Agricultural Importance

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Agricultural Importance

• Agriculture as a source for food, but also a
  source for natural raw materials for
  bioindustries and energy will increasingly be a
  major engine to drive our transition to a
  sustainable world.

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• Agriculture can play a very important
  connective and synergistic role in development
  of communities. A central role as opposed to a
  very marginalized role of the past.
• Primary thesis of 25 X 25

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Interesting Possibility Co-generation w/ Food
Wastes

• Benefits to farmer
• Increased biogas production
• Improved gas quality (reduced concentrations of
  H2S)
• Tipping fees can be substantial
• Benefit for Food Waste Generators
• Potential Savings for disposal

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Turning Waste to EnergyWeb sitewww.wastetoene
rgy.cornell.eduInternet-based GIS tool to
locate sources of manure (CAFOs), food
processors, supermarkets, landfills, colleges,
prisons, etc.
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How much methane can be produced from the
digestion of a particular substrate? ?
Biochemical Methane Potential ?

• Our goal is to determine the methane yields of a
  broad range of substrates including different
  mixtures of food wastes and dairy manure.

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Methane yields for several substrates as a
function of the amount of TVS added (mL CH4 / g
TVS)
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Methane yields for several substrates as a
function of the amount of raw substrate added (m3
CH4 / t substrate)
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Biogas yields for several substrates as a
function of the amount of raw substrate added (m3
biogas / t substrate)
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Electricity and Heat generated for several
substrates as a function of the amount of raw
substrate added (m3 biogas / t substrate)
Based on typical real values from a CHP
operation Electricity 1.424 kWh / m3
biogas Heat 106.04 BTU / m3 biogas
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Summary of the numbers
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Biochemical Methane Potential (BMP)

• Experiments based on the biochemical methane
  potential (BMP) assay (Owen et al., 1979).
• Use of 120-mL glass bottles sealed (with a
  septum) to the environment during the experiment.
• Biogas production causes a change in the internal
  pressure of the bottles
• Pressure transducers connected to 120-mL glass
  bottles send a signal to a data acquisition (DAQ)
  system that through a computer interface records
  real-time data over time.
• Pressure is converted to biogas volume (at STP)
  using the ideal gas law.

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Incubator
Left front side of 16 of the 32
Ethernet ports. Right back side of ports.
Lower Right close-up of two
Ethernet ports. The white and blue pair carry
the 10V DC power to all 32 channels. Each port
has two other wiresthese wires carry the signal
from individual pressure transducers back through
the Ethernet port to the 32 channel amplifier and
chassis to the computer. Labview software
provides the interface and control of the process
of data acquisition.
Above left and right Close-up views of pressure
transducers wired to Ethernet cables.
Above left Prototype of how the
needle is
connected to the pressure transducer by a piece
of PVC tubing. Above right The needle pierces a
rubber butyl septum to provide a gas tight
environment within a 120 mL bottle.
10 Volt excitation Signal from Pressure
Transducers
Instruments and Equipment within box
are installed in a constant temp. incubator
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Biochemical Methane Potential (BMP)
Bottles inside the incubator connected to the
Ethernet ports
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Pressure increase (kPa) inside the bottles for
different substrates
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Acknowledgements

• New York State Energy Research and Development
  Authority (NYSERDA)

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Composition of substrates