Cow Power to Horsepower: Sustainable Transportation for Whatcom County

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Cow Power to Horsepower Sustainable
Transportation for Whatcom County

• Vehicle Research Institute
• Western Washington University
• Eric Leonhardt
• Director

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• Vehicle Research Institute Background
• Special Thanks
• Petroleum Challenges
• Happy Cows
• Dairy Waste Challenges
• Anaerobic Digester Benefits
• Electrical Power or Transportation Fuel?
• Questions

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Vehicle History
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Thank you.
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• Vehicle Research Institute Background
• Officially founded in 1975 by Dr. Michael Seal
• Four year program with two undergraduate degree
  options
• B.S. in Industrial Technology
• B.S. in Plastics Engineering Technology/Vehicle
  Engineering Technology
• Post Baccalaureate option for students with an
  engineering degree
• Over 100 students total with 20-30 graduates per
  year
• The VRI challenges students with a project-based
  approach focused on the design, engineering, and
  construction of vehicles, engines and
  transmissions. Students may work on projects
  for industry, funded research, or VRI vehicles.
• Over 40 vehicles produced since Viking I in 1972.
  The VRI has set records from the Australian
  Outback (1990), up Pikes Peak (1992), across
  the Bonneville Salt Flats, and around the
  Indianapolis Motor Speedway (1989). Viking
  vehicles have won awards from the DOE, EPA, Tour
  de Sol, Urban Vehicle Challenge, California Clean
  Air Race, General Motors Sunrayce USA, and the
  Student Engineered Economy Design Rally.

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Petroleum Challenges

• Transportation Dependence
• Energy Security
• Peak Oil
• Emissions
• Global Warming

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Petroleum Challenges Opportunity

• Transportation Dependence
• Energy Security
• Peak Oil
• Emissions
• Global Warming

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Happy Cows
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Dairy Waste Challenges

• Water Quality
• Air Quality
• Global Warming Potential
• Economic Cost

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Global Warming Potential

• International Panel on Climate Change Methane
  is 23 times more effective than Carbon Dioxide
• Global Emissions of Methane 540 teragrams/year
  (tera trillion)
• Global Emissions from Ruminants (cattle, sheep,
  goats, deer) 12-15 of global total

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Potential Solution Anaerobic Digester
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Anaerobic Digester Benefits

1. Creates three product streams while reducing
   waste biogas, slurry, and solid
2. Biogas is 60 methane, 40 carbon dioxide and
   0.3 hydrogen sulfide gas
3. Burn methane to produce electricity (280-350 kW)
4. Near pathogen-free liquid slurry causes fewer
   run-off issues
5. Solids are 98 pathogen free and may be mixed
   with straw to reduce bedding costs
6. Dr. Craig MacConnell, WSU Extension, developed a
   peat moss substitute
7. Community food/food processing waste may be added
   

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Andgar Corporation
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Puget Sound Energy purchases power
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Digester Electrical Power Challenges

• Capital cost of 1.2 million(2004)
• Power revenue 110,000-230,000/year
• Electrical power equipment 60 cost
• Requires innovative, willing power utility
• Hydrogen sulfide damages engine
• Grid may not be able to accept power
• Air quality regulations on I.C. engines

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Solution Biomethane for Transportation

• Is it possible?
• What is the quantity of the fuel?
• What will it cost?
• Are there any additional benefits?
• What additional challenges exist?

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What is the fuel quantity?

• 80,000 cows 60 ft3 4.8x106 ft3/day CH4
• 4.8x106 ft3 1000 BTU/ ft3 4.8x109 BTU
• 4.8x109 BTU / 115,500 BTU/gal (gasoline)
• Result 41,558 gallons of gasoline equivalent
  energy per day
• Over 15 million gallons of gasoline equivalent
  energy per year

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What will it cost? Digester Economics

• Relate electrical energy production to value of
  CH4gas
• 667 cowssubstrate 120 scf/min or 4320 scf CH4
  /hr
• Produce 330 kWh_at_ 0.087 28.71/hour
• 4320 scf/28.71 150 scf/1
• Heating value of CH4 1000 BTU/ft3 _at_ 100 CH4
• BTU per 1000 BTU/ft3 x 150 scf/1 150,000
  BTU/1
• Gasoline 115,000 BTU/gallon or GGE, gasoline
  gal. equiv.
• 1/150,470 BTU 115,500 BTU/gal. 0.77/gal.
• Compare with Gasoline at 3.03/gallon (West Coast
  avg)

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Additional Benefits Global Warming Opportunity

• Dairy waste from Washingtons 250,000 cows
  create nearly 40 million kg of methane per year
• Washington Dairies can produce the equivalent
  of 810 million kg carbon dioxide net
• EPA Average car produces 5195 kg carbon
  dioxide per year (12,000 miles)
• Anaerobic digesters could remove the global
  warming potential of 120,000 cars in Whatcom
  County

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WWU Prototype Upgrading Facility
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Solution Biomethane for Transportation

• Support reduction of dairy waste impact by
  improving economics of anaerobic digester
• Biomethane is sold at 0.77 per gasoline
  equivalent gallon (GGE) , natural gas at SEATAC
  is 1.87-2.50/GGE (variable)
• Power 20-40,000 vehicles in Whatcom County with
  9-11 million GGE per year
• Reduce Global Warming Potential
• Low emissions of natural gas

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Additional Benefit Emissions
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Tour de Sol
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Second Generation
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Challenges Biomethane for Transportation

• 9 million CNG vehicles worldwideOnly 300,000 in
  USA
• Conversion cost of vehicles
• Cost of compression and tank storage
• Cost of refinement
• Location of dairy relative to fleet location
• Lack of Experience with biomethane

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Results
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Thank You!

• April 2007
• Award Winner
• EPA People Prosperity Planet