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SUNY Canton Receives a $1 Million grant

for an Anaerobic Manure Digester

  SUNY Canton received $1 million grant to begin building a system that will create energy, aid in the education of students, and improve the environment, SUNY Canton President Joseph L. Kennedy announced today.

The grant was through New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). A $1.5 million loan from the New York State Power Authority (NYPA) will cover the balance of the $2.5 million project, according to Michael E. Simpson, SUNY Canton Grants Coordinator. The TeRiele Brothers Farm, Old DeKalb Road, will provide the raw fuel or manure for the project.

The manure digester is a combined heat and power (CHP) system that will generate approximately 500 kilowatts of power and thermal energy at SUNY Canton may be operational by fall 2006. This project helps the college fulfill New York State Executive Order Number 111, requiring that all State facilities acquire 20 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by the year 2010.

"Fuel for the CHP system will be produced and piped from an anaerobic digester system at the TeRiele farm to the SUNY Canton Campus, where it will be processed into heat and electricity," Simpson said. "It will decrease manure fumes, create energy for the SUNY Canton electrical grid and make a better fertilizer for the TeRiele's farm. It will also fit very well with our upcoming Alternative and Renewable Energy program."

A dairy cow produces approximately two times more waste than milk, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. An anaerobic digester is a system that receives and biologically treats manure with naturally occurring organisms, reducing the farm's environmental footprint. Systems such as this are easy to operate, cost effective and can provide a significant reduction in waste, nuisance odors, and reduce ground and surface water pollution. The byproduct of the digestion process is gas rich in methane that will provide an excellent source of fuel for a CHP system.

Economically, the anaerobic digester may save SUNY Canton costly energy bills, and demonstrate a model for other communities to follow. SUNY Canton may also add organic food waste to the manure to create additional volume, which will decrease the amount of refuse generated by the College.

Partners for anaerobic digester project include: NYPA; NYSERDA; the TeRiele Brothers Farm; and Dr. Norman Scott and David Belcher, P.E. of the Cornell Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering Manure Management Program.

August 22, 2005

Media inquiries should be directed to Gregory Kie, Media Relations Coordinator, or call 315/386-7527.

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