A demonstration project to extract energy, fertilizer and water from
hog manure and distillery waste in Alberta could begin as early as next
year, said Lawrence Loh of the Cement Association of Canada.
Loh said the association recently completed a feasibility study in the
County of Lethbridge, with funding from the Federation of Canadian
Municipalities.
It showed that a European model called Integrated Waste Management
Solutions, or IWMS, was an economically viable and environmentally
efficient solution for agriculture in Canada.
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Loh said his group will now seek funding for a demonstration project
from private and public sources, including the county, the Alberta
government, utility companies and farmers.
He said the project was initiated to help the agricultural sector with
waste management in view of tightening regulations while also helping
create business for the cement industry.
“If the industry goes into a stall, it has implications for us,” he
said, noting the high percentage of concrete used in agricultural
buildings.
The project offers many benefits, Loh said. For farmers, it will
improve the management of livestock waste while ensuring their survival
and sustainability in intensive livestock operations.
For utility companies, there is energy production and the lowering of
greenhouse gas emissions, he said.
For municipalities, it will increase investment and jobs while
creating more sustainable environmentally responsive communities.
David Oseen, reeve of the County of Lethbridge, said his 750,000 acre
municipality includes 600,000 livestock, mainly feeder cattle and some
intensive hog and poultry operations.
“We do have a lot of manure, so this is one good way to process it,”
Oseen said. “Hopefully they’ll find it’s viable.”
The system incorporates wastewater treatment and aerobic and anaerobic
digester systems.
Bacteria digest manure, producing methane and an effluent that farmers
can use in place of untreated manure.
Methane gas known as biogas can be used as an energy source producing
additional electrical and thermal energy while reducing odour and
methane emissions. Excess electricity can be sold to utility companies.
Liquid effluent can be processed through a wastewater treatment process
and used as water for farm application.
The study analyzed the waste mix in the Country of Lethbridge and
determined the commercial viability of the project based on a $9
million investment in a IWMS treatment facility using 100,000 tonnes of
local liquid hog manure and organic wastes from distilleries.
The study found that the facility could reduce greenhouse gas emissions
by approximately 15,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year while
generating 15 GWh of electrical energy and thermal energy or enough to
power 900 households.