure to increase the moisture content select yes Additionally if you are able to recycle water from an onsite lagoon to combine with manure select yes Do you have parlor wash available Yes No If you have a dairy and use water to flush waste from the parlor and possess the ability to transport that water to a holding tank select yes to this question Do you have to remove water from your lagoon more than 2 times per year or do you use lagoon water for irrigation Yes No Removing excess water from your lagoon implies that you need to haul water off site either by
18. ficiency operational simplicity maintenance required capital investment energy input and energy output The feasibility assessment tool will now ask you to rate criteria based on importance to your facility on a scale of 1 5 Figure 4 Please note that these scores reflect personal preference of importance Any value from 1 5 can be entered into the score section where 1 is least important and 5 is most important It is recommended that for the best results a wide range of scores be chosen Assigning the same rank to each one of the criteria will not provide a useful outcome as some technologies may receive the same score If you are not sure of how you would like to rank these criteria and do not enter values default values will be assigned as indicated in Figure 4 Determine Most Appropriate Technology for Your Site This tool will provide recommendations for the most appropriate technology at your site based on both your management practices and preferences for the system Please rate the following criteria based on importance to your facility on a scale of 1 5 where 1 is lowest priority and 5 is highest priority You may select any value between 1 and 5 for any of the criteria and you may select the same number for more than one criteria Criterion Score Description This criterion is related to the AD technology s ability to remove contaminants Treatment Efficien E organics and solids from wastewater This criterion is relate
19. he performance of this criterion is based on the frequency of clogging the frequency of sludge removal and the frequency of moving part replacements Capital Investment Ranks the individual technologies based on estimated capital costs The performance of this criterion is based on the footprint and components required for the AD technology Energy Input Defined as the amount of energy required for the AD technology to be operational This criterion is based on influent pumping energy heating requirements and the energy use associated with recycle pumping if applicable Energy Output This criterion ranks the amount of energy generated per volume of reactor for each of the AD technologies and is based on the amount of methane produced per pound of volatile solids added to the AD system The six distinct criteria have been selected because they represent the defining characteristics which identify key benefits and disadvantages of each of the AD technologies The formulas which operate when the decision tool is run are based off of measurable metrics These metrics were gathered using industry standards literature reviews case studies and performance contacts Each of the metrics or sub criteria are compared to each other through a process referred to as multi criteria decision analysis MCDA A rank for each sub criteria between 1 5 was assigned for each technology based on performance data collected in the literature When the ranks are
20. high likelihood of success for installation of an AD system The score is separated into three different possible ranges Score 90 100 Feasibility looks good for your site you should strongly consider seeking further assistance with implementing an AD system Score 70 89 Proceed with Caution AD may be feasible at your site but there are some indicators that caution should be applied You need to further evaluate your sites potential for an AD system Score 0 69 Do not proceed your site does seem appropriate for an AD system and you should consider other options for manure handling Technology Selected This shows the technology which received the highest score based on criteria rankings you provided and also provides additional information about the technology You can view scores for other technologies by clicking the See Scores for All Technologies button at the bottom Technology Score The value represented indicates the relative score of the technology selected for your site The range of the technology scores is from 1 10 and based on the values assigned 15 Online Decision Tool for Anaerobic Digestion at Colorado Cattle Operations User Manual to the technology criteria as discussed in Section 4 2 The technology score is separated into five categories based on the score Score 9 10 Platinum The technology chosen is a great fit based on your criteria ranking it is highly recommend that you follo
