‘Green’ gas in carbon-neutral-by-2050 dairy plan

Co-ops and equipment companies are helping farmers on the continent avail of manure fermentation, to earn subsidies for electricity generation and heat utilisation, and to sell surplus electricity.

The giant FrieslandCampina dairy co-op, based in the Netherlands, has set up the Jumpstart co-operative, for profitable extraction of “green” energy from manure, and progress towards a climate-neutral dairy industry.

They are enabling dairy farmers to use manure fermentation to produce green energy while reducing the farm emissions of greenhouse gases and ammonia.

Interest among farmers has grown, because of a newly available rent option, allowing a farmer use a fermentation installation without a big financial investment.

Manure mono-fermentation is preferred, using liquid manure only, in contrast to co-fermentation, where manure is mixed with other products before fermentation.

Typically, every hour, slurry is pumped to a separator and then to a digester, in which bacterial action produces biogas, used in turn to produce electricity for use on the farm and for export.

A typical FrieslandCampina dairy farm can export enough electricity for 15 households.

The farm also benefits from lower slurry storage costs, and by-products of the extraction of “green” energy from manure can be used as fertiliser and bedding material.

Jumpstart works with manufacturers of installations that produce manure separators, green electricity, sustainable heat, and “green” gas, and with the ABN Amro bank to finance the process.

Jumpstart also helps to arrange insurance, subsidies, permits and coordination of the process.

Jumpstart is part of FrieslandCampina’s aim to be carbon-neutral by 2050.