Currently, small rural dairy farmers in the city of Araranguá in the south of Santa Catarina State using liquefied petroleum gas (LGP) for hot water heating to wash their milking machines. The usage of this fossil fuel increases the production cost and releases CO2-Emissions. In parallel, the correct disposal of cow manure is a challenge that encompasses technical, health and economic aspects. The installation of a low-cost anaerobic digester fed with cattle manure can contribute addressing these challenges, by reducing negative social and environmental impacts of dairy farm activities. The purpose of this project is to implement a low-cost biodigester as well as to assess the behavior of anaerobic digestion and biogas production. The biogas then will be used for water heating, substituting the LGP, reducing CO2-Emissions and lowering production costs.
Tasks will be:
• Studying the basic theoretical foundations on biomass, bioenergy and biogas from cow manure.
• Identifying a rural producer in Araranguá for the implementation of the biodigester.
• Planning, building, installation and monitoring of a low cost digester for biogas production and implementation of a hot water heating system for cleaning the milking machines.
• Documentation of the project implementation process to provide best practices of the TwB project management in the context of the Brazilian work and study environment to facilitate the settlement of the RG and to support further expansion in Brazil.
• Reporting the experience to the TwB Board in Germany and discuss future common projects, strategies and approaches.