21. ic Digester in Wyoming Figure 1 Image of Website Home Screen 1 General Info Explore a wide range of general information to gain a better understanding of AD 2 AD Feasibility Tool Clicking here will begin a Colorado specific technical feasibility assessment for your farm Please see Section 2 4 Input Values before proceeding Online Decision Tool for Anaerobic Digestion at Colorado Cattle Operations User Manual 3 Economic Feasibility This link provides information on economic feasibility of AD in Colorado 4 Economic Feasibility Tool A tool for economic feasibility assessment is contained within this link Please see Section 2 4 Input Values before proceeding 5 Technology Provider Selection Clicking here will enable access to a list of questions that should be asked of technology providers and a list of current AD design and consulting firms with detailed information on each 6 Maintenance This section summarizes maintenance activities required for long term operation of an AD system 2 4 Input Values The following is a list of required information for the feasibility assessment tool Please be prepared with this information prior to starting e Number of lactating cattle e Number of non lactating dry cattle e Number of feed lot cattle e Number of heifers e Average weight of cows e Cost of Electricity S Kwh Additional information that will improve the quality of information provided by the OFADT in
22. ion of onsite energy generation potential Manure Production per day Enter the amount of manure produced per day at your facility If you are unsure of a reasonable value for this leave the cell blank Note Entering a value here will override the estimate for manure production based on number of cattle Please only place a value here if you have a realistic value for manure production Feed Majority Enter the majority constituent for your feed here If you do not know or if your feed is not listed please enter corn as the default option Feed Amount Enter the amount of feed used per day for the entire facility if you do not know or would not like to specify this amount leave the cell blank The amount of feed will help 13 Online Decision Tool for Anaerobic Digestion at Colorado Cattle Operations User Manual to determine the total manure production for your site This value is not required but will improve methane estimates provided by the tool Estimate Methane Generation Potential Jf unsure of the value leave it blank Required Values Highlighted in Bold Number of Lactating Cattle Number of Non Lactating Dairy Cattle Number of Feed Lot Cattle Number of Heifer Cattle Average Weight per Cow Cost of Electricity kWh Total Milk Production Gallons day Manure Production Tons day Feed Majority choose one Feed Amount lbs day For questions or more information contact Dr Sybil Sharvelle
23. is Not Economically Feasible I raise swine or Chickens I spend an average of 6 000 per month on my utilities combined obtain water from a utility eg City Country have received formal complaints about my operations odor have a lagoon on site pay for offsite manure disposal compost the majority of my solids and reapply to soil Anaerobic Digestion is Not Economically Feasible Please consult EPA for general manure management practices Figure 9 Economic Decision Tree spend an average of 6 000 per month on my utilities combined I have received formal complaints about my operations odor 19 Online Decision Tool for Anaerobic Digestion at Colorado Cattle Operations User Manual 5 2 Questions for Determination fog Economic Feasibility The following section covers the varies topics and questions for determine the economic feasibility of AD systems Do you meet the definition of a large CAFO Yes No The definition of a confined animal feeding operation or CAFO is defined by the number of cattle for a given site Your site can meet the requirements for a large CAFO medium CAFO or Small CAFO If you meet the requirements of any one of these CAFO you can often have certain regulations concerning waste management consult EPA guidance on how this relates to AD implementation before proceeding lt http www epa gov npdes pubs sector table pdf gt Do you spend an average
24. ndbook Environmental Energy Company June 2001 LINK Zhiyou Wen amp Shulin Chen Development of a sequential continuous stirred tank reactor system for anaerobic digestion of liquid diary manure American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers ASABE July 2006 LINK Carl Nelson John Lamb Haubenschil Farm Anaerobic Digester Final Review The Minnesota project August 2002 Sybil Sharvelle amp Luke Loetscher Technology Review for Aurora Organic Platteville Dairy Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Colorado State University September 2008 John H Martin Ph D An Evaluation of a Mesophilic modified Plug Flow Anaerobic Digester for Dairy Cattle Manure US Environmental protection Agency July 2005 J H Martin amp P E Wright S F inglis amp K F Roos Evaluation of the Performance of a 550 Cow Plug Flow Anaerobic Digester under Steady State Conditions American society of Agricultural Engineers ASAE October 2003 LINK J H Martin amp K F Roos Comparison of the performance of a conventional and a modified plug Flow Digester for Scraped Dairy Manure U S Environmental Protection Agency Washington DC September 2007 PDF E V Ramasamy amp S Gajalakshmi R Sanjeevi M N Jithesh amp S A Abbasi Feasibility studies on the treatment of dairy wastewaters with upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactors Centre for Pollution Control and Energy Technology Pondicherry Univer
