Greenhouse Gas Calculations Example: A swine farm in North Carolina treats its manure in an anaerobic lagoon, producing 1000

kg of biogas per day !he biogas is "0# methane $C%&' and &0# carbon dioxide $C()' by *olume Calculate the reduction in greenhouse gas carbon+e,ui*alents possible by applying a co*er to the lagoon and flaring off the biogas, thereby con*erting the C%& to C() 1) Calculate the mass fractions of CH4 and CO2. !he molecular weight of methane is: 1 $C' x 1) g-mol . & $%' x 1 g-mol / 1" g-mol !he molecular weight of carbon dioxide is: 1 $C' x 1) g-mol . ) $(' x 1" g-mol / && g-mol 2) Calculate the mass quantities of CH4 and CO2. 0rom the ideal gas law, we know that mole fractions are essentially the same as *olume fractions 1sing this approximation, we can calculate the mass fraction of methane from the *olume fraction and the molecular weights:
C% & mass methane mass = biogas mass C% & mass + C( ) mass = 0 " mol C%& -mol biogas 1" g C%& -mol C%& 0 " mol C%& -mol biogas 1" g C%& -mol C%& + 0 & mol C() -mol biogas && g C() -mol C() g C% & 6" = 0 23 )5 ) g biogas

applying this mass fraction to the original 1000 kg of biogas, we get: 1000 kg biogas x 0 23 g C%&-g biogas / 230 kg C%& !he remainder is C(), so: 1000 kg biogas 4 230 kg C%& / "30 kg C()

3) Calculate the carbon equivalents of each gas as originally emitted !ithout the cover and flare "greenhouse gases are usually measured as tons of CO2#C equivalents).

C 1) g-mol = = 0 )5 g C-g C( ) C( ) && g-mol

Carbon dioxide: "30 kg C() x 0 )5 g C-g C() / 155 kg C()+C 7ethane emissions ha*e )1 times the global warming impact of carbon dioxide on a mass basis 8e will call that )1:1 ratio the forcing factor 230 kg C%& x )1 / 5230 kg C() e,ui*alent 5230 kg C() e,ui*alent x 0 )5 g C-g C() / 1693 kg C()+C e,ui*alent !he C%& the total greenhouse gas emissions are 155 . 1693 / )1") kg C()+C e,ui*alent 4) Calculate the carbon equivalents of each gas after flaring the CH4 to CO2. !he stoichiometric $molar' formula for burning methane is: C%& . )() 4: C() . )%)( (n a mass basis this is: 1" g C%& . ) x 2) g () 4: && g C() . ) x 19 g %)( 1" g C%& . "& g () 4: && g C() . 2" g %)( 0laring 230 kg of C%& would thus result in $multiply through by 230 kg-1" g': 230 kg C%& . 230 x "&-1" kg () 4: 230 x &&-1" kg C() . 230 x 2"-1" kg %)( 230 kg C%& . 1&00 kg () 4: 6") kg C() . 599 kg %)( Check the mass balance: 1530 kg reactants / 1530 kg products (;<

!he methane thus would be con*erted to 6") kg C() (n a carbon basis this is: 6") kg C() x 0 )5 g C-g C() / )"0 kg C()+C !he total greenhouse gas emissions are 155 . )"0 / &25 kg C()+C e,ui*alent 3' Compare greenhouse gas emissions before and after flaring !he greenhouse gas reduction is )1") kg 4 &25 kg / 15)3 kg C()+C e,ui*alent

!he ratio of emissions $before and after' is )1") kg C()+C e,ui*alent without flaring &25 kg C()+C e,ui*alent with flaring !hus the global warming effect of an unco*ered lagoon that emits methane to the atmosphere is & 63 times as much if that lagoon were co*ered and the gas flared =ignificant reductions are possible<