Project description
'Cleaner' manure leads to enhanced crop yields and increased industrial biogas production
Cows have become relatively infamous for the 'natural gas' released from both their ends because of the methane-producing microbes in their gut. What most people do not know is that manure continues to host these microbes, releasing even more methane into the atmosphere. To make matters worse, this microbial activity and gas production decreases valuable nutrients, meaning that manure stored for use as an organic fertiliser or for biogas generation is less effective in target applications. The EU-funded GasAbate N-plus project has developed technology that inhibits methane-producing microbes, nearly eliminating greenhouse gas emissions. Further, it traps valuable nitrogen and allows the beneficial decomposition of solids in manure to continue. The technology has had tremendous success in increasing manure's efficiency in biogas production and crop growth, and now the team are taking it to market.
Objective
Animal manure is a valuable resource as an organic fertilizer or as feedstock for biogas generation by Anaerobic Digestion (AD). 70% of all manure in the EU is stored for up to 6 months. During storage manure is decomposed by microbial activity, and carbon- and nitrogen-based greenhouse gases (GHG) are emitted. Loss of nutrients from decomposition results in manure becoming a less valuable resource such that: (i) farmers must buy large amounts of chemical fertiliser (ii) AD plants do not realise their potential renewable biogas output.
Fertiliser purchase is the 2nd largest variable cost to EU farmers. Stored manures account for 16% of all GHG emissions from EU agriculture.
Several methods have been proposed to reduce GHG emissions from stored manure but these are ineffective, costly and challenging to implement. GlasPort Bio has developed an innovative platform technology to eliminate GHG emissions from organic residues and manures that specifically inhibits methane-producing microbes and traps nitrogen, while allowing the beneficial microbial breakdown of manure solids to proceed. GasAbate N+ is GBP’s lead product in development. It is added in powdered tablet form to stored dairy and beef manures. GasAbate N+ has been independently-tested and validated in controlled trials.
After 14 weeks, treated dairy manure compared with untreated:
Emitted >98% less GHG
Had an increased nitrogen content (> 33%)
Enhanced crop yields (by 15-30%) as a fertiliser
Displaced chemical fertilizers (by 29%)
Increased biogas output by 38% during AD
GasAbate N+ is safe, has no environmentally harmful residues and contains only food-safe ingredients.
No capital or implementation costs are required to deliver this simple, cost-effective solution. Immediate economic savings are made by all users by use of the product. This EIC project proposes to complete the remaining pre-commercial and technology validation work required to bring GasAbate N+ to the point of market launch in 2023
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Funding Scheme
SME-2 - SME instrument phase 2Coordinator
H91W60E GALWAY
Ireland
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.