In the U.S., market and political forces are driving increased evelopment of renewable energy sources. Amid this, the dairy industry has worked fast to determine technological solutions to convert the 150 gallons of acid whey created annually by the
burgeoning $2 billion Greek yogurt industry into something reusable and renewable. In New York, where total yogurt production
nearly tripled between 2007 and 2013, a group of dairy producers
and farmers has found a way to repurpose “waste” into energy.
New York is the third largest producer of milk in the entire country, passing Idaho in 2013 by 57 million pounds. With more than
6,000 dairy farms in New York milking more
than 600,000 cows, the need for mixed-waste biogas plants has increased from a
demand to a necessity. The state has set a
formidable example for how to develop a
mutually beneficial renewable waste management program.
“The abundant milk supply in New
York has spawned tremendous growth
in the production of yogurt by plants
located in the state, specifically in the
Greater Rochester, New York region,”
said Mark S. Peterson, president and CEO
of Greater Rochester Enterprise. “Large
scale producers like Alpina Foods and
Muller Quaker Dairy, a joint venture of
PepsiCo and Theo Müller Group, have
established production operations in the
region because of opportunity created by
dairy farms. They have
also found effective ways to manage the waste
generated by their products.”
One of the main products produced at these
plants is Greek yogurt, requiring an environmen-
tally friendly solution for disposing of the acid
whey created daily during the production pro-
cess. It takes four gallons of milk to make one
gallon of Greek yogurt, so more Greek yogurt
means more acid whey.
The acid whey disposal process is no small
feat. To make its Greek yogurt, Alpina Foods
uses approximately 500,000 to 1 million pounds
of milk per week at a facility in the Genesee
County Agri-Business Park in Batavia, New York.
To deal with the subsequent acid whey generated through the production, the company
uses an anaerobic biodigester operated by CH4
Biogas on a nearby farm in Wyoming County,
New York. The company employs the digester
to process 100 percent of its acid whey.
This CH4 Biogas biodigester
removes between 8,000 and 16,000
gallons of waste byproducts from the
41,000-square-foot yogurt plant each
day. It collects organic wastes, including the acid whey, processes them and creates the right
environment for the breakdown of organic material.
Methane gas is one byproduct produced from the decomposition of the acid whey organic material. CH4’s biodigesters collect,
compress and convert the gas into energy by running it through an
engine. This would otherwise be greenhouse gas if emitted into the
atmosphere. Instead, it is used to generate electricity that is put on
New York’s power grid.
In a CH4 Biogas system, there are two byproducts that remain
after methane gas is produced: a solid fiber that is used by farmers
as livestock bedding and a liquid that is spread on fields as fertilizer, providing an environmentally friendly solution to handling
waste. The process design and equipment used by CH4 Biogas is
based on a proven technology that has been used in Europe for
more than 25 years and was established by Bigadan A/S, a Danish
company and CH4 partner.
While it can be a costly solution for smaller farms and dairy
processors, New York state offers grant money to help establish
these operations through the New York State Energy Research
and Development Authority (NYSERDA). New York Gov. Andrew
Cuomo has placed a strong emphasis on supporting and growing
the dairy industry in the state.
The funding for these efforts stems from recommendations made
at Cuomo’s Yogurt Summit in 2012 to ensure that the industry
continues to grow and create jobs in New York
State. As Cuomo announced in his recent State
of the State address, a second Yogurt Summit
will take place in 2014 to help continue the phe-
nomenal growth of the state's dairy industry.
In January, the governor announced nearly
$21 million in available funding to create new
economic opportunities for New York’s dairy
farmers by helping them produce renewable
energy and improve their business operations.
The funding will help dairy farmers convert farm
waste to energy and develop individualized busi-
ness and environmental plans to reduce operat-
ing costs and increase profitability.
The need for environmentally sound disposal
solutions for acid whey has created mutually
beneficial opportunities for the dairy industry,
yogurt producers and manufacturers of biodigesters. With tax credit and other support from
the government, these industries and the earth
will all reap the benefits. ◆
By Lauren Toretta, President, CH4 Biogas
from Acid Whey