Pig waste being used to power homes, farms

Organic waste from pigs on a farm in Leicestershire, UK, is helping to power an estimated 700 homes and reduce landfill waste by 18,000 metric tons each year. The pig waste, combined with other food waste, is being used to produce biogas capable of generating the equivalent of around 1.2 megawatts of electricity. The electricity is being exported onto the local energy grid used to power homes, as well as the pig farming facility.
The technology used to convert waste into energy was designed and built by a UK company, PROjEN BioEnergy, who were honored earlier this month by the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) at its annual award ceremony to celebrate innovation and excellence in chemical engineering across the world.
Using a process called anaerobic digestion - where natural bacteria are used to treat biodegradable materials - PROjEN's work has resulted in other major benefits. The farm's carbon emissions have been reduced by offsetting electricity and heating consumption. Waste and by-products normally destined for landfill and incineration has been avoided.
In addition, the process produces a high quality pasteurised fertiliser, which is weed free and rich in nitrogen. Around 96 million tonnes¹ of farm manures are applied to agricultural land each year in the UK, with strict controls. Pasteurisation helps to minimise the risks of food-borne diseases such as listeria and salmonella.
IChemE's chief executive, David Brown, said: "The work of organisations like PROjEN shows the potential of chemical engineering to transform discarded waste into valuable commodities to benefit industries like farming.
"The benefits from just one farm are impressive. With an estimated four million pigs² in the UK alone, producing millions of tonnes of by-products each year, the potential for energy production, from a sustainable source, is significant".
The role of chemical engineers in the energy sector is explored in IChemE's latest technical strategy, Chemical Engineering Matters. The strategy also includes actions chemical engineers are taking on other global challenges including health, water and food.

Freedman Farms pleads guilty to Clean Water Act hog waste violation

On July 6, Freedman Farms Inc. and its president, William B. Freedman, pleaded guilty in federal court in New Bern, N.C., to violating the Clean Water Act by dumping hog waste into a stream leading to the Waccamaw River, according to the Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina.
Freedman Farms pleaded guilty to a felony violation of the Clean Water Act for discharging hog waste into Browder’s Branch, a tributary to the Waccamaw River, in December 2007. The hog waste was supposed to be directed to two lagoons for treatment and disposal. William Freedman pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor violation of the Clean Water Act for his role in the discharge.
“Owners and operators of concentrated animal feeding operations must comply with the nation’s Clean Water Act for the protection of America’s streams, wetlands and rivers,” said Ignacia S. Moreno, assistant attorney general for the Environment and Natural Resources Division at the Department of Justice. “Freedman and his farm failed to do so and should be held accountable for polluting waterways and wetlands in Columbus County and the Waccamaw River watershed.”  
The Clean Water Act is a federal law that makes it illegal to knowingly or negligently discharge a pollutant into waters of the United States, including those with a significant connection to a traditional navigable water.
According to the plea agreement, the government and the corporate defendant jointly requested that the court sentence Freedman Farms to pay $1.5 million, serve a probation term of five years and publish a public apology. Under the plea agreement for William Freedman, the defendant faces up to one year in prison.

Clemson project may help poultry, pig farmers turn manure into energy

Clemson University and power producer Santee Cooper, with the help of Williamsburg County pig farm in South Carolina, are hoping to complete the loop from animal waste to electricity with the Burrows Hall Renewable Energy Facility.
The 180-kilowatt facility is expected to be in operation this summer, according to officials, and will produce enough energy to power 90 average-sized homes. The project has implications for poultry and dairy farms in addition to pig farms, and some upstate poultry farmers are already looking into the idea. “This is a demonstration project to show this is feasible within the state,” said Marc Tye, Santee Cooper’s vice president of conservation and renewable energy.

UK pig producers must add storage to meet 2012 slurry requirements

Pig producers in the UK are being urged by the British Pig Executive to start making plans as soon as possible in order to meet a change in national regulations on the storage of liquid manure (slurry) that goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2012.
Beginning then, all pig units located in Nitrate Vulnerable Zones — areas of land where drainage enters waters containing nitrates from agriculture — must have sufficient capacity to store slurry securely for at least six months. The official Environment Agency can visit farms before the deadline in order to check they are taking active steps towards putting storage in place and that they have already completed satisfactory slurry storage calculations. Where breaches occur later due to lack of storage, the agency may apply for civil or criminal sanctions against the unit’s operator.

Biotechnologist uses pig waste for aquaculture, irrigation, energy

Andrew Ward, a biotechnologist from the South Australian Research and Development Institute, has found a way of using pig waste to benefit aquaculture, irrigation and energy.
Ward has created a "waste food chain" that uses processed pig excrement as a nutrient source for algae, which can in turn be grown for aquaculture. The process of making the waste safe for algae to grow in produces methane gas, which has energy applications. The food chain that results from the algae growth eventually produces zooplankton, which clean the water they're in so well that it can be used for irrigation.
"We can turn waste into food, save money, save water and improve the environment just by being a bit smarter," said Ward. "We are hoping this research will lead to elimination of the environmental concerns and costs associated with waste disposal, and that the wastes themselves can be transformed into new and diversified business opportunities." Ward's work will be presented for the first time in public at Fresh Science, a communication bootcamp for early career scientists.