College hopes to get gas from food waste

ATHENS, Ohio — A student who throws away food at Ohio University may just be contributing to OU’s newest fuel source.

University researchers believe they will be able to produce methane from extra compost and food waste, which may then be utilized as fuel.

Sarah Davis, assistant professor of environmental studies at the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs, heads a project with OU researchers and students to see if creating the extra fuel source will be possible.

“Methane can be used as fuel and is a product of bacterial decomposition of organic matter under certain conditions,” Davis said. “We want to resolve the perfect conditions for bacteria to make this methane using food waste, yard waste and rainwater.”

Once waste goes through the process of composting, it is laid out behind the composting facility in •The Ridges, where it decomposes and releases greenhouse gases.

The researchers plan to use an anaerobic digester to capture the greenhouse gases. In the digester, food waste and yard waste are mixed with rainwater. Bacteria that help produce methane will also be introduced to the system.

OU awarded Davis with $75,000 from the 1804 Fund to build the anaerobic digester near the composting facility.

“We will experiment with temperature control, moisture levels and chemical compositions to determine optimum conditions for methane production,” Davis said in an email.

Normal composting typically results in the production of carbon dioxide.

However, the goal of the current project is to create more methane since it can be used as a fuel source, Davis said.