Potential Greenhouse Gas Mitigation from Utilising Pig Manure and Grass for Hydrothermal Carbonisation and Anaerobic Digestion in the UK, EU, and China

Nicholas Davison (), Aaron Brown and Andrew Ross
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Nicholas Davison: School of Chemical and Process Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
Aaron Brown: School of Chemical and Process Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
Andrew Ross: School of Chemical and Process Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK

Agriculture, 2023, vol. 13, issue 2, 1-17

Abstract: Pig manure currently results in sizeable greenhouse gas emissions, during storage and spreading to land. Anaerobic digestion and hydrothermal carbonisation could provide significant greenhouse gas mitigation, as well as generate renewable heat and power (with anaerobic digestion), or a peat-like soil amendment product (with hydrothermal carbonisation). The greenhouse gas mitigation potential associated with avoidance of pig manure storage and spreading in the UK, EU, and China, as well as the potential to provide heat and power by anaerobic digestion and soil amendment products by hydrothermal carbonisation was herein determined. In each case, the mono-conversion of pig manure is compared to co-conversion with a 50:50 mixture of pig manure with grass. Anaerobic digestion displayed a greater greenhouse gas mitigation potential than hydrothermal carbonisation in all cases, and co-processing with grass greatly enhances greenhouse gas mitigation potential. China has the largest greenhouse gas mitigation potential (129 MT CO 2 eq), and greatest mitigation per kg of pig manure (1.8 kgCO 2 /kg pig manure volatile solids). The energy grid carbon intensity has a significant impact on the greenhouse gas mitigation potential of the different approaches in the different regions. Pig manure is generated in large amounts in China, and the energy generated from biogas offsets a higher carbon intensity grid. Greenhouse gas savings from the anaerobic digestion of pig manure and grass have been calculated to provide a significant potential for reducing total greenhouse gas emissions representation in China (1.05%), the EU (0.92%), and the UK (0.19%). Overall, the utilisation of pig manure could bring about substantial greenhouse savings, especially through co-digestion of pig manure with grass in countries with large pig farming industries and carbon intense energy mixes.

Keywords: hydrothermal carbonisation; anaerobic digestion; pig manure; grass; peat substitution; GHG mitigation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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