OSHKOSH—The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh will be converting food waste into a renewable heating source for the UW-Oshkosh Campus Services Center, moving the university closer to its goal of carbon neutrality by 2030.
The project will connect the adjacent dry anaerobic digester to the center and will be funded with a $339,000 grant from the Public Service Commission’s (PSC) Energy Innovation Program, according to the university. UW-Oshkosh submitted an application last fall to the PSC’s Energy Innovation Grant Program for the project.
The most significant aspect of the grant is that it allows the university to capture methane biogas already being produced on campus, said Stephanie Spehar, director of Sustainable Institute for Regional Transformations, in an article posted by the university. Instead of wasting the biogas, a portion will be used as a source of heat energy.
The university said the converted methane gas will provide at least 75% of the heat for the 55,000-square-foot Campus Services Center, resulting in an estimated annual savings of about $24,000.
The anaerobic digestion process breaks down organic material by bacteria in the absence of oxygen. The biogas created within the digester, mainly methane, can be combusted to generate electricity and heat, or processed into renewable natural gas and transportation fuels.
The digester currently produces about 8 percent of the university’s electrical needs, UW-Oshkosh said.
The waste fueling the digester includes all food waste from Blackhawk Commons; all pre-consumer food waste from Reeve Union; food waste from the Oshkosh Food Co-op; yard waste from the campus, the city, and the Winnebago County landfill collection site, the university said.
Additional waste comes from local industrial sources, including its largest industrial supplier, McCain Foods, which supplies 20 to 25 tons of potato sludge and 50 to 60 tons of waste from breaded food.
UWO’s Strategic Plan identifies its commitment to sustainability and reducing environmental impact through facilities improvements and renewable energy installations that result in lower greenhouse gas emissions. The university is now using 100% natural gas as a heating fuel, with low-sulfur fuel oil as a backup.
