The Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) has given a $1.5 million energy efficiency grant to Michigan State University’s Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering to develop small scale manure-to-energy systems.
“We are trying to development a manure management system,” says Wei Liao, assistant professor of biosystems and agriculture at MSU. “For the environment we want to solve the manure problem. At the same time we want to bring profit back to the farms.”
Liao says researchers want to use the methane gas generated from the manure to create electricity and heat for the system.
“We want to optimize the systems to develop a suitable animal manure
management system for small to medium animal farms,” he says.
The idea is that farmers will be able
to generate the bulk of their own heat and electricity, saving money
and reducing environmental impact. “We had to create some revenue source, otherwise the farmers will not be interested in it,” Liao says.
The grant will help pay for an on-campus facility where the researchers can continue their research.
Source: Michigan Public Service Commission
Ivy Hughes, development news editor, can be reached here.
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