Previously, methodologies approved by the CDM Executive Board were approved for use on ACR for the registration of projects in non-Annex 1 countries or for registration of projects in the U.S. after ACR review and approval of special applicability conditions. Under ACR Standard v7.0, CDM methodologies are no longer accepted for crediting new projects on ACR. Therefore, ACR’s approval of the Clean Development Mechanism’s Small Scale Methodology: AMS-III.D Methane Recovery in Animal Manure Management Systems is withdrawn and the methodology is ineligible for crediting projects on ACR.

Methodology History

The methodology quantifies emission reductions associated with the introduction of anaerobic digestion technologies at a dairy farm. Biogas created through the digestion process can either be flared or beneficially reused to, for instance, produce electricity. Centralized digesters whereby manure is conveyed from a group of farms to a digester facility are eligible.

The methodology is applicable under the following conditions:

• Manure or the waste streams obtained after treatment are not discharged into natural water resources (e.g. river or estuaries);

• The annual average temperature at the project site is greater than 41°F;
• In the baseline scenario, the retention time of manure waste in the anaerobic treatment system is greater than one month, and if anaerobic lagoons are used in the baseline, their depths are at least 1 meter;
• No methane recovery and destruction by flaring or combustion for beneficial use takes place in the baseline scenario.

Finally, the methodology employs a performance standard for additionality whereby a project is deemed additional so long as there is no regulation impacting the project that requires the collection and destruction of methane from livestock manure.