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ARS Home » Plains Area » Bushland, Texas » Conservation and Production Research Laboratory » Livestock Nutrient Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #381471
Research Project: Improved Practices to Conserve Air Quality, Maintain Animal Productivity, and Enhance Use of Manure and Soil Nutrients of Cattle Production Systems for the Southern Great Plains

Location: Livestock Nutrient Management Research

Title: Estimated energy model from bio-methane generated with hydraulic fracturing wastewater and beef cattle manure

Author
item Thompson, Terra
item RHOADES, MARTY - West Texas A & M University
item Parker, David
item BLASER, BROCK - West Texas A & M University

Submitted to: ASABE Annual International Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/19/2021
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Wastewater from hydraulic fracturing (HF) and manure from beef cattle production are two of the largest waste streams in the Texas Panhandle. The objectives of this research were to 1) evaluate the potential of generating bio-methane (CH4), a renewable natural gas, from the combination of HF wastewater and beef manure through anaerobic digestion (AD), and 2) simulate the annual amount of energy produced from these two waste streams. The research included a laboratory study and the development of a dynamic systems model. Substrate combinations of manure mixed with produced and flowback water (PFW), well water (WW), and a 50/50 mix of the two, were evaluated at four moisture contents (MC; 65, 70, 80, and 90%). Manure was harvested from the West Texas A&M University WTAMU Research Feedlot. The PFW was collected from a HF operation in the Texas Panhandle. Regression analyses were used to predict bio-methane production based on MC for each water type. The regression model statement for WW was y = -2,176 + 59.3 x, which indicated that CH4 volume (ml) increased with increasing MC. Conversely, CH4 volume decreased with increasing MC for the 50/50 mix (y = 2.94x109e-0.199x) and PFW (y = 343,662e-0.118x). Regression model statements from the biogas data were used in the energy estimation model, which simulated feedyard manure production and the amount of diesel and electricity generated from AD. The optimum MC for PFW was 70%, with simulated results of 59,800 L of fuel and 139,200 kwh of electricity. These results were for raw methane and did not account for cleaning/upgrading gains or losses of CH4.