Energy
Energy Generation and Co Generation, Case Study
Dairy Farm “El Capricho”,
Biodigestor with Co-Generation of Electricity
León Guanajuato, México
Engineer: Strickland Engineering
Owner: “Grupo Lechero León”
Project: Lagoon Floating Cover
Size: 1600 m2
Material: HDPE de 1.5 mm (60 mil)
Installer: Environmental Fabrics de México
The producer in this farm had problems with the health of the dairy cows. This problem originated since the corrals were washed with water and created puddles, generating the proliferation of fungi in the cow hoofs. Also, the collection of manure in stacks generated unpleasant odors, damaged the ground, and emitted methane gas (a greenhouse gas) to the atmosphere. Another of the farm problems was the cost of the pumping water and not reusing any.
The solution was to scrape the manure instead of clearing it with water. Once this manure is scraped, it is dumped in a mixing basin where the discharge water from the biodigester is mixed to obtain an ideal mix for the anaerobic process to take place.
Once the mix is pumped in the biodigestor,the anaerobic reaction is produced and biogas is generated. Two biogas motors consume this gas and produce 120 KWA and that provides with enough energy to satisfy the total needs of the farm.
Environmental Fabrics de México was chosen to perform the work and supply of geosynthetic materials, which were done in a short period of time. Thanks to the construction of the biodigester odors were elminated, the underground was kept from being contaminated, greenhouse gas emissions like methane were reduced and more importantly 120KWA per hour were produced with biofuel 365 days a year, which helps the farmer with the energy costs and saves our environment.