The Lucknow Sentinel, 1980-04-02, Page 29aimewsk,
ults.qtqa..4.pr• ••••,. •
a day in a single half-hour
period, The digester is a
plug••flow tYPe which means
that as the 15,000 gallon of
new manure enters the pit at
oneend, an 'equal amount of
digested manure exits at the
opposite\ end.
• The design is, relatively
simple, A 30-mil thick nylon
•
•
• 1
Order Now For Early Delivery
SEED
CLOVER AND GRASS SEED
(Free. Mixing)
Custom Seed Cleaning
AND TREATING
Elliott' s Seed Mill
And Trucking
5284500•
Representative For
Spare's Seeds Ltd.
Harriston, Ontario
Lucknow
_cent,* the, national , _per
capita energy consumption, in.
Canada,: This low level of
energy use represents ap-
proximately eight per cent of
the gasoline and 12 per cent•
of the diesel fuel used in
Canada.
Accotding to Conclusions
drawn by H. M.' Lapp pre:-
fessor at the Department of
Agricultiiral Engineering,
University of •Manitoba, the
production of alcohol by, fer-
menting the carbohydrates of
plant (biomass) material, will
be in completion for food,
crops and .could not provide
all of society's energy needs.
Agricultural production con-
sumes only three per cent of
Canada's national per capita.
energy use and some 'portion
of agricultural production,'
acreage may be assigned to
this. purpo says Lapp.
In the pr
era of, agri
tion, appr
quarter to.
tractor powered
ultural produc-
ximately one-
one-third of all
_ enitivatediand was required—
. to produce feed and fibre for
work horses,
• Self-sufficieney in alcohol
energy fuel could probably
be provided by using.12 to 15
per cent' of, our agricultural
land, says Lapp,
Economies of alcohol prod-
uctiOn from agrieultural
crops are not favorable at
present, Neverthelgif char-
ges Lapp, alcohol production
technology should be advan-
ced to meet the challenge of .
escalating prices for liquid
and gaseous petroleum fuels
and to provide an alternative
to maintain food production
if and when these fuels are
no 'longer available.
The teChnology for produc-
ing and using alcohol for a
motor fuel is knoWn-. The
decision to adopt methanol
and ethanol as, motor fuels
Will be on a political and
economic base and not on a
technological one; Lapp con-
cludes.
Electricit
iirterobic digestion to con- cubic feet of biogas daily.
vent agricultural waste to The digester is a covered 92
methane gas is being looked foot by 20 foot by 15 foot
upon today as, one possible deep pit in which manure is
means of recovering some of • digested . tinder anaerobic
he-energy which is-typically--Lconditions-- (the absence Or
lost to agricultural produe', . air) to produce;biogas,,Way-
tion systems as crop residues. • bright pumps 15,000 gallons
or animal manure, of the manure, into the "
A methane Owered farm ,000 gallon digester once p
in Pennsylvania is working so
well that the local utility
company wants, to buy elec-
tricity from the farmer,
Since *last fall, Dick Way- , Canadian meChanized..ag7 bright has generated his OWIT— riculture has become wholly electricityHis 700 cow herd, .dependent on petroleum en-
supPlies the fuel to run an ergy fuels. Serious concern
on-farm power plant which for the long term security of generates ' 90 kilowatts of an -energy supply for prod-
power, more than enough to netion in the food industry
run every motor and light on has risen from the general
his farm. awareness, particularly since
A spokesman for the firm OPEC - 1973; that fossil fuels
which designed the syStem are non renewable and rapid-
says it runs equally well with ly diminishing resource,
modications on either cattle Commercial farm .opera-
or hog manure. Actually,. hog tions would face serious dis-
manure is a more efficient ' locations if conventional gas-
producer of biogaS' (65 per oline and diesel fuels were to
cent methane and 36 per cent be suddenly withdrawn. It is
other gases, mostly carbon not. surprising that fanners
dioxide) generating .58 cubic and ether non agricultural
feet of gas for every pound of businessmen have been ser!.
manure, while cow manure ionsly motivated to seek the
produces only .34 cubic feet security of alternate energy
for each Pound. sources.
VVaybright; an Adams The need for 'a continuing .
County dairy fanner, flushes supply of a liquid fuel,having.
his barns each morning and a high density has focused
evening rthemanuregoing to attention on utilizing bio-
a settling basin. Water mass sources to produce al-
drains off until manure in the` cohol.
basin cOntains- 12 per cent on-farm production con
solids. Then the manure sumes only about three per
enters a 180,000 gallon dig-
ester' which produces 30,000
•
•
. reinforced rubber, bag covers
the rectangular Concrete pit,
Gas. prodUction expands the
bag like balloon - as' high as
10, feet above the;pit,: Jiiside,,,
the pit are 3 inch, cast iron
pipes that act as heat ex-,
changes. , The pipes.,contain
water heated by,:the power
generation engine, The heat ".
exchangers transfer heat to
the manure; keeping it at 95
degrees farenheit, the ideal
temperature for the 'Manure-
eating-. bacteria to ..,produce
Thiegas;:TherMal action with;
in, the pit keeps the manure
'well mixed. To, protect the
digester:ag from wind rain
and snow, 'Waybright has
buili a metal shell building
over the unit. •
The biogas fuels an engine
er Scheaffer and Roland
Engineering of Chicago took
no profit. On. Waybright . did
some of the construction
himself. Be believes a farm-
- er 'coiild-eicPe-ct a "similar=
sized turnkey, system to run
over$150,000 with a payback
time- of about five years
Farms with fewer animals
can now use Simpler systems
that burn biogas in boilers to
WaYbright puts the cost of
his system at $80,000 to
5100,00 but his is a demon• -
stration unit that the design-
As energy costs increase
however, biogas generation
of electricity Will, become
economical, on a greater
number of livestock farms.
generate hot water, rather co hoicouldbe arm uC that powers • a generator and than eleetricity.
produces electricity,
Ranging In Size From 4 Tons to 20 Tons
SPECIAL ORDERED TANKS
AVAILABLE ON REQUEST
Ranging In. Size From 15 Tons to SO Tons
2 to 6 COMPARTMENTS
Complete Selection of Bolts and Nuts,
Sprockets, Bearing and Roller Chain
'HELM P.O. B
46
ox 172 Lucknow i
Phone i5i9j 52927
Ontario
BULK.FEED TANKS - FEED 'FACTORIES SNOWBLOWER 6 - GRAVITY BOXES
GENERAL, FABRICATION