Supers:
Gainesville, FL
Linda Kubitz Reporting
Dr. Ann Wilkie-UF Microbiologist
VO: AS URBAN SPRAWL BRINGS CITY DWELLERS CLOSER TO AGRICULTURAL LANDS, PROBLEMS CAN ARISE CONCERNING ANIMAL WASTE AND THE ODOR IT CREATES. BUT NOW THERE'S A NEW WAY TO CLEAR THE AIR AND ALLOW EVERYONE TO BREATH EASIER. UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA RESEARCHERS DEVELOPED THE NEW ANAEROBIC DIGESTER TO ELIMINATE 90% OF THE OFFENSIVE ODORS FROM COW MANURE AND OTHER WASTE PRODUCTS. THE PROCESS ALSO PRODUCES METHANE GAS AS A BY-PRODUCT WHICH CAN BE USED AS A FUEL SOURCE TO HEAT THE MILKING BARNS AT DAIRY FARMS DURING THE WINTER. UF MICROBIOLOGIST, DR. ANN WILKIE SAYS THE REASON THE NEWER MODEL WORKS SO WELL IS IT HAS MORE SURFACE AREA FOR THE BACTERIA TO REACT WITH THE COW MANURE. WILKIE ADDED DOZENS OF PLASTIC PIPES INSIDE THE DIGESTER TANK SO THE BACTERIA HAVE A PLACE TO RESIDE. IN OLDER MODELS, THE BACTERIA JUST FLOWED IN AND OUT OF THE TANK...MAKING THE SYSTEM LESS EFFICIENT.
Dr. Ann Wilkie-UF Microbiologist: "t's a system that is optimized...a system that can treat the waste in two days as opposed to the more conventional anaerobic digesters that take anywhere from 20-35 days and to the standard open lagoon system which can be anywhere from 40-60 days depending on which climate zone you are in.." (:19)
VO: THE PROTOTYPE FOR THE NEW ANAEROBIC DIGESTER COST ABOUT 150-THOUSAND DOLLARS BUT UF RESEARCHERS SAY THE PRICE SHOULD COME DOWN ONCE MASS PRODUCTION GETS UNDERWAY. BESIDES DAIRY FARMS, PORK AND POULTRY OPERATIONS COULD ALSO BENEFIT FROM THIS NEW TECHNOLOGY. IN GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA...I'M LINDA KUBITZ REPORTING.