Chicken Manure to Power Chinese Farm

The three million chickens on a farm about 30 miles north of Beijing are now providing power and heat for the farm via their manure.

The Beijing Deqingyuan Chicken Farm Waste Utilization plant is using an anaerobic digester system to treat waste from the chickens, producing biogas that fuels GE Energy Jenbacher gas engines.

The project is expected to provide 14,600 megawatt hours of electricity a year and help reduce electricity shortages in the region. The biogas is taking the place of coal-fired power, and the project is also helping to control dust levels and reduce odors.

The chickens on the farm produce about 220 tons of manure and 170 tons of wastewater a day. Along with producing biogas to power the farm, the heat generated from the power plant will be used in the waste fermentation process and to heat the farm in the winter.

GE Energy China estimates the project will save the farm more than $1.2 million a year in electricity costs. GE’s Jenbacher gas engines can be powered a number of ways, with natural gas, coal mine gas or alternative fuels like biogas from waste and landfills.

The farm’s energy plant adds to the number of projects using gas from landfills or manure to provide power.