It’s a perfect example of the emerging circular economy. The Dutch dairy industry is harvesting the power of poo with a $165 million biogas project. The process is simple: the dung is broken down by bacteria into biogas in an anaerobic digester. Other machines then extract nitrates and phosphates to make fertilizer, leaving organic matter, which is spread back on the farm. The project is masterminded by Friesland Campina, the country’s largest dairy collective which buys milk from 13,500 of the Netherlands’ 17,000 dairy farmers. The project has established an initial target of getting 1,000 large farms across the country to make power from cow manure within four years. Ultimately, all dairy farms in the country should be included in the program.
Dutch dairy farmers are turning cow manure into power on a big scale
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