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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 #384613
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: Model of estimated energy 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: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/12/2021
Publication Date: 7/12/2021
Citation: Campbell, T.N., Rhoades, M.B., Parker, D.B., Blaser, B.C. 2021. Model of estimated energy from bio-methane generated with hydraulic fracturing wastewater and beef cattle manure. ASABE Annual International Meeting. https://doi.org/10.13031/aim.202100518.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.13031/aim.202100518

Interpretive Summary: Horizontal drilling wastewater from oil and gas operations, and manure from beef feeding operations are two of the largest sources of waste in the Texas Panhandle. The potential exist that these wastes could be used as sources for natural gas generation. However, knowledge of the feasibility of such generation is lacking. Scientists from West Texas A&M University and ARS (Bushland, Texas) conducted laboratory experiments and developed equations and models to determine the optimum ratio of to use beef cattle manure, drilling wastewater and well water for natural gas production. The model predicted that energy can be generated with these waste sources, but that the most energy was generated with a combination of well water and manure. These results are of interest to both agricultural and energy-producing stakeholders.

Technical Abstract: Wastewater from hydraulic fracturing (HF) and manure from beef cattle production are two of the largest waste streams in the Texas Panhandle. Bio-methane, also known as renewable natural gas (RNG), is the cleaned or upgraded biogas that has been generated in anaerobic digesters. The cleaned or upgraded product can be used to generate electricity, heat, steam, replace or supplement natural gas, and can be upgraded to biofuel for use in vehicles. The objective of this research was to simulate the annual amount of energy that can be produced from these two waste streams. Data from a laboratory biogas generation study was used in 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 Research Feedlot. The PFW was collected from a HF operation in the Texas Panhandle. Regression model statements from the biogas study data were used in the energy estimation model, which simulated feedyard manure production and potential methane production from anaerobic digestion (AD). The model then simulates the amount of energy that can be generated from bio-methane. The optimum MC for PFW was 65%, with simulated results of 28,650 L of fuel and 47,600 kWh of electricity annually.