Feedlot To Convert Cattle Manure Into Renewable Natural Gas

Feedlot To Convert Cattle Manure Into Renewable Natural Gas Adams Land & Cattle (ALCC) of Broken Bow, Neb., is partnering with Neogenyx Fuels on a $200 million project to build a first-of-a-kind anaerobic manure digestion system. The facility will process manure from ALCC’s lots to produce biogas, which will then be upgraded to pipeline-quality renewable natural gas (RNG). The upgrading process will remove impurities such as moisture and carbon dioxide. Byproduct solids will be converted into livestock bedding and organic nitrogen fertilizer. The facility is being built on 40 acres near the ALCC south lot. It includes eight anaerobic digesters capable of generating more than 4,400 standard cubic feet of biogas per minute. When complete, the facility is expected to produce about 1.2 million Btu of RNG annually. About 1 1/2 to 2 lbs of dry manure are needed to produce 1 lb of RNG, so many tons of manure will be used. Abram Babcock, CEO of ALCC, says the new facility will significantly reduce the number of trucks hauling manure away from their facility. Instead, they’ll deliver it to the digesters. One byproduct is organic nitrogen fertilizer that local farmers can use to replace synthetic nitrogen. Liquid fertilizer from the process can be applied through pivot irrigators, knifed into the ground, or applied by strip tilling. The project marks Neogenyx’s first renewable energy initiative in the agricultural market. The operation will employ eight to nine people, including three engineers. It could reduce CO2 emissions around the feedlot by approximately 63,700 metric tons annually. The digester project is another in a long line of improvements ALCC has made since Russ and Angenette Adams incorporated their business in 1973. They’ve always been an innovative company focused on cattle comfort and efficiency. In the 1980s, they adopted larger, more cattle-friendly bunks to improve feeding efficiency. In 2000, Bill Adams designed an automated system that sorts cattle 11 ways without mixing lot numbers. That system is now patented as Revoro and collects information used to make feeding and handling decisions for every animal. ALCC also built verification alleyways that use an electronic identification system and proprietary software to verify every animal leaving their yards. Before implementing the digester project, ALCC tested and installed 1.5 million sq ft of roller compacted concrete (RCC) in pens holding about 12,000 head of cattle. Babcock says RCC is a mixture of concrete, cement powder and aggregate. It’s delivered at about 8% moisture, compared with traditional concrete at 30%. A dozer levels the concrete to 7 in. thick, then it’s roller compacted to 6 in. It’s the same strength as regular concrete but with a rougher finish. RCC eliminates mud in wet feedlot conditions, simplifies pen maintenance, and is easy to install on a 1% to 1 1/2% grade. Cattle show improved health and cleanliness, with better feed conversion. There’s also considerably less dust and odor. Having RCC lots allows ALCC to collect pure manure without the 40% to 50% dirt normally collected when manure is removed from dirt lots. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Neogenyx Fuels, 111 Speen St., Suite 410, Framingham, Mass. 01701 (ph 888-471-1752; hello@neogenyxfuels.com; www.neogenyxfuels.com) or Adams Land & Cattle Co., Broken Bow, Neb. (ph 308-872-6494; www.adamslandandcattle.com).

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