ANAEROBIC DIGESTION AT SMALL AND MODERATE-SIZED FARMS: LINKING FOODWASTE AND FARM WASTE TREATMENT FOR ECONOMIC ENERGY AND NUTRIENT RECOVERY

The goal of this integrated project is to expand our successful small farm anaerobic digester research and technology development, education, and outreach program at the Cornell Cooperative Extension Services of St. Lawrence County (CCES-SLC) extension farm site in Canton, NY to address the expressed needs of small dairy farmers, ultimately to improve their ability to make informed decisions when assessing potential AD technology applications. We will accomplish our goal by addressing the following project objectives:Integrate the anaerobic digester with the CCES-SLC commercial kitchen and the CCS Foodwaste program to demonstrate a waste to energy loop that can improve energy and nutrient cyclesImprove AD process monitoring and link both measured and continuous digester data to the web so it can be used nationwide as a data set to assess small digester performanceDevelop and extend educational activities and workshops for farmers, ag-academy, and K-12 students regarding closed loop sustainable agriculture practice for small farmsComplete economic assessment of a small digester system that is co-digesting foodwaste from local producers.Develop tools to assess farmer perception of integrated closed loop AD systems to be used pre- and post- extension outreach modules.