The worries of dairy farmers are also refreshing !? "Treasure Mountain" that creates new energy July 7, 18:05
In Hokkaido, where dairy farming is thriving, cow "manure" has plagued many dairy farmers.
This troublesome thing is now attracting attention in the region as a new energy source.
There is a growing movement to extract and utilize next-generation energy, "hydrogen" and "methanol," from manure.
Cow manure may become a "treasure mountain".
(Obihiro Broadcasting Station Reporter Satsuki Maejima Kitami Broadcasting Station Reporter Naki Igarashi)
What drives the fuel cell vehicle?
At first glance, it looks like a gas station near the center of Shikaoi Town in the Tokachi region of Hokkaido.
Here, we are supplying hydrogen for fuel cell vehicles.
It will be available to the general public from April, and anyone can purchase it by making a reservation on the dedicated site.
Actually, this hydrogen.
The basis is the "manure" produced by cows and the like.
Electricity sales and measures against stinks
Hydrogen is produced from manure from cows and the like.
Shikaoi Town is centered on this initiative.
In the background, there was a major challenge facing the dairy town.
About 25,000 dairy cows and pigs, five times the population, are bred in Shikaoi Town.
Until now, there has been a need for countermeasures because the stinks generated from manure have drifted in the town, especially in the summer, and there are tourist spots in the surrounding area.
In addition, manure cannot be disposed of as it is, and it costs a lot of money to process it, which was a problem for dairy farmers.
So the town decided to set up a biogas plant.
By fermenting manure collected from farmers to produce biogas, the odor is alleviated.
Furthermore, by burning gas, it was possible to generate electricity and sell it to an electric power company to cover the maintenance cost of the facility.
Dairy farmers in Shikaoi Town, who use a biogas plant, were able to reduce the equipment cost for manure treatment thanks to the plant when expanding the management scale, and the floating portion was used for the maintenance cost of the barn. It means that I was able to devote it.
However, under the national system where electricity can be purchased at a fixed price, the income generated by power generation is expected to decrease in the future.
Making hydrogen from biogas
Therefore, the town aims to further utilize biogas.
I decided to make hydrogen from biogas.
Seven years ago, together with the Ministry of the Environment and a major industrial gas company, we started the first hydrogen business derived from livestock manure in Japan.
Mayor Kii, Shikaoi-cho
"I think the biggest purpose was to verify the mechanism that enables us to continue the business properly by using it rather than just making it. It was done and there was a way to some extent. "
A car runs 10,000 kilometers with one cow
It is a mechanism to make hydrogen from manure from dairy cows.
At the facility adjacent to the hydrogen station, methane gas is extracted from the collected biogas.
Methane gas reacts with water vapor to produce hydrogen.
It is said that hydrogen produced from manure produced by one dairy cow in a year can run a fuel cell vehicle for about 10,000 kilometers.
The produced hydrogen can be filled in a high-pressure gas cylinder and delivered to the user.
This year, the town purchased 10 fuel cell vehicles as public vehicles to promote the use of hydrogen.
Furthermore, we would like to consistently manufacture and use hydrogen to build a hydrogen supply chain.
Mayor Kii, Shikaoi Town
"Livestock manure is something that will come out forever as long as you continue farming and dairy farming, so you must treat it. It's a small town, but even a little hydrogen is produced and used. I think it is very important to persistently proceed with the efforts to go. "
Imported "methanol" is also from manure
On the other hand, "methanol" is attracting attention in Okoppe Town on the Sea of Okhotsk side, where dairy farming is also flourishing.
In May, a plant that can make methanol from bovine manure was completed in Okoppe Town.
It was released to the press.
This methanol has been attracting attention in recent years.
This is because it is used in various products such as high-performance plastics, synthetic fibers, and adhesives that are resistant to shock and heat, and demand is expanding for new applications such as fuel cells.
Methanol needs to be extracted by heating it to a high temperature after applying high pressure to coal and natural gas, which means that the production cost is very high in Japan.
For this reason, the current situation is that we rely on imports.
Succeeded in taking out the world's first methanol
The town signed an agreement with Osaka University in 2019 to see if methanol could be extracted from bovine manure-derived biogas, and has cooperated in research.
Then, in 2020, we succeeded for the first time in the world in mixing a special liquid and biogas and exposing them to a certain amount of light.
Over the next year, the town will verify the quality of the products and the actual production volume, aiming for practical use by 2030.
It aims to purify up to 6 tons of methanol annually, and is considering using methanol as fuel for public facilities and tractors in the town in the future
.
Professor Okubo, Graduate School of Advanced Co-creation, Osaka University
"Actually, there is a technology that can generate energy from what is thrown away and process it freely. If you use it well, Japan will change to a country that exports energy. I think it is. "
Is there a possibility of nationwide expansion of methanol production?
The development of this plant was carried out by a major industrial gas company and a major construction company in Hokkaido.
This plant can purify methanol at room temperature without pressure, which means that it costs less than half the investment of conventional equipment.
The company we have developed aims to expand not only to Okoppe Town but to all roads and the whole country in the future.
President Kato of Air Water Hokkaido
"There is no chemical process at normal temperature and pressure like this time. If problems between nations or conflicts occur, methanol itself will not enter. Then, it will enter other industries. It is important for Japan to have various options, as it will also affect the situation. "
Professor Okubo of Osaka University estimates that if this plant is installed in dairy areas nationwide, it will be able to produce 200,000 tons per year, which is more than 10% of imported methanol.
Mayor of Okoppe Town
"Methanol is all imported now, so it will become a new industry in Hokkaido. It will sell as Hokkaido. I don't think there is such a good story."
Energy generated by dairy farming For regional revitalization
Efforts to make hydrogen and methanol from "manure" produced by cows.
Expectations are rising that it will not only solve regional issues such as the labor involved in manure treatment and stinks, but will also lead to regional revitalization.
Japan relies on imports for a lot of energy.
Dairy, one of Hokkaido's major industries, will also have a presence in Japan's energy problems.
Perhaps it won't be long before such a day comes.
Obihiro Broadcasting Station Reporter
Satsuki Maejima
Joined in 2019
After working at the Sapporo Station,
he covered energy issues and rocket development.
Kitami Broadcasting Station Reporter
Naki Igarashi
Joined in 2017
After working at the Iwamizawa branch office,
he covered the natural environment and economy of his current affiliation.