Bion uses manure to create natural gas

Over the past three years, Bion Environmental Technologies has modified its technology platform to enable the capture of ammonia and its conversion into commercial products, rather than its destruction. This has enabled the production of renewable natural gas from the volatile solids in the waste stream, while maintaining the desired nutrient reductions.

Bion estimates the potential byproduct revenues from renewable energy (and associated carbon-reduction credits) and fertilizer products at Kreider Farms Phase 2 (at full operation), based on present market prices, to be in the range of US$15 to US$20 million.

By capturing the ammonia, Bion not only prevents its impacts to the environment as before, but is now able to recover and process substantially more of the nitrogen in the manure stream into a stabilized value-added product. Bion filed a patent on this process that recovers a nitrogen-rich, natural, non-synthetic fertilizer in September 2015. Bion is preparing a filing with the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) for certification for use in organic production.

The technology platform can now utilize anaerobic digestion to produce methane which can then be cleaned and injected into existing pipelines, resulting in a clean renewable compressed natural gas. The gas can then be delivered anywhere in the country for use as a vehicle fuel, such as California where it would qualify for significantly more renewable energy credits. Patent protection for the 3rd generation technology platform was filed in September 2014.