The document discusses dairy farm pollution and how Big Island Dairy in Hawaii is pursuing more sustainable practices. It notes that manure from dairy farms can contaminate water sources and increase greenhouse gases like methane. Big Island Dairy has 1300 cows and grows corn as feed on 2500 acres. To be more sustainable, the dairy plans to expand with new barns and install a methane digester to capture methane from manure for energy production. This would reduce energy and fertilizer costs while minimizing environmental impacts.

1. Alex Siordia

2. Dairy Farm Pollution
 Manure can seep into
groundwater or other
sources of drinking
water.
 Increases level of
nitrogen,
phosphorous,
pathogens, and
sediments.
 Can cause disease
in humans, i.e, Blue
Baby Syndrome.
 Manure can wash into
rivers and streams.
 Increased nitrogen
and phosphorous
levels cause algae to
grow in abundance.
 In turn can lead to
decrease in fish count.

3. Green House Effects
Methane
 Absorbs 20 times more
heat per molecule than
Carbon Dioxide.
 Has more impact on
climate change than
CO2.
CO2
 Stays longer in the
atmosphere, but not as
harmful as Methane.

4. Why Go Green?
 In order to reduce methane emissions and water
contamination, dairies can turn alternative forms of
energy production.
 In order for the island of Hawaii to be sustainable as
a whole, we need more sustainable practices in
agriculture.
 Hawaii imports approximately 90% of its food.

5. BIG ISLAND
DAIRY
• Located in 'Ō'ōkala,
Hawaii
• 2500 Acres
• 1300 Cows
• Grows corn that is used
as feed.

6. Big Island Dairy
 Single Barn housing approximately 800 cows.
 One milking dairy.
 Corn is grown and used as feed.

7. Barn

8. Dairy

9. Costs
 $500,000 in commercial fertilizer per year
 $26,000 used in electricity per month

10. Big Island Dairy:
Motivation for
Sustainability
 Environmentally
 Eliminate outside energy
dependence.
 New Barns will allow more
land to be utilized for
things other than grazing
 Less dependence on
outside fertilizers, use of
compost more natural
route
 Recycling of manure
produces less waste
 Economically
 Use of methane digester
eliminates electricity costs
 Liquid fertilizer and solid
compost byproducts will
reduce dependence on
commercial fertilizier
 Overall, cost effective and
environmentally friendly

11. Current green practices
 Use of Variable Speed Drives in pumps and motors.
 LED lights with motion sensors are used to reduce
energy consumption.
 Solar panels on barn roof reduce energy costs by
$8,000.

12. Green Future
 Planned expansion includes two new barns housing
approximately 900 cows each.
 New dairy building
 Automatic manure scraper installed in the new
barns.
 Methane Digester and separator

13. Methane Digester
• Air-tight structure that
holds manure.
• Methane gas is collected
after manure
decomposes, and is
used to generate
electricity.
• By products include
excess solid, and liquid
or sludge.

14. Digester Process
 Manure is put into an air-tight structure.
 After time has elapsed, and more manure is added,
the manure flows to a second container while
releasing methane gas which is captures at the top
of the container and taken to a separate container.
 After the manure passes to the second container and
the methane has been extracted, the liquid and solid
byproduct are separated. The liquid product can be
used as fertilizer, and the solid can be used as
compost.

15. Big Island Dairy
Benefits of a Methane Digester
 Electricity produced from
the methane would
eliminate electricity costs
completely.
 Liquid byproducts would
be used as fertilizer.
 Reduces greenhouse effects
produced by methane.
 Solid byproducts would be
used as compost.
 Would reduce dependence
on commercial fertilizer by
50%.
 Reduces chances of
potential contamination of
water sources by manure.

16. Overall Effect
• Environmentally friendly and cost effective.
• Serves as example for other dairies to pursue.
• Helps the Big Island become self sustainable

17. References
 http://www.aaccessmaps.com/show/map/us/hi/hawaii_island
 http://www.stockphotos.it/image.php?img_id=8481219&img_type=1
 http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/earth/atmosphere_and_climate/greenho
use_effect
 http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/engineer/facts/06-059.htm
 http://bizudepraca.blogspot.com/2012/07/rio-real-policiais-da-6-cipm-
frustam.html#.Ub6mzo7oCn8
 www.alternative-hawaii.com/agriculture/
 www.epa.gov/region9/animalwaste/problem.htmil#water
 http://milk.procon.org/view.answer.php?questionID=001056