1st Workshop
The INNORIND & RES4LIVE expert meeting on heat stress mitigation and adaptation in cattle at the LVAT tube system for barn ventilation and supply air cooling took place on 23 April 2024, marking the first RES4LIVE national workshop. The air-cooling system was demonstrated to 29 leading experts from research, consulting, and industry in Germany. The aim of the tube ventilation and cooling system is to reduce or mitigate heat stress in dairy cows by injecting pre-cooled air into the barn via a tube ventilation system, aiming at barn temperature reductions of up to 5 K. Discussions ranged from overall technical feasibility over impact on the animals in the barn to questions of economic viability.
Initially the basic challenges were addressed, like having the cooling pads in the environment of a barn that will always have to deal with dust of some kind, and planning the dimensions and parameters for the tube ventilation and cooling system in a way that provides the desired effect.
The participants agreed on the need for ways to measure and assess the benefit of the system compared to alternative cooling systems, like spray cooling and conventional fan ventilation systems. Main criteria here should be the welfare and performance of the animals, as well as the energy consumption. The increased use of sensor data of different kinds in this context could allow setting up a digital twin, which could be used for optimizing the system’s use, as in providing a barn climate that is beneficial for the animals at the lowest possible energy cost. The potential inclusion of feedback from the animals via sensor-based monitoring of animal welfare criteria was considered as an interesting option for the future.
A positive effect with regard to energy consumption of the tube ventilation and cooling system is the seasonality of the application. Heat stress mitigation is directly linked to warm or hot climate conditions during the summer half-year, where non-fossil energy from e.g. photovoltaic arrays usually is available in abundance.
Overall the tube ventilation and cooling system installed in the LVAT welfare barn can be seen as a proof of concept. In-depth, long term feasibility studies on animal health and welfare through the hybrid ventilation and cooling systems are required, especially as prerequisites for further economic assessment.
2nd Workshop
On Tuesday, 30 April 2024, the first RES4LIVE national workshop in Germany took place on the premises of the ATB and LVAT. This significant event drew 40 participants from diverse sectors including researchers, consultants, industry representatives, policy makers, and business figures focused on alternative fuels. The workshop centered on the technical and economic facets of the BioCNG refueling station and explored the potential of compressed natural gas (CNG) to achieve self-sufficiency and fossil-free agriculture. Discussions also covered the market availability of CNG and biogas tractors, costs associated with refitting diesel engines, and the existing barriers hindering market development.
The event successfully highlighted the resolution of several synergy problems, demonstrating that both tractors and fueling stations are now available on the market, affirming the technical and economic feasibility of the innovations. However, it also pointed out that approval procedures remain a significant obstacle. Simplification of micro fueling stations and standardization of approval procedures were identified as crucial steps forward.
During the workshop, participants were provided with an overview of relevant economic and technical key figures, drawn from the practical operation of the BioCNG soft filling station and a series tractor converted to CNG. Additionally, experiences from official approval practices were shared, providing valuable insights into the regulatory landscape.
The BioCNG fueling station, a pivotal element of the RES4LIVE research project, was showcased as a demonstration of the technical possibilities for achieving fossil-free agriculture. The project underscores the substantial bioeconomic potential of upgrading farm biogas to biomethane or bio-CNG, which can effectively replace fossil fuels such as diesel or natural gas in agricultural operations. As part of the EU-funded RES4LIVE project, a pilot plant has been designed to upgrade biogas to biomethane/CNG and refuel series tractors equipped with methane engines. This innovation enables decentralized and self-sufficient fuel production on farms, using biogas generated from the farm’s organic residues and manure. Consequently, the fuel supply becomes independent, and greenhouse gas emissions can be significantly reduced.
This breakthrough has garnered recognition and is now featured as an exemplary innovation on the European Commission’s Innovation Radar Platform, marking a significant step towards sustainable and environmentally friendly agricultural practices.
The program and further information on the event are available here.
3rd Workshop
The 3rd RES4LIVE national workshop in Germany took place in cooperation with the EmiMod project meeting on 5 and 6 June at ATB Potsdam, LVAT Groß Kreutz, and BAuA Berlin. Among the 37 participants were members of main research facilities & universities, industry, and consulting in livestock with a focus on emission mitigation. Therefore, the subject emissions were also taken up as a topic to further look into. The relevant interventions for this at the LVAT farm are the BioCNG upgrade plant and filling station and the tube ventilation and cooling system.
The possibility of defossilisation of a farm tractor and vehicle fleet was widely acknowledged by the participants. Economic aspects were quickly recognized when results of data analyses showed that one CNG tractor of medium power level only utilizes the BioCNG plant to about 15 %, indicating again that farms willing to invest in such a plant need to have a concept for usage of at least 75 % of the time to make the plant feasible. Investment in the BioCNG upgrade plan should come with a business plan that also includes potential users external to the farm. Future emission-related studies should also include the composition change of the biogas due to the off-gas that is reverted to the biogas plant. This might have an impact on the efficiency of the engine in the combined heat and power plant. More in-depth life cycle and economic analyses are required to assess the overall environmental impact and also social acceptance.
The main emission-related question about the tube ventilation and cooling system was if this actually could also contribute to emission mitigation in peak times due to cooling down the air in the barn. Specifically, ammonia emissions are known to depend on temperature, and this could be another topic to investigate. The synergy of improving barn climate while using solar energy at relevant peak times was also noted.
