Manure-to-Energy Initiative
Project Summary
The goal of the Manure to Energy Initiative (M2E) is to develop and vet options for poultry farmers which increase their net revenue and reduce sediment and nutrient movement to local waters and the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. M2E is leading 5 demonstration projects which employ different hybrid gasification technologies at farm-scale to convert poultry litter to heat and/or electrical energy. The co-product is ash which is rich in P and K, and being examined in fertilizer compositions. Three demonstration projects are identified in the Delmarva Peninsula, one each in DE, MD and VA. There is a project in Pennsylvania's Lancaster County and one Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. Three projects will produce heat: two projects will produce heat and electricity.
Partners
Chesapeake Bay Funders Network, Farm Pilot Project Coordination Inc., University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, University of Maryland Environmental Finance Center, Lancaster County Conservation District, and Sustainable Chesapeake.
Sponsors
M2E is taking place in the Mid-Atlantic States under partnership funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and EPA, and an USDA Conservation Innovation Grant, with matching funds from the Chesapeake Bay Funders Network and participating farmers and technology vendors.
Related Documents
Summary of Manure-to-Energy Initiative Interviews with Project Farmers
For more information, please contact Daphne Pee at dpee@arec.umd.edu or Michelle Arthur at marthur@umd.edu.