OAQDA Authorizes Funding for WTE Facility
$3 million awarded to OSU Wooster campus will result in new electricity generation
Organic waste will become electricity in Wooster, following construction by Buckeye Biogas of a new facility at The Ohio State University’s Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC). Last week’s authorization of a $3 million bond by the Ohio Air Quality Development Authority (OAQDA) will help fund the construction project.
Buckeye Biogas will use the funds to construct a facility that will house an anaerobic digestion system capable of safely digesting multiple streams of biomass, including regional food and crop waste along with grass and manure from OARDC’s farm operations. Anaerobic digestion is a natural process that breaks down biomass waste materials and produces biosolids, which can be used for compost material or animal bedding, and biogas, which can be used to generate power either via electricity or natural gas. When complete, the facility will generate 450 kilowatts of electricity – enough to provide power to 450 homes for one year.
The technology being employed by OARDC was developed by Schmack BioEnergy LLC of Cleveland. Schmack, which recently changed its company name to quasar energy group, also was authorized by OAQDA this month to receive a $3.06 million loan from the Ohio Advanced Energy Job Stimulus Program.
“This state-of-the-art technology developed by Schmack and to be used by OARDC is capable of solving a broad array of waste management challenges faced by agricultural farmers, industrial food companies, municipal treatment plants and ethanol producers. It also creates reusable energy and additional beneficial byproducts, in this case a nutrient-rich soil additive,” said Mark R. Shanahan, OAQDA executive director and the Governor’s energy advisor.
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“We believe this project further demonstrates that the state’s investment in advanced energy technologies is stimulating our economy and creating the jobs of the future in Ohio today. And this particular technology is a perfect fit for a heavily agricultural state like Ohio” Shanahan added.
The Ohio Air Quality Development Authority (OAQDA) is a non-regulatory government agency created to help Ohio businesses comply with clean air regulations. Through its Ohio Coal Development Office, OAQDA also oversees the State of Ohio’s coal research, development and technology deployment efforts. Since its creation in 1970, the Authority has provided technical and financial help to hundreds of large and small Ohio businesses, awarding more than $7 billion to finance air quality projects. In addition, the OAQDA Executive Director was appointed the Governor’s Energy Advisor in January 2007. Subsequently, in 2008, OAQDA was named as administering authority for the $150 million Advanced Energy Job Stimulus Program. For more information about OAQDA and its services, please visit its web site, at www.ohioairquality.org.
January 4, 2010
OAQDA Authorizes Funding for WTE Facility
$3 million awarded to OSU Wooster campus will result in new electricity generation
Organic waste will become electricity in Wooster, following construction by Buckeye Biogas of a new facility at The Ohio State University’s Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC). Last week’s authorization of a $3 million bond by the Ohio Air Quality Development Authority (OAQDA) will help fund the construction project.
Buckeye Biogas will use the funds to construct a facility that will house an anaerobic digestion system capable of safely digesting multiple streams of biomass, including regional food and crop waste along with grass and manure from OARDC’s farm operations. Anaerobic digestion is a natural process that breaks down biomass waste materials and produces biosolids, which can be used for compost material or animal bedding, and biogas, which can be used to generate power either via electricity or natural gas. When complete, the facility will generate 450 kilowatts of electricity – enough to provide power to 450 homes for one year.
The technology being employed by OARDC was developed by Schmack BioEnergy LLC of Cleveland. Schmack, which recently changed its company name to quasar energy group, also was authorized by OAQDA this month to receive a $3.06 million loan from the Ohio Advanced Energy Job Stimulus Program.
“This state-of-the-art technology developed by Schmack and to be used by OARDC is capable of solving a broad array of waste management challenges faced by agricultural farmers, industrial food companies, municipal treatment plants and ethanol producers. It also creates reusable energy and additional beneficial byproducts, in this case a nutrient-rich soil additive,” said Mark R. Shanahan, OAQDA executive director and the Governor’s energy advisor.
“We believe this project further demonstrates that the state’s investment in advanced energy technologies is stimulating our economy and creating the jobs of the future in Ohio today. And this particular technology is a perfect fit for a heavily agricultural state like Ohio” Shanahan added.
The Ohio Air Quality Development Authority (OAQDA) is a non-regulatory government agency created to help Ohio businesses comply with clean air regulations. Through its Ohio Coal Development Office, OAQDA also oversees the State of Ohio’s coal research, development and technology deployment efforts. Since its creation in 1970, the Authority has provided technical and financial help to hundreds of large and small Ohio businesses, awarding more than $7 billion to finance air quality projects. In addition, the OAQDA Executive Director was appointed the Governor’s Energy Advisor in January 2007. Subsequently, in 2008, OAQDA was named as administering authority for the $150 million Advanced Energy Job Stimulus Program. For more information about OAQDA and its services, please visit its web site, at www.ohioairquality.org.