Browsing by Subject "Biogas"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Carbon Markets and Biogas Strategy in Indonesia
    (2020-04-24) Fitzpatrick, Robert
    In Indonesia, the world’s 4th most populated country, over 40% of the population continue to lack access to reliable energy sources. These ca. 28 million households then rely on the harvest and combustion of firewood to meet their daily cooking needs, contributing to deforestation, eutrophication, and respiratory diseases from breathing smoke in poorly ventilated households, one of the nation’s leading causes of premature death. One promising energy alternative to address these issues is biogas. Produced by the anaerobic digestion of organic matter (kitchen/farm waste, livestock dung) in a digestion chamber, biogas is a clean and renewable energy that can be produced at no cost by the households. Several programs have been initiated to disseminate this technology in Indonesia, however they have continuously failed to meet their distribution and compliance goals. Two national biogas programs initiated by the clients Su-re.co (Bali) and Hivos (Jakarta) using different digester models were investigated to determine the flaws and successes of each through water boiling tests, household air quality measurements, financial analyses, and conversations with end users. Recommendations were made to increase success through design changes, monitoring enhancements, and tailored sizing/model selection and financing strategies. A final recommendation for the most scalable and sustainable programs and digester designs was delivered to the Indonesia Domestic Biogas Program (IDBP) to allow a fully market-based solution to scale Indonesia’s biogas strategy.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Pursuing Pig-Poop Power A situation assessment of Duke University’s proposal to power a CHP plant using renewable biogas
    (2018-04-27) Hannon, Brendan
    Swine waste in North Carolina is a wicked problem that impacts human health, water quality, soil health and the global climate. Smithfield Foods, the largest hog producer in North Carolina (and the world) recently announced their intention to capture methane from their hog farms that could be used as a renewable biogas. This comes at a time when Duke University is searching for energy sources that will help it achieve its carbon neutrality goals. This report provides a situation assessment of the plan for Duke University to power a proposed Combined Heat and Power plant using renewable biogas from eastern North Carolina. The analysis considers the nascent biogas market as a part of the Food-Water-Energy nexus to identify necessary research to ensure such a market would be truly sustainable. The report concludes with a proposal that might address issues of nutrient cycling and environmental justice caused by the current system of CAFO hog production in North Carolina in addition to GHG emissions.