by RoesleinAE RoesleinAE

Published by Highland Plains/Midwest Ag Journal

Roeslein Alternative Energy celebrated the completion of the first phase of its alternative energy project in northwest Missouri.

Journal photo by Doug Rich.
Journal photo by Doug Rich.

This is the largest livestock manure to energy project in the United States. Impermeable synthetic covers are now installed on 41 of the 88 existing manure lagoons at nine Smithfield farms in northern Missouri to capture methane gas. Equipment has been installed on one farm to remove impurities from the biogas to create pipeline quality renewable natural gas. As of July 1, RHG from anaerobic digestion of hog  manure was injected into the national pipeline using an interconnect that has been install at Ruckman Farm. Duke Energy in North Carolina has agreed to purchase a portion of the RHG from this site.

Roeslein Alternative Energy is in the process of installing similar technology at other farms in the Smithfield system in Missouri on smaller scale.

The next phase in this innovative project will be to convert biomass from prairie grass into clean usable energy.