25. overs each of the main technology provides will provide general information about the company and gives links to each of their website The technology provider section also covers a list questions that should be asked of a technology providers This list can be used as a starting point for contacting AD technology providers and consultants The information provided was updated as of December 2011 6 2 Guidance for Maintenance of an AD System This section covers general information regarding the maintenance and upkeep of an AD system and provides guidance for the time required for running an AD system This section can also be used if you are trying to estimate what the maintenance costs may be for a given anaerobic technology 21 Online Decision Tool for Anaerobic Digestion at Colorado Cattle Operations User Manual Terms and Definitions Animal Units Equivalent AUE For Cattle and Dairy cows the animal equivalent unit is description in the following equation Live Animal Weigth Animal Unit Equivalents nimal Unit Equivalents 1000075 Biochemical Oxygen Demand BOD Is the amount of dissolved oxygen needed by aerobic biological organisms in a body of water to break down the organic material present in a given water sample Organic Matter Digestibility OMD the measurements of the percentage of digestible organic matter per total dry weight OMD changes according to the type of animal digesting the material and is
26. r specific water requirements would fall somewhere within this range and will vary seasonally Estimates are provided in different units simply to meet user preferences Water requirements are key when considering the overall feasibility of an AD system and should be given extended thought before pursuing any next steps NOTE One important aspect of the website is comparing the technology score with the water requirements It is beneficial to observe the technology score in parallel with the water requirements in order to properly assess which technology is best suited for your site This can be easily done by clicking on See Scores for All Technologies in the Result Summary 4 7 Concluding the Feasibility Assessment Printing can be done directly from the web browser printing is the only way to save the results of the assessment given that no data is transmitted or stored from this assessment Selecting print from file menu and the n print preview will give you an idea for how the assessment overall will look This page can then be printed at 90 zoom in order to fit the entire assessment onto three pages 17 Online Decision Tool for Anaerobic Digestion at Colorado Cattle Operations User Manual If you are still considering AD after completed the technical feasibility assessment it is advisable that you move on to the economic section of the tool in order to determine if there are financial incentives for you to pursue an onsite AD See S
27. robic digestion AD technology for methane production capture and utilization on cattle or dairy farms in Colorado The tool addresses general information on AD systems technical feasibility economic indicators of feasibility choosing a technology provider and maintenance of AD systems 1 2 Constraints of Tool The OFADT tool is only the first step in evaluating the feasibility of AD for your farm The information provided should serve as a bird s eye view of the possibility for AD implementation and only be used as input for determining if a more detailed assessment is necessary It is strongly recommended that a third party consulting firm preform an additional feasibility study before any action be taken The OFADT tool does not estimate the total potential cost for implementing an AD system on your site Instead questions are asked regarding key economic indicators and the tool then provides a yes or no answer as to whether AD may be economical The tool was developed based on economic factors and waste quality in the state of Colorado and therefore the OFADT is only intended for use in Colorado Recommendations provided by OFADT may not apply for facilities located outside Colorado Online Decision Tool for Anaerobic Digestion at Colorado Cattle Operations User Manual 2 Getting Started 2 1 Web Site Address for Tool The current version of the online OFADT tool can be found at the following website http erams colostate edu AD fe
28. s one of the best bedding material for AD systems straw acts as a bulking agent which gives the manure better transportation and less clogging with in the AD tank Straw can also add to the total organic stream of the waste and produce a portion of energy The post digested product containing straw will have better bedding reuse quality as compared to use of other bedding materials Sand Traditionally sand is seen as a poor source of bedding when considering an AD system Unless removed from the waste sand can accumulate in the AD tank consuming volume and decreasing treatment efficiency Sand has also been known to clog AD tanks damage pumps and corrode the interior of the tank 10 Online Decision Tool for Anaerobic Digestion at Colorado Cattle Operations User Manual Wood Chips Wood chips depending on size will act as a bulking agent similar to straw Wood chips will have low organic breakdown and thus will not substantially add to the organic waste stream converted to biogas Saw Dust Sawdust exhibits the same qualities as wood chips Soil Soil is seen as the worst source of bedding for AD systems since it often consists of sand and small rocks Theses inorganics can seriously harm the efficiency of the tank and proper consideration must be given when considering the separation of manure from the soil Composted Manure Manure once properly treated and broken down by the composting process is a great candidate for bedding ma
