| Meat technologist boosts important industry |
Loving leftovers 11/26/08 1:58:32 PM
In the midst of the holiday season, people tend to end up with a few leftovers. Whether its extra turkey and stuffing from group gatherings or even some long-staying relatives, we sometimes have to contend with what is left behind.
AURI also deals with leftovers, but in this case it’s attempting to add value to things like crop residue, ag processing coproducts, animal waste and other seemingly valueless items. For many years those resources were considered waste products in need of disposal. More recently, they have become the fodder for value-added ideas as existing businesses and entrepreneurs recognize them for what they are—additional revenue streams.
A key use for agricultural leftovers is in energy production. In a number of examples around Minnesota, animal manure is used to produce biogas through anaerobic digestion. As microbes break down the manure, methane gas is given off that can be collected and used to produce heat or electricity. The now stabilized manure can then be land applied, returning vital nutrients to the soil. The same anaerobic digestion process is also being used around the state to help deal with leftovers from dairy processing, vegetable canning and even municipal waste.
Solid leftovers like crop residue, ag processing coproducts and even wood waste are finding new life and new value when it comes to energy production. Minnesota boasts several gasification systems designed to convert solid leftovers into gas. Gasification is a technology that utilizes controlled combustion of solid materials, collecting the gas for use in electrical generation or heating. Minnesota enterprises are utilizing various leftovers including grass seed screenings, corn cobs and wood chips to produce energy. These raw materials were once considered waste, but now are helping to reduce the need for fossil fuels.
Other Minnesota enterprises are using materials like prairie grass, biofuel leftovers and plant straw to produce energy. These materials are the coproducts from the primary activities of modern agriculture and land stewardship. But just like the turkey sandwich the day after Thanksgiving, AURI is helping Minnesota businesses discover that sometimes the leftovers are almost as good as the original.
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