{"id":8688,"date":"2022-11-16T09:24:32","date_gmt":"2022-11-16T15:24:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin-new\/?post_type=campus_story&p=8688"},"modified":"2022-11-16T09:24:32","modified_gmt":"2022-11-16T15:24:32","slug":"uwo-partnership-with-agra-energy-yields-new-facility-to-convert-dairy-waste-into-biofuel","status":"publish","type":"campus_story","link":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/story\/uwo-partnership-with-agra-energy-yields-new-facility-to-convert-dairy-waste-into-biofuel\/","title":{"rendered":"UWO partnership with Agra Energy yields new facility to convert dairy waste into biofuel"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Photo<\/a>
Officials from Agra Energy and University of Wisconsin Oshkosh held a groundbreaking for Wisconsin\u2019s first commercial facility to turn dairy farm waste into renewable biofuel. (Photo credit: UW Oshkosh)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Marked by a groundbreaking ceremony Monday, the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh launched a new effort with biogas partner Agra Energy to build Wisconsin\u2019s first commercial facility to turn dairy farm waste into renewable biofuel.<\/p>\n

The $20 million facility, located at Dairyland Farm in New Franken, will use pioneering technology to convert biogas waste into an estimated 750,000 gallons of renewable diesel and jet fuel annually.<\/p>\n

The operation is expected to be up and running as early as January 2023.<\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/a>
UW Oshkosh Chancellor Andy Leavitt discusses the university\u2019s partnership with Agra Energy. (Photo credit: UW Oshkosh)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cIt feels good to partner with a company committed to and invested in helping Wisconsin dairy farmers advance and scale up technology to convert farm waste into renewable fuels,\u201d UWO Chancellor Andy Leavitt said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are seeing the future in this project, and we are proud and grateful that our collaboration with Agra Energy gives UWO biogas experts the continued opportunity to demonstrate our own commitment to sustainability and the Wisconsin Idea.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tony Long, Agra Energy\u2019s president and chief technology officer, said the company is grateful for UWO administration\u2019s support of the biogas technology program. \u201cYour vision to create a support structure for green technologies has been critical to setting the foundation for this commercial technology,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Brian Langolf, UWO biogas systems and research development director, said the new micro gas-to-liquid (GTL) conversion technology is a good fit to harness the renewable energy potential of Wisconsin\u2019s dairy industry to help decarbonize transportation fuel and work toward energy independence.<\/p>\n

UW Oshkosh has been building a relationship with the startup Agra Energy since 2017 and began working to demonstrate the GTL process in 2019 at the small-scale Allen Farm digester site in northwestern Winnebago County. Agra is working with DVO to install an anaerobic digester designed with patented technology to convert the dairy waste to renewable biofuel.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs we were pulling together key technology elements, we knew we needed to have a pilot system to allow us to test all the steps together,\u201d Long said. \u201cWith the help of the UWO team and several great students who signed up to work with us, we had the first fuel running from the system in May 2020.\u201d<\/p>\n

The public-private partnership between UWO and Agra was highlighted in the October 2021 UW System Board of Regents meeting hosted by UWO.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe continue to support on-going research testing at UWO, always looking to improve results. We also plan additional technology pieces that will increase the ability to process the complete manure stream and increase the fuel yield from the farm,\u201d Long added.<\/p>\n

Not only does the new project expand UWO\u2019s research interests in sustainability, it also provides additional hands-on experience for UWO students to learn about biogas systems.<\/p>\n

Long said the new facility at Dairyland already employs three UW Oshkosh alumni with a fourth new graduate expected to join the team in December.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe view this partnership as providing a consistent pipeline for employing students from UW Oshkosh and other UW System schools,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Learn more:<\/strong><\/p>\n