STAT Communications Ag Market News

Cows Power Hydrogen Fuel Cell

ST. PAUL - May 10/05 - SNS -- A dairy farm in Minnesota is the first in the world to run a hydrogen fuel cell from the biogas captured from dairy cows. The project is being conducted at the Haubenschild family farm near Princeton.

For five years, the Haubenschilds have been operating an anaerobic digester-a system that collects manure to capture methane gas for conversion to electricity. The addition of the hydrogen fuel cell is the latest innovative project on the farm.

The anaerobic manure digester produces biogas, which is composed of methane, carbon dioxide, water vapor, and trace gases. Once the biogas from the manure digester is cleaned, the biogas is converted to hydrogen fuel, which produces electricity in the fuel cell. Hydrogen is seen as an attractive alternative to fossil fuels since it doesn't release carbon dioxide or harmful greenhouse gases.

The demonstration project is the first of its kind and was a cooperative venture among the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA), Haubenschild Farms, the University of Minnesota Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, and the Minnesota Project. Funding for the fuel cell project was provided by the Environmental and Natural Resources Trust Fund though the Legislative Commission on Minnesota's Resources (LCMR). MDA Senior Planner Matt Drewitz is assisting in the demonstration project.

"The LCMR funds have allowed the State of Minnesota to further develop renewable energy opportunities for farmers in Minnesota," said Drewitz. "The MDA is fortunate to work with Haubenschild Farms on this innovative project."


Project Tests Feasibility of Fuel Cells

This purpose of this project is to investigate the feasibility of using fuel cell technology on a working farm. University of Minnesota researchers have been able to run the fuel cell on biogas intermittently and are working towards running the fuel cell on biogas continually.

The fuel cell is a proton electron membrane (PEM) and produces 5 kilowatts of electrical power. A fuel cell of this size is ideal for research purposes but not large enough to power the dairy or produce electricity for sale. Dr. Philip Goodrich is conducting the research on this innovative project for the University of Minnesota, College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment Sciences (COAFES).

"The expansion of energy harvesting and conversion to rural areas will bring business expansion, jobs and continued vitality to rural Minnesota," said Dr. Goodrich. "Fuel cells and anaerobic digestion are part of this opportunity. Hydrogen may be one of the primary drivers of the economy within 10 years. Hydrogen is clean, can be stored, and does not pollute the atmosphere."

Cleaning the gas so it can be used by the fuel cell is the one of the greatest challenges for this experiment. Trace gas such as hydrogen sulfide can damage the fuel cell, so it is important that impurities are removed. The University of Minnesota researchers are experimenting with a number of low-cost systems for cleaning the biogas.

Only active subscribers can read all of this article.

If you are a subscriber, please log into the website.

If you are not a subscriber, click here to subscribe to this edition of the STAT website and to learn more about becoming a subscriber.