Manure and food waste can be turned into renewable energy

COHOCTON, NY (WETM) – One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Ag-Grid Energy has found a way to take manure and food waste and turn it into electricity.

The company collects organic matter and food waste within a 50-mile radius, extracts the carbon from it, and turns it into methane and carbon dioxide. They then burn it and turn it into electricity.

This form of electricity is more reliable than solar or wind power, according to Ag-Grid Energy CEO Rashi Akki. This is because both manure and food waste are renewable resources.

Manure usually ends up in lagoons and releases methane. Food waste does the same thing in landfills. Turning waste and manure into energy involves converting the resulting methane into carbon dioxide. Methane is 26 times more potent than a greenhouse gas. This will reduce the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.