Oshkosh Group Turns Cow Manure Into Fuel

The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and a California company are now operating Wisconsin’s first commercial facility to turn manure into fuel for trucks and jets.

The project started six years ago when Agra Energy searched for waste streams for renewable biofuels.

After an initial pilot run, construction began on a new facility last fall with production getting underway in the first half of this year. The process produces diesel and jet fuel, but not gasoline.

Biogas also helps mitigate emissions that would otherwise have escaped from landfills or manure lagoons and contribute to the greenhouse gases that are thought to contribute to climate change.

The new facility was strategically placed in Wisconsin because of the state’s untapped biodigester market.

As the first facility in Wisconsin, UWO’s Kenny Johnson expects some growing pains to commercialize the fuel with a competitive market. He says people need to realize there is value to biogas, and that buyers are needed for it.

Agra officials say the goal for the new commercial facility is to make about 18-hundred gallons of fuel per day. They say the partnership also provides hands-on experience for UWO students to learn about biogas systems.