USDA funds biodigesters in seven states

11/3/2011

Anaerobic biodigesters - machines that recover methane from animal manure according to Energy Savers - will be built in seven states thanks to multiple USDA loans, Farm and Dairy reports.

The USDA will provide "millions of dollars" in grants and funding to assist in the construction of these devices through its Rural Energy for America Program, with goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and farm-based pollution.

Ohio received funding for five digesters, the most of any state.

"This round of REAP funding places Ohio in the forefront of the anaerobic digester industry nationwide," said Ohio Rural Development state director Tony Logan, in a statement quoted by the media outlet. "These advanced biodigesters not only create jobs for Ohioans, they turn our existing waste streams … into valuable biomass inputs. They are solid investments for our economy and our environment."

The news source notes one digester to be built in Wooster, Ohio, will produce approximately 2 million kilowatt hours of renewable energy annually and provide enough electricity to power more than 200 homes a year.

The USDA has granted more than $20 million in biodigester assistance through the REAP program during fiscal year 2011.