Calif. farmer reduces emissions 30K tons a year (converts fermented onion juice into methane)

[Kadie]

Don't cry for me, California

Onion farmer Steve Gill is could be said to cry tears of joy, as he converts fermented onion juice into methane to power his Oxnard factory.

The set-up cost $9.5 million, so, why, you may ask, is Steve Gill so happy? Because he saves $700,000 a year in electric bills and another $400,000 is waste disposal costs. (Processing leaves much of the onion plant on the factory floor.) And Gill has gotten $3 million in government incentives for his in-house renewable energy project. His investment will pay for itself in six years, while reducing his CO2 emissions by 30,000 tons a year.

California's agricultural industry accounts for 30 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions a year. If just one operation can avoid a thousandth of that for free, that suggests that there's a lot of (pardon the pun) low-hanging fruit in the industry. CARB has only barely begun to tackle agricultural emissions, and the focus is on an even smellier form of waste than onions: manure.


Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/green/detail?entry_id=43813&tsp=1#ixzz0LZ4OSECX

[xchrom]

1. now that's bringing a tear to my eye. nt

[Kadie]

7. LOL n/t

[aquart]

2. Now that is profound sanity.

[varelse]

3. This kind of biofuel operation makes sense

use waste, not food crops, to make fuel.

[glitch]

6. That's how biofuels started out, before corporate ag got into it.

This is where it belongs.

[NYC_SKP]

4. Cow waste, manure and uring, processed into biogas, fed into the natural gas infrastructure (CA)

I visited a Biogas plant on Wednesday that turns cow pee and poo into useful methane......which is then pumped into the state's natural gas pipeline infrastructure.

The methane that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere post peeing and pooping are collected and stored in a 37 foot deep digesting pond covered with a thick membrane.

Methane is a fuel, but released into the atmosphere is 21 times more harmful as a greenhouse gas than CO2.

Vintage Diary is featured in the article below, along with four other exciting ways to get energy from pee and poo.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/08/five-ways-to-make-energy-with-excrement.php

:P

BioEnergy Solutions runs this particular operation south of Fresno, CA.

http://www.allbioenergy.com/

[fishbulb703]

5. i just read an article in NewScientist

methane can be pumped out of the artic and potentially power our cars for 150 years (it was 2 weeks ago... i think that would be 29jun) but they said that there is a lot of technology still to go.

the thing is... no company cares. we will be pumping oil till it dries up. welcome, venus! lol

i dont think we will go that far but will not make any undertaking till the oil runs out. i think thats obvious, no? whats 1-2m. everyone has to sign a new mortgage =D