A NOVEL MULTIPLE

STAGED LEACHBED

DIGESTION SYSTEM FOR

THE TREATMENT OF

DRY-LOT FEEDLOT AND

DAIRY MANURESMarch 31, 2015

Lucas Loetscher

Sybil Sharvelle

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Colorado State University

The Feedstock- Mount Manure

Ag/Waste Generation in

Colorado

Colorado Manure Wastes % TSBCMP L CH4/kg

Waste

Dry scrape dairy manure 53.1% 23.2

Freshly horse manure 29.9% 35.2

Dairy/horse manure 31.3% 15.6

Wet scrape dairy manure 18.7% 14.0

Dry scrape dairy manure 88.7% 15.9

Dry scrape dairy manure w/ straw 78.8% 49.5

Diluted dry scrape dairy manure 30.9% 13.7

Highly Variable - Yet Promising BCMP

Manure Waste Characteristics

Colorado Manure Wastes % TSBCMP L CH4/kg

Waste

Dry scrape dairy manure 53.1% 23.2

Freshly horse manure 29.9% 35.2

Dairy/horse manure 31.3% 15.6

Wet scrape dairy manure 18.7% 14.0

Dry scrape dairy manure 88.7% 15.9

Dry scrape dairy manure w/ straw 78.8% 49.5

Diluted dry scrape dairy manure 30.9% 13.7

As excreted most of these manures are below 12% TS

Manure Waste Characteristics

Digester Types

Colorado Manure Wastes % TSBCMP L CH4/kg

Waste

Dry scrape dairy manure 53.1% 23.2

Freshly horse manure 29.9% 35.2

Dairy/horse manure 31.3% 15.6

Wet scrape dairy manure 18.7% 14.0

Dry scrape dairy manure 88.7% 15.9

Dry scrape dairy manure w/ straw 78.8% 49.5

Diluted dry scrape dairy manure 30.9% 13.7

As excreted most of these manures are below 12% TS

Manure Waste Characteristics

Compositing

Tank

Leachate Bay

Leachate Bay

Leachate Bay

Leachate Bay

Fixed Film

Reactor

Leachate Flow Path

Biogas Flow

Hydrolysis Reactors

Acetogenic Reactor

Hydrolysis Reactors

Methanogenic Reactor

Our System

Leachate Bay 1

Leachate Bay 2

Leachate Bay 3

Leachate Bay 4

Leac

hat

e St

ora

ge

Fixe

d F

ilm D

iges

ters

Basic Leachate Production

Schematic

LBR System Advantages

Reduced water requirements

Substrate flexibility

Potential for reduced capital costs

Superior process control

Process upset is easy to correct

Biogas Production for Various

Wastes

Lab and Demonstration Scale

Projects

Demonstration Scale

To Scale LBR Module

To Scale LBR System

Commercial Scale Representation

Vision for Future Developments

Acknowledgments

Colorado Agriculture Experiment Station

Colorado NRCS

Colorado Bioscience Discovery Grant

Colorado Governors Energy Office