No abstract

This research aimed to quantify and economically value the environmental co-benefits of energy production from swine manure treatment by anaerobic digestion (AD). The study is focused on the environmental co-benefits assessment of anaerobic digestion systems with energy production and biogas flaring in comparison of conventional manure management as reference.Co-benefits are additional effects to the main benefits, they were estimated quantifying environmental effects by life cycle analysis and determining their monetary value by economic valuation methods. Co-benefits were included to cost/benefit analysis determining their effect on the profitability of the systems; for the economic analysis, energy production were considered the main economic benefit. In order to generate greater certainty on the environmental and economic evaluation of the systems, information was obtained from a swine manure with an anaerobic digestion system in operation.