Since late September 2010 the project team has been busy fermenting and distilling farm waste produce. Although the liquor being produced is not for drinking, there should be something to celebrate at the end of it. The Far North Environment Centre and Far North EnviroLab teamed up to show how a low cost distil system can add value to on-farm waste products by converting them into beneficial by-products including renewable ethanol fuel, animal food stock and fertiliser (to view the related manual, click on the PDF download link at the bottom of this email).
Project description
This project aims to implement, investigate and demonstrate the feasibility of a low cost working system to add value to on-farm/growers/producers organic waste materials and improve sector sustainability. This will be achieved by the conversion of underutilised and problematic organic waste material into beneficial by-products including renewable fuel by distillation, and the fermented biomass into a sustainable animal food stock and fertiliser.
The issue/opportunity
The problem: At present significant volumes of underutilised and problematic organic waste material is generated in the growing and production of horticultural products.
The opportunity: The project provides an opportunity to improve production resource efficiency, and support the transfer of information, technology and knowledge within the sector. This opportunity is recognised by adding value to a number of problematic organic waste material products by transforming them into a number of valued and sustainable commodities (fuel, animal food stock, and fertiliser) that have direct beneficial impacts on reducing overheads and production costs, providing higher returns to the sector.
The context/background
Considerable volumes organic waste material is generated within the horticultural sector. The costs of organic waste disposal and environmental compliance can have detrimental effects on growers/manufacturers through reduced returns.
The potential broader sustainability advantages of this project include:
- Reducing the detrimental environmental impacts of waste disposal and the high cost to comply with environmental regulation
- Lessen the dependency and exposure to volatile fossil fuel and synthetic fertiliser markets
- Subsequently a net reduction in carbon emissions
Methods
- Carry out batch chemical analysis of each of the waste material dried biomass to determine the macro nutrients and trace elements
- Blend the different by-products to assess the effectiveness as animal feed or organic fertiliser
- Explain and demonstrate the use of denaturised ethanol as fuel in petrol driven farm machinery
- Demonstrate to growers the advantages of the blended biomass into a valued animal stock feed, and fertiliser
- Write up a design and working manual for the complete unit with all the specific components (to view the manual, click on the PDF download link at the bottom of this email)
- Transfer knowledge to interested parties
Progress to date
Five core horticultural farm waste produce materials and some additional fruits have been sourced and tested to determine the starch content of the organic matter. All the horticultural waste materials have then been fermented in incubators. The average sugar content of each product has been shown as: grapes, 15.0%; apples, 12.2%; pears, 10.0%; peaches, 7.6%; oranges, 5.4%; kiwi fruits 14.5%, Persimmon 13.6%.
Each fermented product has then been processed through a reflux distil to increase the alcohol volume of the solution. A molecular sieve process to reduce moisture has been tested and used to further increase the alcohol volume of each solution. The distillation of the horticultural waste provided the following yield figures:
- Waste Kiwi fruit; 1000 kg provided 63.5 litre of alcohol
- Waste Persimmon; 1000 kg provided 61 litre of alcohol
- Waste Plum; 100 kg provided 5.5 litre of alcohol
- Waste grapes; 100 kg provided 5.9 litre of alcohol
- Waste avocados; 1000 kg provided 19.5 litre of alcohol
In addition, the chemical analysis of each dried biomass batch to determine the macro nutrients and trace elements in the fermentation mash has now been established. The results of the analyses have indicated the optimal blend of different products to provide a useful animal feed or organic fertiliser.
Through a number of workshops the complete pilot plant and manual have been displayed, including production of animal food and organic fertiliser. The project has provided an opportunity to improve production resource efficiency, and support the transfer of information, technology and knowledge within the sector. The opportunity is recognised by adding value to a number of problematic organic waste material products by transforming them into a number of valued and sustainable commodities (fuel, animal food stock, and fertiliser) that have direct beneficial impacts on reducing overheads and production costs, providing higher returns to the sector. In addition to these potential direct improvements to the bottom line, there are broader sustainability advantages which include reducing the detrimental environmental impacts of waste disposal and the high cost of complying with regulation, reduced dependency and exposure to volatile fossil fuel and synthetic fertiliser markets, and consequently a net reduction in carbon emissions. The working system will have to be at least cost neutral to be beneficial to users.
It is hoped to advance the project to the next stage now support provided by the Sustainable Farming Fund has concluded. To achieve this goal the project team are working on plant efficiency improvements, and are exploring options for producer and community co-operation to develop an onsite working system.
For more information:
To contact the Far North Environment Centre, click here
To contact the Far North EnviroLab, click here
To view the related manual, click on the PDF download link below:
The project has been partly supported through the Sustainable Farming Fund which is administered by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
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