UMass students and researchers win grant to pilot biodigester

In Massachusetts, students and faculty from UMass’ iCons Program will construct a pilot-scale biodigester to generate useful experimental data, rationalized via mathematical models, that support a proposal for the implementation of a large-scale bioreactor on campus. The technology will improve campus sustainability by continuously recycling organic waste into useful fertilizer and biofuel. The pilot-scale biodigester will also represent an educational opportunity for UMass students — it will leverage academic groups from the iCons program to research teams across departments in the College of Natural Sciences, College of Engineering and Stockbridge School of Agriculture that may require larger-scale bioreactors with which to conduct experiments on. The project is one of nine to receive grant funding from the Sustainability, Innovation and Engagement Fund for its 2019-20 funding cycle.