Wagner Farms Anaerobic Digester
Owners		Peter and Thomas Wagner
Location		Poestenkill, New York
Herd size		350 dairy cows
Off-farm Substrates		No
Design
Digester Size	1000 m3 manure only
Feedstock Handling	Manure machine gathered and pushed into pit directly from the barns
Development Time	2008 late in the year, CH Four was contacted 2009 construction started 2010 operations commence in 2nd half of the year 2011 commissioned
Process Volume	264,200 gallons / year  or 35 m3/day
Retention Time	28 days
Gas Volume	50 m3 / hr
Electrical Production	100 kW
Heat Utilization	None
Background
Pete Wagner and his brother Thomas Wagner were interested in installing a digester to address odor issues during land application.  Additionally they anticipated that anaerobic digesters will become a commonplace means of manure management for dairy farms.  They were also expecting to offset their expenses for sand bedding and electricity through the generation of electricity from the gas and the use and sale of separated organics as fertilizer and bedding. After terminating their relationship with another system designer, the brothers contacted and commissioned CH Four to provide a complete system design, as well as some project development assistance. The Wagners chose to fill the role of general contractor, but their cash flow and decision-making ability was encumbered by ongoing litigation, causing delays and deviance from design specifications during the construction period.  Subsequent challenges experienced included the lack of enough process heat due to having installed undersized piping.  Another issue was the presence of greater levels of H2S due to the manure-only stream, which affected engine performance negatively.  These issues were remedied later by engaging the consulting services CH Four offers for bacterial process stability and redirecting the fluid used for heat transfer. At this point, Pete’s son Keith is operating the digester, and he has expressed an interest in expanding his digester system output by adding off-farm substrates and increasing electricity production.  Fortunately, CH Four anticipated this eventuality in the reception pit design, as it can be used for both off-farm substrates and manure reception without construction modifications. A major challenge was engaging appropriate contractors. On the other hand, the local utility was prepared well in advance of project construction, and was ready in plenty of time for exporting power to the grid. This was mostly due to the efforts of Thomas Wagner, who is himself was involved in Engineering. This project generated a lot of local interest in the farming communities of New York and Vermont States. A well attended information session on the farm was jointly held with CH Four, Martin Machinery, NYSERDA and Cow Power Vermont, as once the project was nearing its completion.

 

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