Denmark looks at plant based manure for renewable energy

The use of non organic manure being used on organic farms will soon be a thing of the past, In the near future this will be replaced by green manure – in other words, a plant-based manure. In a new project at Aarhus University scientists will therefore look at how to get the maximum benefit of nitrogen in green manure while optimising the quality of the fertiliser.

"The objective is to optimise the yield of the nitrogen in plant-based fertiliser that is stable and readily available when needed," says senior scientist Jørn Nygaard Sørensen, who is behind the project. Read more ...

North Carolina pig farms using manure for electricity

Loyd Ray Farms in North Carolina have joined with a number of state pig farms to use manure in a digester to provide electricity. Duke University along with partners Duke energy and Google are testing systems that capture methane, a greenhouse gas from manure. The pig farms acting under state law to reduce emissions are becoming innovators, the methane gas fuels a small power plant that makes enough energy to run the waste-processing system and part of the farm itself. Also by utilising the manure in this way it allows the farms to reduce waste pits that can taint water and release harmful ammonia into the air. Read more ...

Maryland chicken manure as a source of energy

In the state of Maryland US a new initiative is being set in motion, the state is to utilise chicken manure as a source of biomass for renewable energy. This proposal could have other benefits aside from power generation, it could also reduce the amount of nitrogen, phosphorus and other nutrients found in the manure that enters the Chesapeake Bay. Maryland's governor O'Malley said, "Maryland is leading the nation's efforts in clean energy and sustainability, and our state's growing green jobs sector is vital to our ability to create jobs and compete globally in the new economy." Read more ...