Initial Project Checklist
The following checklist presents an initial set of questions to consider when evaluating project viability for anaerobic digestion (AD)/biogas systems on farms in the United States. If the answer to most of the following questions is “Yes,” then your facility may be a suitable candidate for an AD/biogas system, and you may consider conducting a pre-feasibility study.
For more information about AD/biogas project development, see the AgSTAR Project Development Handbook.
| Questions | Yes | No | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What type of waste does your facility produce? | Do you have dairy, swine or poultry manure available? | ||
| Do you have access to other co-digestible organic wastes? | |||
| Is your facility large enough to make AD economically feasible? | 500 or more milking cows? | ||
| 2,000 or more finishing hogs? | |||
| 100,000 or more fowl? | |||
| Any economic or regulatory drivers supporting an AD/biogas system? | Are you paying for disposal of organic wastes? | ||
| Do you have existing environmental concerns? (e.g., Runoff, fugitive smells) | |||
| Do you have a need for heat and/or electricity? | |||
| Do you have a buyer for the energy? | |||
| Do you have space for an on-site treatment facility? | |||
| Do you have wastewater disposal limits or concerns? | |||
| Do you have nutrient application limits or concerns? | |||