Energy Production and Pollution Mitigation from Broilers Houses on Poultry Farms in Jamaica and Pennsylvania
Increasing energy demands and diminishing fuel supplies have left nations desirous of avenues to minimize their reliance on traditional energy sources and a need to infuse supplementary technologies. Biogas technology is one such trajectory that can contribute to the reduction of dependency on fossil fuel as well as allay environmentally problems. The University of Technology, Jamaica (UTech) and Pennsylvania State University (PSU), in pursuit of investigating the potential of biogas in the agricultural sectors of Jamaica and Pennsylvania, United States, sought to use biogas generated from livestock (chicken, swine and cow) waste as an alternative energy source. A 32 factorial design resulted in the construction of seven (7) laboratory scale biodigesters, each with a volumetric capacity of 8 L. Variations of the ratio, (i.e. chicken manure in combination with pig or cow manure) and retention time enabled the monitoring of biogas flow-rates, temperature, pH, residual mass along with percentage methane production. From the data collected mathematical models relating the flow-rate and percentage methane concentration were deduced in order to facilitate the design of a pilot scale digester on the Silverdene poultry farm in the Parish of St. Catherine, Jamaica.