Pannaan haisemaan! Biokaasusta sähköä, miten bioenergiaa tuotetaan? - Linnanahteen Energiamurros

Summary

The script follows reporter Aki Linnanahde as he explores innovative methods of harnessing methane from cow manure and human biowaste to generate electricity and fertilizer. Visiting a farm and a biogas facility, Aki witnesses the process of converting waste into energy, reducing CO2 emissions. He also humorously engages in hands-on experiences, including a mini biogas experiment, emphasizing the potential of waste management in combating climate change.

Takeaways

• 🌱 The script discusses the methane emissions from livestock, particularly cows, and how they contribute to climate change.
• 🐄 A single cow can produce between 250 to 800 liters of methane daily, which is a significant concern for the environment.
• 🔋 There is technology available to collect and utilize methane from cow manure, turning it into a source of energy.
• 🌡️ The process involves collecting manure and urine, which can produce 17 kilowatt hours of energy per day.
• 🏭 The script introduces a farm that uses an automated system to collect manure and convert it into energy, meeting all its electricity needs.
• ♻️ The leftover from the methane production process is a valuable fertilizer, making the entire system environmentally beneficial.
• 🌐 The script also covers a larger-scale biogas facility that processes biowaste from a town, showcasing the potential of waste management.
• 🚗 The biogas facility not only produces electricity but also heat and fuel for transportation, demonstrating a multifaceted approach to energy production.
• 🌿 The script highlights the potential of using biowaste to produce carbon-neutral energy, reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
• 🔬 The process involves the use of microbes to break down waste in a reactor, releasing methane, which is then harvested for various uses.

Q & A

What is the main issue discussed in the script related to animals on farms?

The main issue discussed is the production of methane by animals, particularly cows, which is a concern due to its contribution to climate change.

How much methane does a single cow produce daily according to the script?

A single cow produces roughly 250 to 800 liters of methane daily.

What is a potential solution to reduce the methane emissions from cows mentioned in the script?

The script suggests collecting a part of the methane produced by cows and using it to generate energy, which can help mitigate its impact on the climate.

What is the role of Janne Käpylehto in the script?

Janne Käpylehto is brought along by the reporter Aki Linnanahde to help explain the process of reducing CO2 emissions and the mechanics of the methane collection system.

How much electricity can be produced from the waste of 350 cows according to the script?

The script states that the production of energy from the waste of 350 cows translates into 17 kilowatt hours.

What is the maximum power output of the energy system described at the farm?

The maximum power output of the energy system at the farm is 50 kWs, but it produces over 45 kWs consistently.

How does the excess electricity generated by the farm's system get utilized?

The excess electricity is sold back to the national grid at market-priced exchange cost.

What additional benefit is provided by the waste processing system described in the script?

The system not only produces electricity but also creates a fertilizer that is better than conventional ones when spread on fields.

What is the annual electricity production of the farm's system as mentioned in the script?

The script mentions that the farm's system produces 200,000 kWh of electricity annually.

How does the biogas facility in Forssa handle the biowaste from the town?

The biogas facility in Forssa processes all the biowaste from the town, converting it into biogas, which is then used to produce heat, electricity, and fuel for traffic.

What is the annual production of biogas at the Forssa facility according to the script?

The script states that the Forssa facility produces 32 gigawatt hours worth of gas annually.

Outlines

00:00

🐄 Cow Methane Emissions and Energy Production

The script introduces the issue of methane emissions from cows, which contribute to climate change. Aki Linnanahde, a reporter, visits a farm to explore how these emissions can be reduced. He learns that a system is in place to collect methane from cow manure, which is then used to produce energy. The process involves collecting manure, which is then combined with urine to produce biogas. This biogas is used to generate electricity and heat, with the farm being able to produce all of its required electricity and even sell excess back to the grid. The script also humorously describes the reporter's discomfort with the physical aspects of handling manure and his experience with the farm's operations.

05:02

🌱 Transforming Cow Manure into Fertilizer and Energy

This paragraph delves into the process of collecting and treating cow excrement to produce both electricity and a valuable fertilizer. The script describes how the manure is moved to a dome where it is broken down by microbes, releasing methane gas. This methane is then used to generate electricity, with any excess sold. The remaining material from the dome is a rich fertilizer for fields. The reporter, Aki, humorously interacts with the process, even attempting to create his own mini-biogas reactor using cow manure. The segment highlights the potential for waste products to be repurposed into useful resources, reducing environmental impact.

