Can waste from dairy farms and breweries be converted into a fuel that can heat homes or power cars and planes?

The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) wants to find out whether it can be done in Vermont. The Vermont Fuel Dealers Association (VFDA) has received a USDA Rural Business Enterprise Grant (RBEG) to assess the feasibility of a sustainable distillate fuel production facility that utilizes farm waste materials.

The VFDA and others will hold a press conference about the project at Nordic Dairy Farm, 1211 Ethan Allen Hwy, Charlotte, Vt., on Tuesday, Oct. 1 at 2 p.m. Presenters will include: Ted Brady, USDA, state director for rural development; Dr. Anju Dahiya of General Systems Research (GSR); Clark Hinsdale of Nordic Dairy Farm; Richard Altman of Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI); and Matt Cota, executive director of the VFDA.

VFDA is working with GSR, the Nordic Dairy Farm, Fiddlehead Brewery, and CAAFI on an advanced biofuel technology project that will focus on sustainability. According to Dr. Dahiya of GSR, the project director, the brewery and dairy waste streams offer nutrient-rich, organic carbon content that can grow oleaginous algae.

“This algae can produce fuel molecules that create a product that is fully interchangeable with home heating oil, diesel and jet fuel,” said Dr. Dahiya. In addition, the process will potentially produce a valuable byproduct— an organic fertilizer which could serve as a home grown alternative to imported synthetic phosphorus fertilizers that pollute rivers and lakes.

The research is the first step toward proving that advanced biofuel technology can provide an economic benefit for local dairy farmers while producing a sustainable fuel that will reduce the carbon footprint of heating, flying, and driving.  “Many Vermonters want to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by heating their homes with renewable fuel. This research offers an opportunity to produce the fuel here in Vermont while providing an economic boost for local farmers,” said Cota of VFDA.

For more information contact Cota at 802-318-2190 or at [email protected]