Manure Collection Systems
AD 101
In general, biogas recovery systems are technically feasible where manure is handled in a liquid, slurry, or semi-solid state:
| Manure Management Systems that are Compatible With Biogas Recovery | |
|---|---|
| Dairy | Flushed or scraped freestall barns and drylots. |
| Swine | Houses with flush, pit recharge, or pull-plug pit systems. |
| Poultry | Houses with flush systems. |
Chain drag scrape alley. Photo: AgSTAR
Receiving pit for flush dairy dry lot. Photo: AgSTAR
Sand bedding. Photo: McLanahan Corporation
Operations with many different methods of animal management can employ anaerobic digestion, although pretreatment or modifications may be needed. For instance, a dairy with sand bedding would either need to switch to another type of bedding or employ a mechanism to remove the sand from the manure before it enters the digester. Another example would be a swine operation with deep pits, which are common in cool climates. Deep pit systems would need to be modified to remove manure more frequently before a biogas recovery system could be installed.
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