WOOSTER, Ohio — Those looking for a useful end to all that livestock manure are invited by Ohio State University researchers and engineers to its first training course on anaerobic digestion Sept. 6-7.

Anaerobic digestion is a waste-management process that livestock farms and wastewater plants are increasingly using to produce biogas, a type of renewable fuel. The course takes place at the university’s Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) in Wooster.

“This anaerobic digestion industry is growing in Ohio, but there are no educational programs that provide an understanding of the scientific principles underlying the process, or the daily management of such a system,” said Yebo Li, the organizer of the course and a biosystems engineer at OARDC.

“If the industry is to continue to grow successfully, training must be available for the workforce, including the operators, regulatory personnel and investors who will provide funding.”

Li said the course is designed for farmers as well as wastewater plant personnel, adding that farmers may want to see if it is right for their operation. “The goal is to provide a practical understanding of the digestion process and the means to address operational issues in the production of bioenergy from a wide range of feedstocks,” Li said.

There are 14 anaerobic digesters at work in Ohio, helping the state increase its presence in the renewable energy industry. Just last month a $10 million biogas plant was erected in northwestern Ohio, which will turn food waste from the Campbell Soup Co. and agricultural waste into electricity. 

The facility has the capacity to anaerobically digest 450 tons of mixed organic waste per day – and obtaining organic waste from farmers is necessary in this operation.

“Farmers could potentially be paid for their organic material,” Li said.

Anaerobic digesters take in feedstocks such as livestock manure, food-processing waste and municipal sewage sludge, break them down under tightly controlled conditions and, in the process, produce useful compost and methane biogas.

On Sept. 6 Li will discuss the fundamentals of this process while Mark Suchan of quasar energy group will talk about feedstocks for anaerobic digestion. A panel including other experts will talk about options for biogas.

On Sept. 7. Annette Berger of KB Compost Services will discuss how to manage such an operation from a farmer’s standpoint, while Dee Jepsen, OSU state safety specialist, will discuss safety issues. Rules and regulations will be on the agenda as well.

Biogas from the quasar digester currently helps generate about one-third of the electricity needed on OARDC’s main campus. The system also produces compressed natural gas for use as an alternative fuel in cars and trucks, including about half of quasar’s fleet vehicles and four OARDC vehicles in a new demonstration project.

As always, economics will play a role in future anaerobic digestion developments,” Li said. “On the positive end, the effectiveness of these systems in reducing odor emissions from manure and as a treatment to reduce pathogens are additional reasons they are installed on livestock farms.”

According to Li, more than 400 livestock farms in Ohio are potential candidates for anaerobic digesters. “All told, Ohio produces some 330,000 dry tons of sewage sludge a year that anaerobic digestion could benefit, either by reducing odors and pathogens, by producing energy and compost or both.”

The course runs from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Sept. 6 and from 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Sept. 7, both days at OARDC’s Shisler Conference Center, 1680 Madison Ave., Wooster. Registration is $250 and includes all materials and continental breakfast, lunch and snacks on both days.

Registration deadline is Aug. 31. Class size is limited to 25. For more information, call 330-202-3533 or email Mary Wicks at wicks.14@osu.edu or download the brochure at http://go.osu/NND