Poultry Litter to Fuel Minnesota Power Plant

[jpak]

http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=47740

Biomass -- in this case in the form of hundreds of thousands of pounds of turkey litter with woodchips and sawdust blended in -- soon will be fueling a 55 megawatt power plant producing enough electricity to supply 50,000 homes in the Minnesota community of Benson.

The first large-scale facility of its kind in the U.S., the plant is being completed in an industrial park on the edge of town by Fibrominn, whose parent company Fibrowatt already operates three litter-fueled facilities in the United Kingdom. The project, started in May 2005, is expected to begin operations in June.

Fibrominn picked Benson because it is in the heart of a turkey-growing region, which will provide much of the 2,000 to 2,500 tons of litter that will be needed on a daily basis.

<snip>

After combustion takes place, adds Walmsley, the leftover ash which contains nutrients will be sent by conveyor to nearby facility operated by North American Fertilizer to be processed into high value fertilizer. North American Pres. Randy Tersteec reports that limited production will begin in April and grow to 80,000 tons per year.

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[Jackpine Radical]

1. I wonder what that stuff smells like when it burns...

[Buzz Clik]

2. No doubt better than when it rains on the fresh stuff.

I question the claim of "high quality fertilizer" for the ash. Phosphorus is often lost at high temperature, and nitrogen can be lost as well. And then there's the phytotoxic levels of boron in chicken ca-ca.

Regardless of how the fertilizer benefit turns out, it's a step in the right direction.

[Jackpine Radical]

3. There's hardly anything raunchier than turkey shit

spread on a field and allowed to age a little. Well, maybe pig shit is worse.

Y'know, you can get into the damnedest discussions on this board...

[jpak]

4. Pig shit is definitely worse

:puke:

[hardcore]

6. Back in the 80's

several places tried the idea of spreading human s**t on farm fields and lawns to get around expanding sewage treatment plants. Needledd to say that was one idea that didn't work to well on hot summer days.

[Buzz Clik]

5. "Well, maybe pig shit is worse." Maybe? It's an odor you can actually chew.

It will be interesting to hear from those down wind when the plant fires up.

[jpak]

8. they have built three similar plants in the UK and control for odor

http://www.fibrowattusa.com/US-Corporate/OurTechnologyUS.html

<snip>

Odor Control

The fuel reception and storage halls are maintained under negative pressure to prevent the escape of odors. This is achieved by taking the air needed for combustion from the fuel hall, creating a constant flow of air into the fuel hall from outside, which prevents odors from traveling in the opposite direction. As a result of this system, odors are not detectable beyond the site boundary of Fibrowatt's plants.

<snip>

High temperature combustion also eliminates odor causing chemicals...

<snip>

From the fuel storage hall, fuel is conveyed into the boiler via a mechanical distribution system. Air from the storage hall is drawn into the furnace by fans and is used as the combustion air within the boiler. Here temperatures reach in excess of 1500°F (850°C), destroying any odor and bacteria.

<snip>

[Buzz Clik]

9. Cool. And thanks.

I really didn't have time to check into it. Appreciate the info.

[JohnWxy]

10. Here's their U.S. web-site, where they address that pungent issue.

http://www.fibrowattusa.com/US-Corporate/OurTechnologyUS.html

Odor Control

The fuel reception and storage halls are maintained under negative pressure to prevent the escape of odors. This is achieved by taking the air needed for combustion from the fuel hall, creating a constant flow of air into the fuel hall from outside, which prevents odors from traveling in the opposite direction. As a result of this system, odors are not detectable beyond the site boundary of Fibrowatt's plants.

The Boiler

From the fuel storage hall, fuel is conveyed into the boiler via a mechanical distribution system. Air from the storage hall is drawn into the furnace by fans and is used as the combustion air within the boiler. Here temperatures reach in excess of 1500°F (850°C), destroying any odor and bacteria.

[Dead_Parrot]

12. Better than a dying ocean, for a guess. nt

[kestrel91316]

7. Beats hell out of feeding it to cattle, which is probably what they have BEEN

doing with it. They risk spreading BSE back to cattle when they do that.

[JohnWxy]

11. recommended