Overview of the dairy biorefinery concept integrating anaerobic digestion with technologies producing fuels, power, and value-added products.
This publication introduces the dairy biorefinery concept, an approach that expands the role of anaerobic digestion beyond waste management and renewable energy production. Anaerobic digesters break down manure and other organic materials to produce biogas, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions, odors, and pathogens. The biorefinery model integrates the digester with additional downstream technologies designed to recover value from manure streams.
These integrated systems can produce multiple products including renewable natural gas, electricity, heat, fertilizers, and other chemical or material products derived from manure nutrients and organic matter. The report explains how combining digestion with nutrient recovery, gas upgrading, and other processing technologies can improve both the environmental performance and economic viability of dairy manure management systems.
The publication provides a high-level overview of technologies currently receiving attention for integration with dairy digesters and serves as an introduction to the broader Anaerobic Digestion Systems Series, which provides research-based guidance for decision-makers evaluating manure management and renewable energy systems.
This publication is part of an archive and may not meet current digital accessibility standards. CSANR is working to improve digital accessibility of all materials. If you need this content in an alternative format, please contact csanr@wsu.edu.
Authors
Yorgey, G., Frear, C., Kennedy, N., and Kruger, C.
Year Published
2019
Topics
Energy, Livestock, Production Systems, and Waste Management
