About Farm Waste Management Grants
Farm waste is a growing concern as it is linked to food contamination, pollutant runoff and greenhouse gas emissions. However, farm waste can be converted into a viable source of energy. Farm waste when managed effectively can be processed and reused as a formidable byproduct for green energy. Researchers have discovered and succeeded in converting waste into energy with the aid of farm waste management grants from the United States Government and private foundations.
Michigan State University Farm Waste to Power Research
Michigan State University in 2009 acquired state and foundation grant funds of $3 million for researchers to develop technology that ultimately allowed small farms to convert animal waste into energy products such as usable heat and electricity.
Anaerobic Digestion Research
Using grant funds, the university's Anaerobic Digestion Research and Education Center (ADRE) combined new and existent programs to expand and accommodate farm animal and environmental research at the center. Researchers developed and marketed ready to use digestion components that helped to convert waste to power at small and mid-sized farms.
Ohio Farm Waste Conversion to Energy
Quasar Energy Group in Cleveland Ohio received $1 million in federal grant funds, in August 2011, to help establish a facility that will convert animal waste into energy near Ohio's Grand Lake St. Marys. Quasar will utilize the U.S. Department of Agriculture's grant to create a methane digester near Grand Lake. The facility expects to convert manure into methane and then produce energy for heating and alternative vehicle fuel purposes.
The 13,000-acre Grand Lake site had developed high levels of phosphorus and associated algae growth from manure and chemical runoff drainage emerging from nearby farms. The drainage condition led to a decline in tourism at the lake site because of the stagnant lake water and unpleasant odors. The digester program is also expected to create clean-energy jobs in the cities of Dayton and Toledo in Ohio.