Enhancing rural small business opportunities by developing a low cost heat source and developing the utilization of char as a soil amendment

Rural communities that rely on, and are part of an agricultural-based economy where seed and grain cleaning facilities operate are plentiful in the Pacific Northwest and other parts of the U.S. Creating new opportunities for employment and income generation in these communities is frequently difficult because it can require considerable amounts of capital investment and new market development. We have developed an affordable gasification-based technology which converts low value agricultural residues which are produced during seed cleaning operations into renewable power. This gasification platform also produces two coproducts, heat and char which we believe can be developed into new enterprises with relatively low startup costs and marketed to existing local markets, creating new opportunities for rural communities. This project will extend the utility of this system by developing a practical approach to capture heat from the gasification process and utilize that heat to replace fossil fuel-derived energy used to heat commercial greenhouses. Implementation of this technology will create new business opportunities in rural communities where seed and grain cleaning occurs. Char from the gasification process also will be captured and used in slurries as a soil amendment, creating another market opportunity in these rural communities. This char has proven useful in reducing the impact of acidic soils on wheat production and has agronomic utility in improvement of crop production. Taken together, creation of new opportunities in rural communities, utilizing existing seed and grain cleaning infrastructures will reduce the need for purchased inputs for new businesses, reduce fossil fuel requirements, sequester carbon in agricultural and other soils, and improve employment opportunities.