Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - TES (Total Energy System: innovative in-farm cogeneration plant for manure valorisation viable even for small farms)

Teaser

Handling of poultry manure is a continuously increasing problem. Poultry farms are characterized by a lack of proportion between bred animals and farmed area, with the frequent result of intolerable soil and aquifer pollution levels. Manure collection is expensive for farmers...

Summary

Handling of poultry manure is a continuously increasing problem. Poultry farms are characterized by a lack of proportion between bred animals and farmed area, with the frequent result of intolerable soil and aquifer pollution levels.
Manure collection is expensive for farmers and it does not solve the problem definitively. On the other side, farms are energy-intensive and their main expenses relate to the consumption of electricity and heat. Using poultry manure to reduce or eliminate such cost, could represent an interesting solution for both the environmental and the economic problem, which could become vital in order to maintain farms competitive.
Today existing manure valorisation systems based on biomass combustion are not an economically viable solution for farms with low number of animals.
La Coro Srl developed an innovative system for this problem, which can transform poultry manure (but also other manure and biomass types) in THERMAL and ELECTRIC energy (“total energy system”), with the particularity of being usable also in small farms.

Work performed

During the detailed feasibility study of the Phase 1 project, stakeholder contacts have been strengthened, and the initial idea has been further improved by an originally not foreseen block able to provide COOLING in the summer. High temperatures in poultry sheds during the hot season cause animal mortality of 8-12%, and have negative effects on animal growth and weight in general. Therefore, the system has been modified with addition of a refrigerating unit, completing the plant for all seasonal needs.

Final results

With this, the innovative plant became a small biomass TRIGENERATION system able to recover and valorize poultry manure (and other manure or biomass types) by gasification, then using the produced energy for heating, cooling and electricity generation (“total energy system”), with the particularity of being adaptable also to small farms. This solution avoids disposal and soil contamination problems, substitutes the today used fossil fuels thus achieves important benefits for farmers not only in terms of economic savings but also in environmental terms of CO2 reduction. The economic saving on the long run will increase their competitiveness.
The main objective of the project (in Phase 2) is the realisation of a pilot plant and market introduction of a highly efficient and flexible biomass trigeneration system. Market introduction will start from poultry farms, then it will be extended gradually to other livestock farms.