10:05

🚚 Waste Management and Biogas Production in Forssa

The script shifts focus to the town of Forssa, where a biogas facility processes biowaste from residents. The facility receives and processes a significant amount of waste, converting it into biogas. The reporter engages in the process, humorously navigating the challenges of handling waste and operating machinery. The facility's operations are detailed, including the separation of biowaste from packaging and the conversion of sludge and fats into gas. The script also touches on the environmental benefits of such facilities, which not only reduce waste but also harness it for energy production.

15:29

🌐 Scaling Up Biogas Production for Community Use

The final paragraph of the script describes the large-scale biogas facility in Forssa, which converts biowaste into biogas for various uses, including electricity, heat, and vehicle fuel. The reporter visits the facility, learning about the process of converting waste into energy and the significant environmental benefits of this approach. The facility's output is substantial, with the ability to power many homes and vehicles. The script concludes with a reflection on the trip and the potential of biogas as a renewable energy source, emphasizing the importance of utilizing waste in a sustainable manner.

Keywords

💡Methane

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that contributes significantly to global warming. In the context of the video, methane is produced by cows as part of their digestive process, specifically through the release of gas during rumination. The video discusses innovative methods to collect and utilize this methane, turning it into a resource for energy production, which is a key theme of the video. For instance, the script mentions that 'A single cow produces roughly 250 - 800 liters of methane daily into the atmosphere.'

💡Biogas

Biogas is a type of gas produced by the breakdown of organic matter in the absence of oxygen, which can be used as a source of energy. The video script describes how biogas is generated from cow manure and other biowaste, emphasizing its potential as a renewable energy source. The script illustrates this with the line, 'Such a system can be found here. They say you can not make candy out of shit, but you can make energy out of it.'

💡Ruminants

Ruminants are mammals with a specialized stomach that allows them to break down cellulose from plant material, such as cows. The video highlights the methane emissions from these animals, which is a concern for climate change. The script states, '350 cows are basking under the summer sun. They like the hay, and that there is the start of rumination.'

💡Agrarian Society

An agrarian society is one primarily focused on farming and agriculture. The video mentions the historical context of the country's wealth being linked to its agricultural practices, which is relevant to the current discussion on managing agricultural waste and emissions. The script references this with the phrase, 'Back in the day, agrarian society put our country among the rich western countries.'

💡CO2-emissions

CO2-emissions refer to the release of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere. The video discusses ways to reduce these emissions, particularly through the capture and utilization of methane from agricultural activities. The script mentions, 'In this program I will talk about how CO2-emissions can be reduced.'

💡Bioprocess

A bioprocess is a biologically mediated process, often used in the context of waste management and energy production. The video describes a bioprocess that turns cow manure into a valuable resource, both as a fertilizer and as a source of energy. The script uses the term when discussing the end product of the manure treatment: '...as a better fertilizer, than what it would be without this bioprocess.'

💡Digestate

Digestate is the solid or liquid organic output from an anaerobic digestion or biogas plant. The video script mentions the use of digestate as a fertilizer, highlighting the circular economy aspect of converting waste into valuable resources. An example from the script is, 'After the digestate leaves the reactor, the bacterium coli among other things are eliminated by heating up the digestate to 70 °C.'

💡Anaerobic Digestion

Anaerobic digestion is a process in which organic material is decomposed by bacteria in an oxygen-free environment, resulting in biogas, which is primarily methane and carbon dioxide. The video discusses this process as a means to harness methane from biowaste. The script describes the process: 'In there, microbes chew on and reduce the stuff in size. At the same time, methane is released, which is naturally, then, harvested.'

💡Carbon Neutral

Carbon neutral refers to a state where the net carbon dioxide emissions are zero, often achieved by balancing emissions with an equivalent amount of carbon offsets or by capturing and storing carbon. The video emphasizes the carbon-neutral aspect of utilizing biogas, suggesting it as a sustainable solution. The script states, 'All of that we can utilize, refine, use it to make electricity, heat, or fuel to drive cars on. Carbon neutrally, with no emissions.'

💡Biowaste

Biowaste refers to organic waste materials that are produced from biological sources. The video script discusses the collection and processing of biowaste, such as food scraps and manure, to produce biogas and fertilizer. An example from the script is, 'All of Forssa's biowaste is brought here. Roughly 100 kilos per resident is accumulated every year.'

