Overview
Thailand Small Scale Livestock Waste Management Program was developed by the Energy Research and Development Institute – Nakornping of Chiang Mai University (ERDI). The activity has aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from piggeries manure by converting anaerobic lagoons to flow closed anaerobic treatment digesters with biogas capture and power generation in Thailand. ERDI had provided complete Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) services to the participating farms, as well as additional technical support for waste management systems operating and monitoring. These technical capacities provided by ERDI ensured the long-term sustainability of the project activity.
The treatment of livestock manure by way of anaerobic digester processes leads to the production of a biogas consisting of 60% methane. Most farms in Thailand employ normal scraping and hose-down cleaning of the animal waste with a series of anaerobic lagoons within the farm premises. This waste material is left to decay in the individual facility’s anaerobic lagoon system, producing significant amounts of methane that is emitted directly to the atmosphere. These livestock waste management practices contribute to significant air (odor) and water pollution in the areas close to the farms. The project has applied anaerobic digesters which capture the biogas and use it to generate electricity for on-farm consumption or sale to national grid.
Benefits
In addition to improving the local environment quality, the project has also delivered local community benefits related to the creation of new jobs during the construction, operation and maintenance stages of the livestock wastewater management system and to the utilization of methane gas as renewable energy resource for the farms. The project activities can also be replicated in other farms around the country which would lead to environmental awareness related to livestock waste management, renewable energy and climate change.