— Farmers may be able to reduce emissions and chemical runoff while boosting revenues by using a new method for extracting useful nutrients from manure, according to a recent UW-Madison study.
Scientists in Madison have developed a new technique for pulling ammonia and potassium out of livestock manure, which can be used to make fertilizer and other products, the university announced. It was detailed in a paper published Dec. 8 in the journal Nature Sustainability.
The method involves the use of a specialized nickel-based electrode, similar to those used in batteries. By placing the electrode into manure wastewater, ammonium and potassium ions are “selectively driven into and captured” by the electrode.
From there, it’s placed into a device that releases those nutrients for use in fertilizers while also making other chemical products such as hydrogen fuel or hydrogen peroxide, according to the release. UW-Madison says the method is still in the proof-of-concept stage and needs to be scaled up further, but notes it could help farmers reduce their air and water pollution while getting valuable byproducts in the process.
Initial research using small amounts of manure recovered more than half of the ammonia in one cycle, and about 85% after a second cycle.
The study was led by Song Jin, a professor of chemistry, alongside doctoral candidate Rui Wang and civil and environmental engineering Prof. Mohan Qin.
“It looks indeed to be promising,” Qin said in a statement. “There’s a pathway to see how this might really help in the real world.”
Meanwhile, an environmental analysis from Prof. Rebecca Larson of the Nelson institute for Environmental Studies found a dairy farm with 1,000 animals could cut ammonia emissions by half using the new method while “significantly reducing the amount of nitrate” going into nearby waters.
And a separate analysis, conducted by Prof. Fikile Brushett at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, found a model dairy farm using the new method could expect resulting revenue to exceed its operating costs “so long as electricity prices aren’t exorbitant.”
Further efforts will focus on how well the method works for systems that are more similar to actual livestock operations, the release shows. Jin tells the university he’s optimistic its “benefits will continue to outweigh potential costs” at larger scales.
The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation has filed a provisional patent on the new technology.
See the full study: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-023-01252-z
See the release: https://www.wisbusiness.com/2023/uw-madison-fertilizer-production-technique/
— BioForward Wisconsin is opening a new office in Eau Claire as the Madison-based organization seeks to expand its reach.
The group led the Wisconsin-based consortium that successfully applied for Phase I Tech Hub designation by the federal government. As members prepare to submit a Phase II application in February, BioForward is highlighting the “pivotal role” outstate communities such as Eau Claire and La Crosse play in the state biohealth and personalized medicine ecosystem.
In announcing the new office, BioForward CEO Lisa Johnson touted the organization’s vision for the future of Wisconsin’s biohealth industries.
“We are resolute in creating a thriving and interconnected statewide network that fuels innovation, supports burgeoning startups, enables company expansions, and cultivates an agile, skilled workforce to drive the future of biohealth in Wisconsin and personalized medicine worldwide,” she said in a statement.
Maci Camara has been named director of the new Eau Claire office and member engagement manager for BioForward.
See the release: https://www.wisbusiness.com/2023/bioforward-elevates-wisconsin-biohealth-ecosystem-with-eau-claire-office-launch/
Listen to the latest WisBusiness.com podcast with Johnson, covering the Tech Hub initiative and more: https://www.wisbusiness.com/2023/wisbusiness-the-podcast-with-lisa-johnson-bioforward-wisconsin-4/
<br><b><i>Top headlines from the Health Care Report…</b></i>
— Three UW-Madison researchers with expertise in biomedical sciences, medical imaging and virology have been named to the National Academy of Inventors’ 2023 class of fellows.
<i>For more of the most relevant news on COVID-19, reports on groundbreaking health research in Wisconsin, links to top stories and more, sign up today for the free daily Health Care Report from WisPolitics.com and WisBusiness.com.</i>
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— November home sales in the greater Milwaukee area were down by just 0.8% over the year, the Greater Milwaukee Association of Realtors announced.
A total of 1,337 homes were sold last month across Milwaukee, Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington counties, compared to 1,348 in November 2022.
At the same time, listings in the region were 3.6% higher over the year, marking four months of increases according to GMAR. But new listings were down 12.8% compared to November 2021, the report shows.
“Listings are desperately needed in the market and are a major reason unit sales were down,” report authors wrote. “Despite a higher interest rate environment, demand is strong and if there were more units for sale, those units would sell.”