Highlights

Agricultural fields in the country play a significant role in feeding a large number of meat-producing animals.

Methane emissions from these animals are a concern, but there are ways to mitigate their impact on the climate.

Aki Linnanahde investigates the potential of reducing CO2 emissions through innovative farming practices.

Lähteenmäki farm demonstrates a system for collecting methane from cow manure, contributing positively to the climate.

A single cow can produce 250-800 liters of methane daily, which can be partially collected for energy production.

The farm's energy production system is compact and efficient, generating up to 45 kWs consistently.

The farm's system not only produces energy but also creates a valuable fertilizer from the bioprocess.

The process of methane collection and energy production is described in detail, from cowhouse to generator.

The farm's energy system is self-sufficient, with excess electricity fed into the national grid.

The Envor biogas facility in Forssa manages biowaste from the town, converting it into biogas and fertilizer.

The facility processes a significant amount of waste, equivalent to 100 kilos per resident annually.

Methane harvested from the biogas facility is used to produce electricity and heat, with surplus sold for use in traffic.

The biogas facility's operations are largely automated, with a monitoring room overseeing the entire process.

The sanitized digestate from the biogas process is used as a high-quality fertilizer for agriculture.

The facility's methane production is substantial, with 32 gigawatt hours of gas produced annually.

The biogas facility's operations are carbon neutral, offering a sustainable solution for waste management.

The potential of using biogas for various applications, including electricity, heat, and transportation fuel, is explored.

Transcripts

Pure nature. A cow is mooing on a field out there.

And we have plenty of fields in this country.

Back in the day, agrarian society put our country among -

the rich western countries. All 2,3 million hectares of these fields -

that we have, in part serve in feeding roughly 400 million -

meat producing animals. But there is a small problem related to these animals.

They produce methane, or in layman's terms, they shit.

I am Aki Linnanahde. A curious reporter by my nature.

There are quite a few horror scenarios in media these days.

I decided to go out and see if things really are that bad.

And they are not. In this program I will talk about how CO2 -emissions -

can be reduced. And as I was not always awake at physics classes, -

I brought along Janne Käpylehto.

Lähteenmäki farm. 350 cows are basking under the summer sun.

They like the hay, and that there is the start of rumination.

A single cow produces roughly 250 - 800 liters of methane daily -

into the atmosphere. That is not a good thing. But it is possible -

to collect a part of that, which does some good to the climate.

Such a system can be found here. They say you can not make -

candy out of shit, but you can make energy out of it. I want to see that.

Howdy. I heard you can make electricity of this, so I picked it up.

Let's get down to business, then, eh? - A nice try, but you got it manually.

We talk about... not a bucketful, but tons of it.

In fact about 20 tons. But if you want to be of help somehow, -

Of course I want to help. - ...you could clean up those piles.

This is it, the very thing that cows produce.

Oh for crying out loud. When you add the other element, urine, into this, -

the amount is about 100 kilos in a day.

In production of energy, that translates into 17 kilowatt hours.

Not a shitty thing, that, huh? I start to miss radio a bit here.

Linnanahde is far away from his comfort zone now.

The cows are social creatures alright, but I do not think -

I need to try this again later.

There are 300 cows in the cowhouse on a daily basis. Each of them -

cranks out a hundred liters of that rear end stuff.

That is roughly speaking 30 000 liters a day. An automated system -

collects it all, as the idea is to turn it into energy.

So, what are we seeing here now? - Partially we see the cowhouse, -

where the shit comes from into this system. It is then, pumped in that dome.

After that, it moves over to that container. The dry stuff gets -

separated there. Once it has been long enough in the dome, -

the mills will grind all the dry parts away and separate them.

After that, it is pumped to containers over there.

Gas production takes place in the dome. The gas is then transferred -

to that container, where the generator is.

So this is where the magic happens.

A part of it, yes. This is where... once the gas is produced, -

then the gas comes here through a pipe. Here it turns into electricity, -

and heat. - I am confused by the small size.

I imagined this would be a massive plant, but it's surprisingly compact.

The power generated does not need to be big.

It is 50 kWs at max, but it produces over 45 kWs all the time.

So the mills grind all the time, they keep doing the work.

Can you tell me... I am sure you use up a lot of electricity here at the farm.

By that I don't mean you blow-dry your hair. What proportion of -

all the required electricity is produced with this system?

Practically all of it. - All of it?

Yes. And there is some left over, too.

