Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

Biogas is more than energy

The Ontario biogas industry association (www.apao.ca) would like to expand knowledge of biogas - what it is and its benefits - inside and out of the agriculture community.

 

We know that biogas produces power 24/7, reduces actual greenhouse gas emissions, diverts waste from landfill, eliminates odours and pathogens, creates a better than commercial-grade fertilizer (yields +10%) and usable heat, and increases revenues for farmers – but, we also know most people have no idea what you’re talking about when you say biogas.

 

What do you think? Would you support plans to build as many as 500 on-farm biogas plants around the province? This level of development could create over $4 billion in economic activity and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 5 million tons annually.

Views: 1002

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by John Schwartzentruber on January 17, 2011 at 6:36am

What are the potential feedstocks that would fuel these plants? You already made mention of landfill waste - an excellent and steady source - but beyond that?

 

What about undesirable residues in the fertilizer, IE - heavy metals?

 

It looks like a better alternative than solar and wind power in that it works around the clock and should be a more affordable technology. I think a lot of solar/wind enthusiasts (both consumers and producers) are going to be in for a rude awakening not too far down the road.

Permalink Reply by Bristow on January 17, 2011 at 6:59am

Heavy metals are taken out in leaking process in tanks or ponds, same as sewage.

Permalink Reply by John Schwartzentruber on January 17, 2011 at 7:07am
Another question - why are biogas-produced energy rates so much lower than solar or wind generated?
Permalink Reply by Daniel Bida on January 17, 2011 at 7:13am

Essentially any organic material is suitable provided the mix inside the digester has the right carbon/nitrogen balance. That being said, some materials are definitely better than others.


Manure - Dairy, Chicken and Hog

Food waste - from industrial, commercial and institutional sectors is easier to handle than residential curbside organics, due to higher contamination levels (plastic bags, cutlery, packaging, etc.). When fruits and veggies, grease trap waste and other fats, oils and greases (FOG) are used there is no issues with heavy metals in the fertilizer.  Abattoir waste is also an excellent feedstock source, however it does require additional treatment to remove heavy metals.

Energy crops - Grass and Corn silage make excellent feedstock sources as they have high energy values and carbon content (needed for Chicken and Hog manure based projects).  However, they are valuable cash crops and may be more valuable as crops, not energy. Studies have shown that a crop like Jerusalem artichoke is an ideal feedstock - it's energy rich, can grow in sub-prime ag land and doesn't require fertilizers or annual seeding.

Grass clippings and yard waste - suitable but seasonal.

Municipal biosolids - plentiful, but a lower energy value and requires additional treatment to remove heavy metals. Many global municipalities already use anaerobic digestion to treat biosolids, but the gas is just flared.

check out the OMAFRA site for more info http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/engineer/ge_bib/biogas.htm

Biogas is a much better alternative than wind and solar, however, the total generating capacity potentially available from biogas-fired generators is somewhere between 300 - 1000 MW.  Ontario requires much more energy than this on a regular basis, so wind/solar/hydro is a necessary part of the energy mix as well. As an investment, biogas provides much greater returns to society per kW than wind and solar.


John Schwartzentruber said:

What are the potential feedstocks that would fuel these plants? You already made mention of landfill waste - an excellent and steady source - but beyond that?

 

What about undesirable residues in the fertilizer, IE - heavy metals?

 

It looks like a better alternative than solar and wind power in that it works around the clock and should be a more affordable technology. I think a lot of solar/wind enthusiasts (both consumers and producers) are going to be in for a rude awakening not too far down the road.

Permalink Reply by Daniel Bida on January 17, 2011 at 7:18am

It's hard to say the exact reason, but it is meant to be based on the cost of production and allowing for a return on investment of 11%.  That being said, knowledge and experience with biogas was very low at the time the FIT was released in comparison to wind and solar, so there was an element of arbitrariness to it.  The industry is hopeful that when the FIT program is reviewed in the fall of 2011, rates for biogas will be adjusted upwards and not cut like wind/solar are likely to be.

 

It should be noted that at current rates, not all projects are economical - tipping fees from organic waste producers are one of the main revenue drivers.


