MaryBeth Matzek: Oshkosh biodigesters put students to work

This is an excerpt from a column posted at BizOpinion

During one of his classes at the UW-Oshkosh, Kinan Pasley heard about the three biodigesters that the college offered. A biology major, Pasley decided he wanted to see them for himself so he called about a tour.

He was blown away by what he saw and when he heard about the opportunity for UW-Oshkosh students to work at one of them. Biodigesters use bacteria to break down organic matter – whether it’s cow manure or leftover food or plant products – and then captures the methane released by the bacteria as it digests the organic matter. The methane is then trapped and can be burned for heating or electricity. The leftover organic solid waste can be then sold as fertilizer or further composted.

During the past few years, the university opened three biodigesters: an urban anaerobic dry biogas system digester on campus; a small farm biogas system at a farm outside of Oshkosh; and a biogas system at Rosendale Dairy in Fond du Lac County. Each of the biodigesters is unique in its own way. For example, the Rosendale site is located at the state’s largest dairy and also has an onsite learning facility while the on-campus dry biogas system was the first of its kind to be built in North America.

“I was working before in the student union, and while that was OK, I thought this was a much better fit for my major and it’s providing me with hands-on skills I can use after graduation,” says Pasley, who will graduate next month and plans to work at the on-campus biodigester through the summer.

Students working at the biodigester do a variety of duties, but most involve collecting data – both of what’s going in and out of the biodigester.

“Getting involved with something like this will set me apart as I look for a job,” Pasley says.

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