Progress 09/01/08 to 08/31/11

Outputs
OUTPUTS: Outputs on this project are grouped into four categories: research and field activities; events such as workshops, field days, student trainings, field demonstration; and products such as trained graduate and undergraduate students and development of a methane production manual. Activities: At the beginning of this project, extensive literature review was conducted by undergraduate students at Tuskegee University (TU) to understand the various types of biodigesters available on the market. Following literature review, we set up a lab to produce methane under anaerobic conditions at TU; the quantity of gas produced was measured and students, faculty and three farmers were invited to view the process and to be trained in biogas production. At field days organized in summer 2010 and 2011, famers visited our outdoor biomethanation plant where six geomembrane bags were set up to produce methane gas from poultry manure, goat manure, and swine manure. Six undergraduate students majoring in the animal science monitored and collected data comparing methane produced from the different animal wastes. These undergraduate students were mentored in fall 2009 and spring 2011 by faculty associated with the project. Events: A planning workshop was held in Ruska Lab at Hyderabad (Indian) followed by a curriculum revision workshop at Tuskegee University where several courses were revised. The workshop brought together faculty from different departments on campus in June 2009 for 3 days. As a result of this workshop, 19 courses at TU were revised with environmental sustainability contents. In addition, in summer 2009 and 2010, farmer workshops were organized to teach poultry growers how to produce methane gas using poultry waste. During the life of the project, two conferences were organized on campus: one on biofuel in general and another one on methane production specifically. Undergraduate and graduate students participated in these conferences. In total 25 faculties, 75 students, and 44 farmers participated in the both conferences. In all 33 students participated in the project and were trained in bioenergy production from animal wastes. At TU, we built the very first outdoor biomethanation pilot plant that was visited by faculty, students, staff, and farmers. Guest lecturers came from EARTH University in Costa Rico to exchange with faculty and students at TU. Five Tuskegee University students spent summer 2011 at EARTH University (Costa Rica) where they participated in on-farm biogas production projects in communities served by the University. Products: Fifteen graduate and undergraduate students at TU graduated with knowledge in bioenergy production. The small-scale laboratory biogas production set up was scaled up to field biogas production pilot plant to train students and farmers. We networked with faculty in India and Costa Rica and visited on-farm bioenergy production facilities. PARTICIPANTS: Dr. Ellenee Kebede,Dr. P.K. Biswas, and Dr. C. K. Bonsi TARGET AUDIENCES: Minority farmers in Macon County, AL and graduate and undergraduate students. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.

Impacts
As a result of this project, a new laboratory method was developed and tested in anaerobic digestion of animal waste. This method was used by faculty in environmental science to demonstrate benefits of generating biogas for heating chicken houses. Students involved in the project demonstrated to their peers and local farmers, benefits of anaerobic digestion of animal waste as a mean to reduced nitrogen and phosphate contents of animal waste before its application to crop or pastureland. Although farmers are convinced of environmental benefits (improved water quality, less nitrogen and phosphate pollution) of the technology, they are slow in adopting the technology because it is labor-intensive. Automation of the process will improve its adoption in farming and rural communities. Now farmers have the tools and life-skill knowledge they need to make informed decision about producing biogas to reduce their dependency of fossil fuels.

Publications

• No publications reported this period

Progress 09/01/09 to 08/31/10

Outputs
We completed collection of all documents related to Poultry Waste bioenergy production. We also conducted a one-day workshop to train faculty and students in the College of Agriculture, Environmental and Natural Sciences on production of bioenergy and encourage faculty to infuse bioenergy issues into their syllabi. In addition, we successfully conducted laboratory experiments to study major factors influencing methane production in poultry waste. The experiment was conducted to produce methane (CH4) under anaerobic conditions. Broiler litter and goat manures were obtained from local farms, mixed with tape water (1:4), and sieved (to pass through a 125 micron sieve). The pH of the slurry in a plastic bottle (355 mL) was adjusted to 6.5, 7.0, and 7.5 with acetic acid (vinegar). The treatments studied were broiler litter (BL) alone, goat (GT) manure alone, and a mixture of BL + GT (1:1). The top and the bottom of the bottle were perforated and Tygon tubing was inserted permanently for replenishing and removing an aliquot of the slurry daily for analysis. The capped bottle was inverted and kept on a vertical position on a test tube rack with an air headspace of 30% for biogas accumulation. The bottle was incubated at room temperature for 51 days. Each day 40 ml of slurry was removed and replenished with freshly prepared slurry through the tubing from the bottle and the pH was recorded. The gas, hydrogen sulfite (H2S) and CH4 generated were measured (Ibrid MX6, Industrial Scientific, Oakdale, PA). The slurry pH significantly affected the biogas released. The animal wastes behaved similarly: the pH tends to stabilize at pH around 6.5 despite the spikes observed between day 15 and 20. Thus, the initial pH of 7.0 and 7.5 decreased the very next day of the anaerobic incubation. The CO2 produced during the digestion of the slurry buffered the system through production of carbonic acid. Methane production was delayed until after day 15. The CH4 produced was never stable as it fluctuated throughout the production period. At all pHs, broiler litter showed the highest amount of CH4 produced. Surprisingly the goat manure produced less CH4 than expected and below that of broiler litter. It is speculated that freshness of the goat manure was critical to CH4 production while in the case of broiler litter, it did not matter. In the broiler litter-goat manure mixture, the CH4 production was also low; probably the goat manure inhibited the production of CH4 in the mixture. The H2S started accumulating in the system right at the beginning of the experiment and lasted until day 40. In the broiler litter system, the H2S production increased to over 500 ppm sometimes during the digestion period but dropped abruptly on day 38 while the drop was rather gradual in the goat and broiler litter-goat systems. The goat system produced the least amount of H2S and the production decreased gradually toward the end of the incubation period. At incubation end, its production was nearly zero in the goat and the mixture. Carbon dioxide and H2S are impurity in biogas production and must be removed to improve the efficiency of the anaerobic digestion system. PRODUCTS: Two undergraduate students participated in the project along with a scientist to collect experimental data under laboratory conditions. Plastic bottles were purchased together with Tygon tubing, clamps, a multi-gas monitoring hand-held device, and laboratory chemicals to conduct the laboratory experiments. We also purchased a canopy with enclosure that houses six PVC geomembrane tubular bio digesters. Production of the biogas at a larger scale will start very soon. OUTCOMES: A new laboratory method was developed and tested in anaerobic digestion of animal waste. This method will be used by faculty in environmental science to demonstrate benefits of generating biogas for heating chicken houses. This spring, students involve in the project will demonstrate to their peers and local farmers, benefits of anaerobic digestion of animal waste in bioenergy production to support activities at the whole farm level. DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: During the last field day activities at Tuskegee University, we talked to farms about the project's outcomes, distributed information and pamphlets related to the project. FUTURE INITIATIVES: At the end of the funding period, we plan on securing a grant from USDA to deploy the anaerobic digestion technology in selected farms in Alabama to demonstrate how farmers can become independent or significantly reduce their electricity bill from power companies by producing on-site the energy needed to cool and heat their chicken houses. We anticipate that following the demonstration activities, many farmers will adopt the technology.

