Collecting manure samples is probably not high on the to-do list of many Minnesota State Fair goers. But that’s exactly what George Johnson, a scientist with SEH does every day during the fair’s 12-day run—all in an effort to create renewable energy.

(St. Paul, Minn.) — Johnson, State Fair facilities staff, and University of Minnesota (U of M) researchers will collect samples of food waste and manure (collectively known as "organics") to learn whether they could be combined with waste from the nearby U of M campus and converted to renewable energy via a renewable energy technology called an "anaerobic digester" on or near the Fair grounds and adjacent U of M campus.

"An anaerobic digester breaks down organic materials like food and animal waste," Johnson explained. "Methane gas created in the process can be used to fuel generators that produce electricity and heat for use at nearby facilities. Solids from the process are reused as animal bedding, compost, or fertilizer." 

Depending on the research, the effort could serve as a pilot project for the entire state, and possibly be implemented on a smaller scale at thousands of farms across the U.S. with similar waste disposal and energy needs.

With more than 1.5 million visitors and hundreds of animals on site, the State Fair averages around 1,200 tons of food waste and 2,000 tons of animal manure each year.

According to State Fair General Manager Jerry Hammer, the Minnesota State Fair currently recycles 500 tons of paper, glass, metal, and more than a dozen other materials, and composts 2,400 tons of barn waste, food waste and other organic material each year.

"The State Fair has long been committed to green projects, from our educational displays such as the award-winning Eco Experience, to our massive recycling and composting programs," Hammer said.

An informational display explaining the waste sampling project and anaerobic digester process is featured in the Warner Coliseum during the fair.