Where does that excess go to, then? - At the moment, it goes to -

the national grid at the market priced exchange cost.

So, at the same time, you have started to produce electricity?

Yes, in practice I am producing it, too.

What is this for a frigging apparatus, then?

It is, in a way, kind of like a slow juice squeezer.

A what? - A juice squeezer. Along with the -

dehydrant, the liquid part goes to the containers.

In there, it functions, when spread on the fields, -

as a better fertilizer, than what it would be without this bioprocess.

All of this makes up for quite an interesting piece of work.

First you collect all of the excrement from the cowhouse.

Then it is moved over to a dome for some weeks.

In the dome, microbes disintegrate the excrement and methane is harvested.

Of that methane, the small but efficient generator makes the required -

electricity for the farm. The excess part of the electricity will be sold.

200 000 kWh annually. And as the icing on the cake, -

the stuff coming out of the dome is a very good fertilizer for the fields.

OK. I am at the dome. I sneaked in here. I am not sure -

where I am, exactly. But look at this. This is by no means brown wallpaper.

No, this is... this is liquid... scheisse.

Scheisse, said the German. Look, the surface is up here.

And the whole time it is making bubbles, they keep -

working at the stuff. I do not even want to know what this lever is.

During a long day of shooting, you will naturally get hungry.

My friends in the film crew dashed out frantically in that direction.

I was left here with these. Thanks, guys.

But not to worry. Luckily I have good friends here. That means you, Janne.

Were you about to barbeque? - Apparently, yes.

I see. But let's not do it too easily, as we are in this environment.

I got good biogas stuff here. Here is the barbeque.

A big balloon. A drill for you. You can build your own little biogas reactor.

At last. - You have to remember to seal it, too.

Here is a hose for that. It's all here, tape, cable ties.

50 kilos of cow's you know what in there.

That's really good even for a little reactor. It will produce -

in three weeks under ideal circumstances a cubic meter of methane.

Send me a picture when you are ready. Bye!

The essential thing when making something is to talk about us.

Though actually I am all by myself here.

With these, at the yard of Nurmijärvi junior high, I... Well, no more of that.

This is good now. And then...

I did this once already! Why couldn't you use that?!

Then there is something called the gas cylinder.

I would say, that compared to the BS a beginning radio speaker talks, -

this amounts to a rough third of a radio broadcast.

Then we add the water. This is important, if I remember Janne's words.

Now I will leave this Crock-Pot here to stew, we will wait a while.

I might tell you a bit about my aunt Kaarina here.

She lives in Lahti, as soon as you come from...

IN THE MEANWHILE, METHANE IS PRODUCED

Well that was an interesting bit. But here time has done its job.

Methane has, indeed, gone in this balloon.

An unbelievable reaction has taken place.

Let's fire up the barbeque. I will just take this off.

I will actually feed these to our director.

This is the next level shit of flambéing.

We will eat soon. There, now uncle Aki feels a bit better having eaten.

Quite cool, that energy facility at a farm.

It is things like these, that will radically reduce CO2 -emissions.

Something bothers me though. Is it true that only the methane -

from animals is harvested? How about the crown of creation, man?

For this purpose we have just the place. A vibrant, medium sized village.

Forssa. A busy town, originally built around a spinning mill.

Many celebrities come from here. For example, Jonna Tervomaa -

and many others. All in all, there are about 16 000 inhabitants in the town.

Each of them produces dozens of kilos of biowaste annually.

When you multiply that by the number of inhabitants, the amount of waste -

produced is hundreds of thousands of kilos annually. That is a lot.

It's nice here. Envor biogas facility.

Three hectares of the best of waste management. Three digesting tanks -

with the volume of 2500 cubic meters. All of Forssa's biowaste -

is brought here. Roughly 100 kilos per resident is accumulated every year.

Which is a huge amount. But the good side to all of this is, that -

methane will harvested from this. Somehow I feel they could even put me -

to good use. This is the place, all of the biowaste in the area comes to.

And you sure can smell that. There is a ton of that stuff there!

And then there are waste bananas here from this area.

They are processed and turned into gas.

Hi there. - Hello. You came to do some real work?

Looks like it, yeah. - Could you cut open the bands -

on those crates? - Did you say: "cut open the glands"?

Bands. - Bands on the crates.

Looks like you can take care of things here. I will go for a cup of coffee.

You go ahead and unload those stacks. You'll be fine.