Impacts
Faculty will gradually infuse environmental sustainability issues in their syllabi. It is also anticipated that by project's end between 5 and 10% of Alabama farmers will adopt the technology and this number will grow bigger as years go by. Poultry farmers will become self-sufficient in energy production for use on the farm.

Publications

• Hernandez Chanto, Kokoasse Kpomblekou-A, E. Kebede, C. Bonsi, W. McElhenney, and P. K. Biswas. 2010. Anaerobic digestion of broiler litter to produce biogas under laboratory conditions. Agronomy abstract. 278-2.
• Hernandez Chanto, Kokoasse Kpomblekou-A. 2010. Bioenergy production. Faculty development workshop. Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, AL Feb. 02, 2010.
• Hernandez Chanto, Kokoasse Kpomblekou-A. 2010. Anaerobic digestion of broiler litter and goat manure to produce biogas. Seminar, Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, AL July 08, 2010.

Progress 09/01/08 to 08/31/09

Outputs
A planning workshop for implementation of the project entitled 'A Scientific partnership in Research and Education to Enhance Student Learning and Development of Low-cost Renewable Energy' funded by Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service/USDA was held in Ruska Lab at Hyderabad with Principal Investigator (Dr. Kpomblekou-A) and a Tuskegee University team (Dr. C. Bonsi and P.K. Biswas), and our SVVU team and ANGRAU partner in November, 2008. I submitted to our partners the hard copy of the USDA funding letter. We updated literature collection and document preparation on the Poultry Waste Management / Low-cost Renewable Energy technologies. In addition, literature will be collected by ANGRAU, SVVU and TU teams and the information will be compiled into a document to be prepared by the TU team. At this workshop we proposed to hold a curriculum revision workshop where several courses at ANGRAU and SVVU will be revised. The workshop will bring together faculty from different departments; this is to take place in May Last week or June 1st week of 2009 for 3 days. Core team members of TU will travel to India to participate in the workshop. It was also proposed to organize a farmers' meeting on Utilization of Poultry Waste for Agriculture and other purposes (Through Biogas Technology). We agreed that one student from the Department of Environmental Science & Technology, ANGRAU and one student from the Poultry Science Department, SVVU will be given opportunity to work for one or two months in the project at Tuskegee University. Two (one each from ANGRAU and SVVU) partners will spend a short period in summer 2009 at TU to build the biogas pilot plant and to facilitate interaction with students and staff of Tuskegee University, through guest lectures and discussions. Finally, we agreed that both ANGRAU and SVVU teams must prepare a mini budget to help them prepare for the workshops. In summer, 2009, the Indian institutions refused to let the Indian scientists to Tuskegee University to work on the pilot plant, claiming that TU about to steal the Indian technology. I personally sent a letter to the Director of the Indian Institute of Technology to allow the scientists to come; she refused and ever even responded to my letter. A copy of my letter is shown below. Because the Indians were not allowed to help us install the pilot plant, we turned to Costa Rica that I visited. Costa Rica has even a better and a cheaper technology that we are exploring to install at Tuskegee University this year. In addition, in summer 2009, Tuskegee University employed an undergraduate student to compile literature on bionergy. PRODUCTS: 1. A workshop was initiated forproject team members to meet; 2. Literature on biogas was compiled by a TU students; 3. We reached poultry producers and informed them about the upcoming technology; 4. Involved students graduated with knowledge in biogas production OUTCOMES: Still too early to measure tangible outcomes DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: Still to come next year FUTURE INITIATIVES: We plan to complete construct of the pilot plant in 2010 with the help of EARTH University in Costa Rica

Impacts
Not yet measured; will be done in 2010.

Publications

• No publications reported this period