Methane capture from livestock manure

It has been estimated that livestock manure contributes about 240 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent of methane to the atmosphere and represents one of the biggest anthropogenic sources of methane. Considering that methane is the second biggest contributor to global warming after carbon dioxide, it is imperative that ways and means are developed to capture as much of the anthropogenic methane as possible. There is a major associated advantage of methane capture: its use as a source of energy which is comparable in ‘cleanness’ to natural gas.The present review dwells upon the traditional ways of methane capture used in India, China, and other developing countries for providing energy to the rural poor. It then reviews the present status of methane capture from livestock manure in developed countries and touches upon the prevalent trends.

► It reviews the potential of energy (methane) capture from livestock manure. ► It addresses the importance of CH4 capture in controlling greenhouse gas emissions. ► It describes the traditional methods of methane capture. ► It presents CH4 capture methods used in developed countries. ► It describes manure-based digesters of different designs and capacities.