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Economic and Environmental Analysis of Small-Scale Anaerobic Digestion Plants on Irish Dairy Farms

Author

Listed:
  • Sean O’Connor

    (Department of Environmental Science, Institute of Technology Sligo, F91 YW50 Sligo, Ireland)

  • Ehiaze Ehimen

    (Department of Environmental Science, Institute of Technology Sligo, F91 YW50 Sligo, Ireland)

  • Suresh C. Pillai

    (Department of Environmental Science, Institute of Technology Sligo, F91 YW50 Sligo, Ireland)

  • Gary Lyons

    (Agri-Environment Branch, Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Large Park, Hillsborough BT26 6DR, UK)

  • John Bartlett

    (Department of Environmental Science, Institute of Technology Sligo, F91 YW50 Sligo, Ireland)

Abstract

The European Union’s (EU) climate and energy package requires all EU countries to reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 20% by 2020. Based on current trends, Ireland is on track to miss this target with a projected reduction of only 5% to 6%. The agriculture sector has consistently been the single largest contributor to Irish GHG emissions, representing 33% of all emissions in 2017. Small-scale anaerobic digestion (SSAD) holds promise as an attractive technology for the treatment of livestock manure and the organic fraction of municipal wastes, especially in low population communities or standalone waste treatment facilities. This study assesses the viability of SSAD in Ireland, by modelling the technical, economic, and environmental considerations of operating such plants on commercial Irish dairy farms. The study examines the integration of SSAD on dairy farms with various herd sizes ranging from 50 to 250 dairy cows, with co-digestion afforded by grass grown on available land. Results demonstrate feedstock quantities available on-farm to be sufficient to meet the farm’s energy needs with surplus energy exported, representing between 73% and 79% of the total energy generated. All scenarios investigated demonstrate a net CO 2 reduction ranging between 2059–173,237 kg CO 2 -eq. yr −1 . The study found SSAD systems to be profitable within the plant’s lifespan on farms with dairy herds sizes of >100 cows (with payback periods of 8–13 years). The simulated introduction of capital subvention grants similar to other EU countries was seen to significantly lower the plant payback periods. The insights generated from this study show SSAD to be an economically sustainable method for the mitigation of GHG emissions in the Irish agriculture sector.

Suggested Citation

  • Sean O’Connor & Ehiaze Ehimen & Suresh C. Pillai & Gary Lyons & John Bartlett, 2020. "Economic and Environmental Analysis of Small-Scale Anaerobic Digestion Plants on Irish Dairy Farms," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-20, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:13:y:2020:i:3:p:637-:d:315847
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    Cited by:

    1. Alun Scott & Richard Blanchard, 2021. "The Role of Anaerobic Digestion in Reducing Dairy Farm Greenhouse Gas Emissions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-18, March.
    2. Qian Li & Jingjing Wang & Xiaoyang Wang & Yubin Wang, 2022. "The Impact of Training on Beef Cattle Farmers’ Installation of Biogas Digesters," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-14, April.
    3. Adam Wąs & Piotr Sulewski & Vitaliy Krupin & Nazariy Popadynets & Agata Malak-Rawlikowska & Magdalena Szymańska & Iryna Skorokhod & Marcin Wysokiński, 2020. "The Potential of Agricultural Biogas Production in Ukraine—Impact on GHG Emissions and Energy Production," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-20, November.
    4. Barnes, A.P. & McMillan, J. & Sutherland, L.-A. & Hopkins, J. & Thomson, S.G., 2022. "Farmer intentional pathways for net zero carbon: Exploring the lock-in effects of forestry and renewables," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    5. Przemysław Seruga & Małgorzata Krzywonos & Emilia den Boer & Łukasz Niedźwiecki & Agnieszka Urbanowska & Halina Pawlak-Kruczek, 2022. "Anaerobic Digestion as a Component of Circular Bioeconomy—Case Study Approach," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(1), pages 1-13, December.

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