Well, let's start her up. By the way, how do I do that?

There are all these levers and gadgets here...

The steering wheel, I know that one. I think the teddy there is a bit kinky.

What will come of this? Bloody hell...

Damn it! For such a big machine, this is pretty quick to react.

But so am I.

Aw bollocks. Come on now. That's it...

God damn it.

That went just fine. I can do something else, too, if that's OK.

The facility receives all kinds of waste from the area.

The waste in packages and bags is crushed, and the biowaste is -

separated from packages. Then the waste moves on to the digesting tanks.

The sludge and fats from the area are also gathered in here.

I drove around a bit at the loading bridge there.

The thing is, the banana crates... - Yes, I noticed. You left it -

for us to clean up. Here we have our monitoring room.

From there we see the entire process. We will make sure the system works.

We can start the necessary sub-processes from here.

We'll see to all machines running properly.

There is a lot of information here to manage. It's a big relief, that -

automation takes care of a lot of things. Each control point has -

its own identifier, if you look at this. - 82? That's like a nice temperature -

for going to sauna at. - True. This is a sanitation chamber.

After the digestate leaves the reactor, the bacterium coli among -

other things are eliminated by heating up the digestate to 70 °C.

In there, the digestate will stay for an hour before being pumped onwards.

How much stuff comes in here? - About 60 000 tons a year.

What leaves this place? - Gas, fertilizer for agriculture.

Packaging plastic... - Electricity.

Electricity, yes. - If I was to throw in -

a kilo of bananas, what distance can I drive a gas operated car using that?

Roughly 1,5 kilometers. - The more bananas...

...the further you can drive.

Is there something I can do? I am full of energy.

That is just great. We can go tickle our Big Jenna.

Who is she?

So we are heading downwards. - Yes. We'll go to the reactor vault.

Mind your head. - I must say I have not -

been to a place like this before.

What is going through in here? - 27 meters of sludge above us.

Do not turn that valve. - Which one?

Any of them. - The sludge will move if I turn this?

Yeah, yeah. 2500 cubic meters of it, pressurized.

I specifically told them I suffer from the fear of heights.

It is as if the smell of shit follows me up.

And it does, by the way.

How far is it still ahead?

Don't look down, don't look down.

Help me...

Like so. We are there now.

It's windy up here. And smells like shit.

Underneath me there are 2700 cubic meters of biowaste.

The depth of this tank is 26 meters. Think, if you should fall in...

Or rather it's best you don't think about it. There are three of these here.

Out of these, biowaste is converted into biogas. Then it heads out of here.

This is a biogas facility, Forssa.

HELLO TO KURONEN!

That is where the gas is harvested to. But we have seen these spheres.

I created a methane balloon myself. Basically this is very simple.

A continuous stream of biodegradable materials comes in.

I am talking about 165 00 kilos a day. It is mixed and put in a reactor.

In there, microbes chew on and reduce the stuff in size.

At the same time, methane is released, which is naturally, then, harvested.

The remaining mass will be heated up to produce excellent fertilizer.

Methane is used to produce heat, and in here, also electricity.

And that electricity is produced by the toughest chick in the entire Forssa.

Big Jenna. Samuli, is this Big Jenna here?

Yes, that's her. - She is big.

Sure is. We use this to make, not just our own electricity, but -

for sale as well. - They sent me here, can I do something?

Sure. There you have your first plug.

I can't make it even budge. Shit! This is unreal...

Put those muscles to work.

Take that rag and polish up things. I can change those later.

She is Big Jenna of Forssa. 3,5 gigawatts, that equals to 1750 -

two room flats being powered by waste alone.

V 20. This has got to be one of the weirdest -

presentations ever. This facility apparently runs in a similar -

way than the one we had at the farm. Except here they make heat on top of -

electricity for homes, and fuel for traffic. These are produced quite a lot.

There is 32 gigawatt hours worth of gas produced annually.

Of that, 3,5 gigawatt's of electricity and 5,5 gigawatts of heat are produced.

The rest goes to industry, or to fuel the traffic.

It has been quite a trip! All the things I have been -

able to see, wonder and get acquainted with. All of that stuff, that would -

otherwise normally go up into the atmosphere. Biowaste, -

stuff we people and animals produce. All of that we can utilize, -

refine, use it to make electricity, heat, or fuel to drive cars on.

Carbon neutrally, with no emissions.

Subtitles: Spoken Ltd. / Tony Hollanti