You are here:
DEVELOPING AN INTEGRATED BIOMASS PROCESSING PLAN FOR WAYNE AND STARK COUNTIES, OHIO
Description:
Ohio's Wayne and Stark counties are home to unique combination of biomass waste materials that offer interesting P3 opportunities. Biomass materials from 42 food manufacturing facilities, 72 wood manufacturing operations, large livestock farms, and residential land use for nearly 500,000 people in close proximity. This student design competition will conduct an assessment of this biomass and recommend a suite of strategies to convert these wastes into new, marketable products (e.g., bio-energy, bio-chemicals, soil amendments, etc.). The dominant strategies for dealing with the biological waste products are problematic within the community and are typically managed for pollution prevention. In some cases, growth is limited by the community's inability to manage the heavy demand placed on the downstream wastewater treatment facility. In other cases, strong odors create nuisance issues and lessen the quality of life for those adjacent these operation. Tipping fees at the neighboring landfill represent yet another expense both to the company and the community (in lost future capacity of the landfill). There are many researchers around the world involved in various aspects of this sustainability challenge, but this student team will integrate this information into a comprehensive package. Data will be collected to serve context, implementation, and outcome evaluation purposes. A goal to redirect 5% of biomass resources to new economic enterprises is sought. Students from across the university will enroll in two quarter hours of independent study in their home department for both Fall '04 and Winter '05 quarters and will conduct a series of seminars on various aspects of the project. Field trips to Wayne and Stark counties are planned.