Company ProfileCase Study: Ambilandal S.A. (Farmer's Cooperative)—Landal, Portugal
Joint plant treating poultry and pig wastesThe Problem
The challenge presented by processing the waste from a Portuguese farmer's cooperative which produced 8,000 tons of poultry litter and 44,000 tons of pig slurry annually allowed EversTech to demonstrate the ways in which the use of bio-augmentation can improve energy and resource recovery in a joint biogas plant. The programmed addition of bio-engineered cultures can help overcome problems like the slow biodegradability of the poultry litter (bird excreta plus sawdust and wood shavings), the high level of solids predicted for the mixture (about 15% dry matter) and the nutrient excess (N:P:K).
The EversTech Solution
The farmer's cooperative asked EversTech to undertake a preliminary study of the situation and then to create a process design and specifications for solving the problem.
EversTech engineers found the following expected results: a 40% increase in biogas production, biogas with 80% CH4 content and no H2S and a nutrient rich compost.
Expected benefits include:
1. An increase of biogas production and quality (more than 70% potential energy)
2. Production of 410 cubic meters of biogas per ton of dry solids input
3. Production of 8.1 GWh/year of “green” electricity
4. Production of 7,000 tons/year of natural fertilizer
5. A pathogen-free high quality compost
6. Displacement of 3,750 tons of CO2/year.
7. Elimination of nuisance odors
8. Creation of five jobs, both directly and indirectly
Requests for bids for construction are currently out. As the project continues, EversTech will continue the process through final planning and completion of the system design, followed by the building and commissioning of the plant. EversTech engineers will monitor of the performance of the plant during the first 18 months of operation, based on the inputs and outputs. We will assist in studying different marketing possibilities for the end-products of the plant and disseminate the results to others in the field through newsletters, brochures and participation in conferences. Project results will also contribute to the study of the viability of applying this process to other types of waste.
Social Benefits
The region of Landal will benefit from this project by turning a waste problem into a resource center, thus improving the quality of life and health of the local population. This meets key EU social objectives and is of great interest to other European regions with similar problems.
Since the membership of Ambilandal, S.A. has increased significantly since the inception of this project, the plant and system are now being designed with double the original capacity and with the capability of being increased on a modular basis as required. As a result of the media coverage of the project, this type of approach is now being firmly supported by the Portuguese Ministry of the Environment to ensure that farmers, agro-industrial operations and other waste producers install similar systems. The Ministry fully supports the implementation of systems of collection and treatment which are professionally designed and managed and which emphasize resource recovery and the use of environmentally friendly technology. This is a key piece in the effort to reduce ‘greenhouse gas’ emissions, both directly and indirectly, by replacement of non-sustainable resources.
Expected results from this demonstration project will be used by EversTech for promoting the future commercialization of the bio-augmentation technology for biogas production. Other or similar industries generating organic wastes are the potential future users. Also, existing plants can have their performance improved by integrating bio-augmentation for biogas production.
Financial Benefits
The farmer's cooperative should see a 70% increase in energy from biogas, which will mean an investment cost of 1,475 euro/kWh and a cost of 0.015 euro/kWh for electricity production.