Cleaning Up The Sty

An innovative biogas system developed by New Zealand’s National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) is making Australian pig farms cleaner and greener as well as reducing the smell. Australian pork industry association, Australian Pork Limited, collaborated with NIWA and pork producers to design and build covered anaerobic (using bacteria that can live without atmospheric oxygen) pond-based biogas systems. “The system makes good sense,” NIWA research engineer Stephan Heubeck said. “Anaerobic digestion in covered ponds holds significant potential to reduce odour and greenhouse gas emissions from the farming sector.”