John Schwartzentruber said:

Another question - why are biogas-produced energy rates so much lower than solar or wind generated?
Permalink Reply by OntAG Admin on January 17, 2011 at 11:29am
BIOGAS COURSE PROMISES PRACTICAL KNOWLEDGE FOR PLANT OPERATORS 01/17/11
From a release

Green energy was given the green light when the Ontario Green Energy Act was passed in 2009. Since then, solar and wind projects have been springing up across the province. Anaerobic digesters to produce biogas have also gained popularity, and an upcoming course on biogas production will be of value to people involved in this new technology.

“Operating Your Biogas Facility” is a three-day (February 8-10, 2011) course designed for owners and operators of biogas facilities, as well as engineers, consultants and others who want to learn more about biogas operations. It is being held at the Best Western Cambridge Hotel, 730 Hespeler Road, Cambridge, ON

Knowledgeable speakers will give participants practical information and teach the safe and efficient operation of a biogas plant. The course includes an overview of biogas production and use, a tour of two biogas plants, an update on regulations, and information on safety, inspection and troubleshooting.

The registration fee for the program is $400 + HST and includes the full program, a reference manual, and refreshments and lunch each day.

Earl Jensen, a professional engineer at Alberta Innovates - Technology Futures
in Vegreville Alberta with a diverse background in the biogas field, is one of the featured workshop leaders. He has worked extensively on anaerobic digestion equipment with a variety of input materials, and his knowledge extends from the laboratory to full-scale industrial biogas plant design and operation. “It is the intent of this course to provide solid fundamental information that will help biogas plant operators understand the intertwined processes occurring within their biogas plant. This information should prove to be a useful tool for improving plant performance, problem solving and advancing knowledge on the subject,” he says.

The second featured speaker is Birgit Pfeifer. She is an Environmental Engineer from Germany who has been involved in screening and monitoring of biogas plants in Europe for a number of years. She works in cooperation with operators and focuses on variance analysis, evaluation, engineering settings, biological process, measurements and start-up of new biogas plants. She has also spoken at several biogas training sessions in Ontario over the past several years.
Permalink Reply by Bristow on January 24, 2011 at 4:51pm
Or you can pay me your $400 less HST, look up all the information on Youtube. Or you can pay for the above course wait 10 years to get approvel to build your plant like the guy posted by the above about three months ago.
Permalink Reply by Roadrunner on January 31, 2011 at 11:21am

Are there any Ontario based biogas plants operational - connected to the grid and making a return on investment?

I would think you would need a big operation with lots of manure to have the scale required to make it worth the effort required.

 

Permalink Reply by Bristow on January 31, 2011 at 11:59am


It would be the same as solar return, back in the grid, but you get more for your self than solar, eg gas as fuel, fertlizer. Ideal for Animal farm. Not so for grain or crop.

<iframe title="YouTube video player" class="youtube-player" type="text/html" width="475" height="385" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/BiHDQClpZfI?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen></iframe>
Roadrunner said:

Are there any Ontario based biogas plants operational - connected to the grid and making a return on investment?

I would think you would need a big operation with lots of manure to have the scale required to make it worth the effort required.

 

Permalink Reply by Ross Blaine on March 18, 2011 at 7:58am
Yes we have one going in Cambridge go we www.grobergreen.com and have a look.  we also do tours so if anyone is interested our AD suite is setup for them

Roadrunner said:

Are there any Ontario based biogas plants operational - connected to the grid and making a return on investment?

I would think you would need a big operation with lots of manure to have the scale required to make it worth the effort required.