29. s sold offsite Available Low Grade Heat The amount of heat produced from a generator can be substantial and can also be used to help heat the AD tank during the colder months It is strongly recommend that any project considering an AD system implement heat capture from the gen set Available low grade heat represents the expected amount of heat that could potentially be captured if a heat reuse were implemented NOTE Kwh can be converted to BTU or joules with using conversion factors listed in Table 1 16 Online Decision Tool for Anaerobic Digestion at Colorado Cattle Operations User Manual Table 1 kWh Conversions Kwh Conversions Kwh to BTU 3 412 Kwh to Joules 3 600 000 Daily Water Requirements The water requirements for each technology are calculated Figure 8 Daily Water Requirements Technology ft per day Acre feet per day Gallons per day Complete Mix 1403 2 494 0 0 1 10 494 18 655 Plug Flow 468 1 559 0 0 3 498 11 659 Covered Lagoon 7 950 9 041 0 2 0 3 59 463 67 625 Upflow Sludge Blanket 3 273 4 365 0 1 24 485 32 646 Fixed Film 7 950 9 041 0 2 0 3 59 463 67 625 Figure 8 Daily Water Requirements Table Daily water requirements are calculated from the volume of manure estimated based on answers to previous questions The range includes the lowest and highest values that may be expected for addition based on current waste management practices and the specified technology It would be expected that you
30. sity Kalapet Pondicherry 2004 LINK 23 Online Decision Tool for Anaerobic Digestion at Colorado Cattle Operations User Manual Manufacture Data Gained from Call to Andigen Case study concerning Jer Lindy system 01 20 11 435 770 3766 ph G Srinivasan amp R Subramaniam amp V Nehru kumar A Study on Dairy Wastewater Using Fixed Film Fixed Bed Anaerobic Diphasic Digester Department of Civil and Structural Engineering Annamalai University Annamalai Nagar 2009 PDF Ann C Willkie Ph D Anaerobic Digestion of Dairy Manure Design and process Considerations Soil and Water Science Department University of Florida 24
31. terial One large advantage to installing an AD system is to utilize the end product as bedding None If the cows are placed on concrete then the feasibility score for bedding is not calculated and re normalized Dry Lot If the cows are held in a typical dry lot setting select this option Other If none of the above bedding options is given selecting other will give the average value for the bedding feasibility score Where do you Obtain Water choose one Where the source of water comes from can greatly reduce or increase the cost of transportation and usage of water If the source of water is a 50 50 split of any one of the three choices please select other as the answer Well Water obtained from a privately owned well with established water rights will often have the cheapest per gallon cost and is easiest to access However excessive pumping can have major impacts on the surrounding area Municipality Select if you obtain water from a city run government organization and pay based off of gallons used per month basis This can be the most expensive per gallon option and the water can be difficult to obtain rights to Rural Utility Association RUA s Select if you obtain water from a RUA and pay a fixed per month price for water You will need to consult with your representative at your RUA before proceeding with a AD system in order to ensure proper water rights are maintained Do you land apply wastewater from lagoons
32. w through with a licensed AD consulting firm to learn more about the technology Score 8 0 8 9 Gold Technology chosen is a good match based on the criteria ranking you provided You should evaluate other technologies within the tool to see which one you may have a preference of before consulting with an AD firm Score 7 0 7 9 Silver The technology chosen could work as a reasonable alternative for your site based on the criteria ranking you provided It is recommended you evaluate other technologies as well to determine what will be best for your site Score 6 0 6 9 Bronze The technology was not a good fit for your facility and should be considered alongside with all other possible technologies Score 0 5 9 Red The technology assessment was not conducted or not enough information was provided Methane Production The estimated amount of methane theoretically produced from an onsite AD system is provided This value is variable and will change if co digestion sources are added or if a different technology is chosen Energy Production The amount of energy produced by an onsite AD system is provided This value is directly related to the amount of methane produced and will vary substantially if changes are made that affect methane production Annual Energy Savings This value is the amount of energy produced multiplied by the value selected for the cost of electricity This does not provide an estimate for savings if the energy i
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