| Some of the major sources of methane emissions from agriculture are: livestock enteric (intestinal) fermentation, livestock waste management, rice cultivation, and agricultural waste burning. Of these, livestock waste management offers the most viable, near-term opportunities for methane recovery and utilization. Methane released from manure management systems can be captured and used as clean energy to produce electricity or to fuel gas-fired equipment such as engines, boilers, or chillers, which can meet part of a farm's energy requirements. This is preferable to flaring of the methane as a waste gas of simply letting it escape to the atmosphere where its green house gas effect is 20 times stronger than CO2. With today's technology, a wide range of opportunities exists internationally to abate livestock waste methane emissions at zero or negative economic cost. Using low cost NDIR technology to monitor and/or control the capture and use of this valuable resource can greatly improve combustion efficiency to allow the maximum energy extraction from an otherwise uncontrolled, environmentally harmful waste gas. The Andros 6511 NDIR bench and electronics is such a product. Capable of measuring low (10 ppm) concentrations of methane for system leak identification up to 100% methane concentrations for combustion control, the Andros 6511 also includes CO2 and CO measurement with capability to add O2 measurement. These four (4) combined gas measurements can provide precise measurement and control of fuel air ratio to ensure maximum energy extraction of the methane being produced. Along with gaining some level of energy independence, farms can achieve other benefits related to improved livestock waste management such as lower overall costs to maintain healthy livestock.
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