Researchers from the University of Minnesota and the engineering services firm Short Elliot Hendrickson (SEH) are participating in a series of lively and potentially groundbreaking experiments to discover if some of the estimated 3,000+ tons of waste generated during the Minnesota State Fair can be converted into usable renewable energy.
George Johnson, an environmental scientist with SEH, is working with state fair personnel and University of Minnesota researchers to collect food and animal waste samples generated during the annual 12-day event. If the selected fair samples combine well with organic waste taken from the university, the team may attempt to break down the mixture by using techniques commonly used to manage landfills and treat wastewater.
For this next phase of the research, Johnson and other team members are considering using anaerobic digestion. This form of waste-to-energy technology involves feeding the collected material to microorganisms in an oxygen-free environment. As the tiny creatures feed on the food and waste products, they help reduce the amount of methane produced by decomposing landfill waste and generate potentially useful carbon dioxide and methane biogas. This byproduct is then used to create a number of green-friendly products, including cleaner energy fuels for heat or electricity. Any solid waste resulting from the process can be turned into fertilizer, animal bedding or compost.
From now until Labor Day, an estimated 1.5 million people and animals will attend the Minnesota State Fair. By the end of the celebrated agricultural and family event, a staggering 2,000 tons of animal manure and 1,200 tons of food waste will be left behind at the fairgrounds. Yet if George Johnson and the rest of the team are successful, future state fairs could generate their own power via a long-term sustainable waste-to-energy cycle.
Johnson, who is detailing his findings regularly on a special section of the SEH site, describes some of the potential benefits of a renewable energy based on recycled organic waste products:
“[I]f the University of Minnesota, for example, is able to create a waste-to-energy system can that captures methane from organic materials (like food and animal waste from the Minnesota State Fair) as fuel, the system has a double benefit. For one, the University could reduce its energy costs by using a readily available, renewable energy source. Secondly, the waste-to-energy process reduces the volume of GHG [greenhouse gas] going into the atmosphere,” Johnson stated.
In addition to this experiment, the Minnesota State Fair has been steadily working to reduce its environmental impact. According to the fair’s general manager Jerry Hammer, 500 tons of materials (like paper, metal and glass) are recycled each year, and 2,400 tons of food and animal waste are composted annually.
To learn more about the collaboration with George Johnson, SEH, the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota State Fair, please visit:
http://www.sehinc.com/online/minnesota-state-fair-and-university-minnesota-waste-energy-study
For more information on the Minnesota State Fair, please see:
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