Government lab that gives a crap pushes open source The US government wants you to use its software, and if you're into manure, so much the better. The Idaho National Laboratory (INL), part of the US Department of Energy, last week released a new round of open-source projects in the hope that the public will take its research and run with it. Known for its MOOSE physics …
"This bovine bounty accounts for about 2.5 per cent of annual greenhouse gas emissions in the US."
If the waste is digested aerobically all it will do is put back into the atmosphere the carbon dioxide that was recently removed by the grass on which the animal was fed. It's called the carbon cycle and we've known about it for years.
Digesting it anaerobically is a different matter unless you're able to effectively trap the methane and burn it.
Or do US farmers feed their stock on oil?
The EPA believes that methane has 28-36 times more Global Warming Potential than carbon dioxide. https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/understanding-global-warming-potentials
Whether you believe them or not, there are departments in the US Gov that do, and that's why they've gone to the bother of encouraging farmers to build digesters.
"Whether you believe them or not, there are departments in the US Gov that do, and that's why they've gone to the bother of encouraging farmers to build digesters."
I do believe it. That's why I'm a bit worried by the article. They're encouraging farmers to build anaerobic digesters. These are the ones which produce methane. But then it goes on to say that it might not be possible to sell the energy from the methane to make the process economical. If that's the case the methane might be released instead. Old fashioned muck spreading may be a bit smelly but it does result in aerobic breakdown and adds humus to the soil.
8^D !
"... more than 150 pounds of manure every day, and that's without access to social media."
My first and much needed laugh of the day.
And a hearty one it was!
This because I cannot upvote more than once.
Cheers.
So maybe of use to a few people other than the nuclear industry?
Sounds quite intriguing.
TBH I knew INL was in Indaho, but I mostly associated it with the place the US builds its test nuclear reactors (and some times blows them up).
Given the monster size of US commercial dairy (and pig and chicken) units I'm amazed they aren't all running anaerobic digestters for either constant temperature heating or electricity (IIRC one or two of the more advanced ones do run vehicles on it).
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