 

Permalink Reply by Kevin Stewart on April 5, 2011 at 1:48am

Here is a little video interview with Jake DeBruyn from OMAFRA and

 

 

 

▶ Reply to Discussion

RSS

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

Above Average Yields for Saskatchewan

Crops were above average this year in Saskatchewan, with yields topping the 10-year provincial average and beating the Statistics Canada model-based estimates released in September.  The province released its latest yield estimates in its final crop report for the 2025 growing season on Thursday.  The average oat and barley yields were pegged by the province at 94.4 and 70 bu/acre, respectively, compared to the StatsCan estimates of 90.2  and 67.9 bu/acre. The province pegged the average Hard Spring wheat yield at 51.5 bu/acre, and other spring wheat at 55.5 bu/acre, versus StatsCan’s single spring wheat estimate of 49.2 bu. The average provincial durum yield of 39.4 bu/acre was 2.5 bu above the StatsCan estimate.  At 42.4 bu/acre, the average Saskatchewan canola yield was 1.8 bu higher than StatsCan, while soybeans were a hefty 14.8 bu above at 39.6 bu. The average flax yield was pegged at 26.6 bu/acre, above StatsCan’s 23.1 bu.  Peas were reported by the province at 40.8 bu/acre,

Breaking the silence: Understanding stigma in farming and mental health

The narrative in agriculture is evolving. Caring for the land, animals, and equipment has always come first; now farmer well-being belongs on that list. For centuries, the culture in agriculture has valued resilience, self-reliance, and hard work. These are important qualities that have built our farms and fed our world. Yet these same values have, unintentionally, helped create one of the biggest barriers to farmer mental health: stigma. Stigma shows up as silence, hesitation, fear and shame, making farmers feel they must carry their struggles alone rather than reach out for support. Decades in the making The roots of those feelings – fear and shame towards mental health in agriculture stretch back decades, woven into the history of rural life. Farmers have been expected to endure hardship quietly, whether it was a drought, market crash, or a barn fire. Generations grew up hearing phrases like “tough it out” or “pull yourself up by your bootstraps.” Asking for help, especially for

Filiz Koksel, associate professor, University of Manitoba

Filiz Koksel is an associate professor in the Department of Food and Human Nutritional Sciences (FHNS) at the University of Manitoba (UM). She was appointed Manitoba Strategic Research Chair in Sustainable Protein in July this year. Born in Winnipeg while her father was completing graduate studies at UM, Koksel grew up in Turkey, where she earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in food engineering from Middle East Technical University in Ankara. She later returned to Winnipeg to complete her PhD in food science at UM and joined the Department of FHNS as a faculty member in 2017. She lives in Winnipeg with her husband and their five-year-old daughter. Tell us a bit about what you’re working on at UM. My research focuses on food processing, transforming ingredients, both plant- and animal-based, into nutritious, appealing foods. These processes range from mixing or milling for bakery applications, to extrusion cooking, which is a process used for making puffed snacks like Cheeto

Canadian Beef Producers Request Termination of the Canada-UK Continuity Agreement

The Canadian Cattle Association (CCA) calls for the Government of Canada to initiate the termination of the Canada-UK Continuity Agreement, following the tabling of the UK Accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) legislation. In July 2023, the Government of Canada announced the accession of the UK to the CPTPP agreement. CCA, our provincial members, and beef producers across the country urged Canada to “say no to a bad deal”. Since then, the UK has not made any effort to address the non-tariff barriers that are keeping Canadian beef out of the UK market. At the same time, UK beef imports into the Canadian market have increased from $16.6 million in 2023 to $42.5 million in 2024. “We are calling on all Parliamentarians to stand up for Canadian beef producers,” said Tyler Fulton, President of CCA. “In these uncertain geopolitical times, we need every opportunity to diversify our markets.” Given the Government’s recent tabling of th

Jaclyn Prystupa powers precision automation at GIFS at USask

Jaclyn Prystupa is an Automation Specialist at the Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask). It’s a dynamic role in which she leads the development, optimization, and troubleshooting of automated workflows and laboratory equipment within GIFS’ Omics and Precision Analytics Laboratory (OPAL). Put more simply, she works with robots to expand the capabilities and throughput of GIFS’ genomics offerings. Every day, she programs, operates, and maintains a growing number of automated liquid handlers, each one capable of executing complex laboratory tasks with speed and precision. This work is central to OPAL — a PacBio Certified Service Provider and one of Canada’s largest sequencing and genotyping facilities. There, Prystupa combines genomics and computer science to accomplish big things in small timeframes. How big is big? Think thousands of plant, animal, and microbial samples. By leveraging automation, these samples are efficiently prepared,

© 2025   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service