Lusakert Biogas Plant (LBP), Methane Capture and Combustion From Poultry Manure Treatment

The purpose of the project is to mitigate Lusakert Pedigree Poultry Plant's animal effluent related GHG emissions, by improving the farm's Animal Waste Management System practices.

Lusakert Pedigree Poultry Plant (LPPP) was established in 1964 and gave its first production in 1966. In 1988 the farm reached its highest efficiency producing about 650 000 eggs per day. Nevertheless, the farm had been stopped since 1992, and was started up only in 1998.

In the same year LPPP formed a part of Max Concern LLC, an Armenian company involved in various spheres of business activities such as crop cultivation, woodworking, meat production, etc. Currently LPPP is one of the leading companies on the Armenian market of chicken meat and hen's eggs production.

The manure treatment system which was used at the plant before project implementation consisted of traditional open stabilization lagoons serving for treatment of liquid waste from poultry production. This approach is considered to be the most economical, efficient and reliable animal waste management system. Nevertheless, anaerobic lagoons lead to the direct release of methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) into the atmosphere as a result of the anaerobic digestion process that takes place inside of the lagoons. Thus, anthropogenic GHGs are released into the atmosphere via decomposition of animal manure and a nitrification/denitrification process associated with volatilization of nitrogen.

The decision on implementation of a more expensive technology which will allow improving waste management system at the farm and reducing GHG emissions into the atmosphere was influenced by the entrance into the force of the Kyoto Protocol. In 2005 Max Concern LLC, an Armenian company which owns LPPP, Vekst Foundation, an independent and private Norwegian foundation which focuses on research and development of projects related for the most part to energy efficiency and the Danish Environmental Protection Agency under the Danish Ministry of the Environment jointly initiated development of Lusakert Biogas Plant project under the CDM.

The project consists of an advanced improvement to the common practice of poultry waste treatment, reducing a significant volume of greenhouse gases compared to those emissions that would otherwise occur in a scenario with traditional poultry manure treatment systems. The project will also result in improving of the rejected water quality.

The technology implementation is based on the use of anaerobic digester treatment as the first step before a lagoon system. The volume of digester is 5000 m3. An existing steel tank will be used as gas storage for the produced biogas.

Produced effluent from the biogas plant will be routed to the existing lagoons and the captured gas will be used in a gas engine generator (850 kW) to produce heat and electricity. Any excess gas will be flared. The heat from the cogeneration plant is used for heating the digester, in order to optimize operation and increase the speed of decomposition of the organic matter of effluents, thus replacing the use of fossil fuel that would otherwise contribute to emissions leakage.

It is necessary to mention that the improved management of the poultry manure as a result of the implementation of digesters does not require changes to the barns or their physical structure, i.e.; there will be no changes in the physical housing capacity or in the management of the barns. Therefore, the volume of effluents to be treated does not increase and only treatment parameters are improved.

LBP Project has been materialized under Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol and required investments in digester tanks, pumps, switchboard, machinery, gas flare and gas engine CHP unit. The operational income will derive from sale of electrical energy to the distribution grid as well as realization of a fertilizer from the biogas production. It is expected that the revenues from Certified Emission Reductions (CER's) will make the project economically viable. LBP agrees to transfer a specific amount of CERs generated during the first crediting period to the Danish Party.

The project is co-funded by Lusakert Pedigree Poultry Plant LLC (Armenia), Vekst Project Financing Facility AS (Norway), Bigadan A/S and Industrialization Fund for Developing Countries - IFU (Denmark).

The environmental impacts due to the development of this project can be summarized as ancillary benefits:

• Reducing atmospheric emissions of Volatile Organics Compounds that cause odor;
• The use of the biogas collected as an energetic resource for power generation;
• Reducing the risk of releasing disease-transmitting vectors and airborne pathogens

The introduction of digester technology introduced in the project will bring improvements in the AWMS practice, and may pave the way for the upgrading of the manure into commercial production of fertilizer in Armenia.

The project developers are implementing a multi-faceted approach to ensure that the project, including technology transfer, proceeds smoothly. This approach includes careful specification and design of a complete technology solutions, identification and qualification of appropriate technology/service providers, supervision of the complete project installation, farm stuff training, ongoing monitoring and developing/implementing a complete Operation and Maintenance plan.

The Project Idea Note (PIN) describing the project concept was submitted to the Designated National Authority for consideration on April 7, 2005. The project PIN was endorsed by the DNA on May 16, 2005, which served as a formal incentive for initiating the Project Design Document development.

In April 2006, the latest PDD (Version 6) was submitted to the DNA for approval. The project document had been reviewed by the DNA in terms of its contribution to Armenia's sustainable development and was approved on May 5, 2006. Simultaneously, the project participants had initiated and finalized the project validation process by the Designated Operational Entity (Det Norske Veritas). The project validation report was issued on December 8, 2005 and reviewed on April 10, 2006.

On July 15, 2006, the project was submitted to the CDM Executive Board for registration.

On September 11, 2006 Lusakert Biogas Plant project was registered by the CDM Executive Board and became the second registered CDM project hosted by the Republic of Armenia.

Construction works started in August 2007 and were completed in March 2008. From March to October 2008 testing and adjustment of the equipment and CHP unit were performed. The official opening of the plant took place on October 24, 2008.

The project has been operating since October 2008.