MDA Awards $1.2 Million for Innovative Manure Management Project in Wicomico County

ANNAPOLIS, MD – The Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) has awarded a $1.2 million grant to Renewable Oil International MD, LLC (ROI) for an Innovative Animal Manure Technology demonstration project at a Wicomico County poultry farm.

“Our Administration is committed to protecting the environment and ensuring a vibrant agriculture economy in Maryland,” said Governor Larry Hogan. “This project is a great example of that commitment and a prime investment in new technology that seeks alternative uses for manure.”

ROI will use a patented bio-refinery technology to reduce the volume of poultry litter generated at Chesnik Farms by 50 to 63 percent. The process involves placing poultry litter in an enclosed container that excludes air. The litter is rapidly heated under controlled conditions causing it to decompose into various products. Chesnik Farms operates eight poultry houses on two farms in Wicomico County and generates between 800 and 1,000 tons of poultry litter annually.

“Maryland is one of the country’s top poultry producers for broilers and meat eggs,” said Maryland Agriculture Secretary Joe Bartenfelder. “It is no surprise that we are leading the way in supporting and vetting new technologies to convert chicken litter into energy and useful alternative products that can be used to meet our water quality goals.”

Several useful products are produced during the thermal decomposition process. These include: bio-oil, which can be marketed as an asphalt extender or fuel additive; bio-char, a charcoal-like product used to enhance compost; and synthesis gas or syngas, a mixture of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and hydrogen that can be used as a heat source to dry the poultry litter. Additional markets are being explored but are not secured. If the demonstration is successful, plans are to scale it up to address manure management issues on multiple farms on the Lower Eastern Shore where poultry operations dominate the landscape.

“Renewable Oil International MD, LLC is pleased to partner with a poultry farmer and the Maryland Department of Agriculture to demonstrate the company’s innovative nutrient management technology to process poultry litter into value-added products on the Maryland Eastern Shore, ”  said Phillip Badger, Chief Technology Officer for ROI.

MDA issued a request for proposals in December 2014 and received four bids which were reviewed by a six-member technical review subcommittee. The subcommittee represented diverse skill sets and backgrounds and its members were chosen from the 20-member Advisory Committee for the Animal Waste Technology Fund. The Board of Public Works approved the ROI project on August 5, 2015.

Established in 2013, MDA’s Animal Waste Technology Fund provides grants to companies that demonstrate new technologies on farms and provide alternative strategies for managing animal manure. These technologies generate energy from animal manure, reduce on-farm waste streams, and repurpose manure by creating marketable fertilizer and other products and by-products. To date, the program has issued $3.2 million in grants to support alternative uses for manure.

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