GMAR says a lack of new construction and existing home listings is holding back sales and driving up the cost of buying a home. Average prices saw a 9.7% year-over-year increase in November, rising from $346,442 to $379,887.
Through October, 1,364 new home construction permits were taken out in the four-county area, compared to 1,688 permits one year earlier. That’s “nowhere near” the more than 4,000 new units “the market is desperately in need of,” per the report.
Find the full report and dataset here: https://www.gmar.com/resources/research-statistics/2023-housing-statistics
— Shipping totals through the Port of Green Bay have fallen slightly behind the same period last year, according to the latest figures from port officials.
On a year-to-date basis, 1,589,460 tons have moved through the port, the release shows. That’s 2% lower than at this point last year, when tonnage had reached 1,616,930.
In November, a total of 77,941 tons of cargo passed through the port. That includes shipments of cement, petroleum products, salt and slag. But the total for the month is well below last November, when the port saw 149,309 tons of cargo. The number of ships was also down from 14 in November 2022 to nine last month.
Port of Green Bay Director Dean Haen said “it took a while” for ships to start moving again following the weeklong shutdown of the St. Lawrence Seaway ended in late October.
“While our November totals were notably lower than historic November totals, heading into the last few weeks of the season, we remain optimistic that we’ll end the season with tonnage totals comparable to last year or better,” he said in a statement.
See the release: https://www.wisbusiness.com/2023/port-of-green-bay-heading-into-final-weeks-of-season/
Listen to a recent WisBusiness.com podcast with Haen: https://www.wisbusiness.com/2023/wisbusiness-the-podcast-with-dean-haen-port-of-green-bay/
#TOP STORIES#
# Property taxes see biggest jump since 2007 despite influx of cash for local governments
# How Milwaukee compares with peer cities for tech talent, venture capital
# Three-week cybersecurity incident had $60 million impact on Johnson Controls’ sales
#TOPICS#
# AGRIBUSINESS
– Darin Von Ruden re-elected president – WFU annual convention
http://wisconsinagconnection.com/story-state.php?Id=1074&yr=2023
# CONSTRUCTION
– ACEC study finds engineering firms on same page for diversity, but execution is uneven
– De Pere Shopko demolition begins. Here’s what’s coming.
# EDUCATION
– Free tree seedlings for Wisconsin fourth graders
http://wisconsinagconnection.com/story-state.php?Id=1073&yr=2023
– How diverse are University of Wisconsin campuses?
– Retired teacher claims Madison school threw away $12K in materials
# ENVIRONMENT
– 2 NWTC students found a new antibiotic in soil at Pamperin Park. Here’s why it’s so groundbreaking.
# HEALTH CARE
– Building Blocks: Catalyst Construction breaks ground on Mayfair Medical Commons
– Wisconsin has country’s highest death rate due to falls
# LEGAL
– Wisconsin bill would fine homeless people $500 for unauthorized camps
# MANUFACTURING
– Louisville firm to acquire plastics manufacturer in southeast Wisconsin
– Fraser Industries to secure $40M in financing for shipyard expansion in Superior
# MEDIA
– Stoughton mystery author Beth Amos finds ‘Death in the Dark Woods’
# POLITICS
– Leader of northern Wisconsin tribe not backing down in dispute with GOP lawmakers
– Donors for new UW-Madison College of Engineering building ‘shocked’ by Board of Regents rejection of funding deal with Republicans that included DEI staff cuts
# REGULATION
– Kenosha casino key votes delayed, Pleasant Prairie opposed
# SMALL BUSINESS
– How Frio Mexican Treats gives back to its Wisconsin and Mexico communities
# SPORTS
– Brewers owner Mark Attanasio part of investment group negotiating with PGA
# TECHNOLOGY
– Johnson Controls ransomware incident lasted 3 weeks, had minimal financial impact
– Dean Amhaus wants the world to know about Milwaukee’s most valuable resource
# TRANSPORTATION
– Milwaukee airport receives over $8.5 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure funds
# PRESS RELEASES
<i>See these and other press releases:
https://www.wisbusiness.com/press-releases/ </i>
Fitzy’s Cafe: New North Shore eatery and craft coffee bar shakes up traditional bistro experience
BioForward: Elevates Wisconsin Biohealth ecosystem with Eau Claire office launch
