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FromGrassland RestorationtoRenewable EnergyHow MPF Planted Seeds for aLarge Sustainable Energy InitiativeBy Sheldon RipsonSome ideas come out of the blue. But an idea taking shapein the hog barns and rolling hills of northern Missouricame out of the green—the grasslands revered by an entrepreneur,industrialist, and dedicated conservationist. MissouriPrairie Foundation (MPF) technical advisor Rudi Roeslein lovesnative prairie for its beauty and unique set of ecological services.Now Roeslein is staking his reputation on an ambitious goal ofreturning 30 million acres of highly erodible land to native grasslandsin 30 years.Roeslein’s business intuition tells him the only way that canhappen is by creating an economic model for landowners toplant native grasses. And that is exactly what he intends to do.“We hope to come up with another crop for farmers: thenatural prairie grasses that have grown here for thousands ofyears,” Roeslein said. “I’m not saying this is a silver bullet. Butthis is a potential solution for challenges like protecting waterquality, preventing soil erosion, safeguarding pollinator services,and increasing wildlife habitat. If there is an economic value forthese ecological services, it will be a better source of income thanplanting crops in areas where they are not sustainable.”Major Northern Missouri ProjectEarly in 2014 Roeslein’s company,Roeslein Alternative Energy, announceda $100 million renewable energy initiativewith Murphy-Brown of Missouri(MBM). MBM and its parent companySmithfield Foods, the world’s largest hogproducer, own nearly 50,000 acres innorthern Missouri.“I’m really encouraged by this project,”said Brian Paulsen, MBM Directorof Environmental Health and Safety.“I’m excited by Rudi, the team he’sput together, and the model he’s puttogether. He’s got the front side figuredout and the back side. No one else hasdone that. This will be good for northMissouri, good for the environment,good for everyone.”Top, a prairie planting at Murphy-Brown ofMissouri, initiated in 2008 thanks to a partnershipof the Missouri Prairie Foundation, theMissouri Department of Conservation, theU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the NaturalResources Conservation Service.12 Missouri Prairie Journal Vol. 35 No. 2
Frank OberleRAEThe Key: Anaerobic DigestionAt the heart of the process is anaerobicdigestion (AD). In the absence of oxygen,naturally occurring microorganismsextract methane from animal manureand organic matter. Rather than sit in anopen lagoon, the waste is moved into acovered lagoon or tank. The microorganismscreate biogas, which rises to the topof the digester. The biogas is collectedand cleaned of impurities like sulfur.What remains is the same molecule asnatural gas (98 percent methane, alsoknown as biomethane), which can becompressed (CNG) or liquefied (LNG)for use as transportation fuel and/orinjected in the U.S. natural gas grid system.The residue can be used as naturalfertilizer, and the water can be safelyused for irrigation. Odor emissions arereduced by 98 percent.The 2013 edition of Biogas: AnAll-Rounder noted that “using liquid orsolid manure from livestock in a biogasplant is particularly good for the climate.It constitutes a pre-processing step as itmakes the livestock manure more tolerablefor plants and reduces methaneemissions during storage and spreadingon fields and pastures. The neighborhoodalso gains an added bonus, sincethe odor emissions when spreadingfermented products are considerablylower than with conventional slurry.”Roeslein seeks to harness AD ina large-scale way. Barn scrapers willmove waste from approximately 1.5million hogs into nearly 100 existinglagoons fitted with impermeable covers.Methane production could begin latein 2014. When completed, CNGproduction could approach 20 milliongallons annually.“If you really look at animalmanure, it’s a waste byproduct ofplant material. There is carbon valuethere. We will harvest the carbon usinganaerobic digestion. Then we’ll take theremaining sludge and put it into the soilas a valuable nutrient. The N, P, and Kare still there. The digester captured thevalue,” Paulsen said.Injecting digested manure intosoil provides about one metric ton inbenefits per acre per year thanks tocarbon dioxide stored in the soil fromthe manure (0.8 metric ton) and lowernitrous oxide emissions (0.2 metricton). Nitrogen in synthetic fertilizer orundigested manure volatizes to releasenitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas about298 times more potent than carbonVol. 35 No. 2 Missouri Prairie Journal 13
Page 1 and 2: summer2014Volume 35Number 2Missouri
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Page 21 and 22: Dr. Peter Raven, president emeritus
Page 23 and 24: The D enison Prairie Stewardship Fu
Page 25 and 26: Becky EricksonMDCOn facing page, pi
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Page 29 and 30: Education on the Prairie with Jeff
Page 31 and 32: Honorariums & MemorialsIn Honor of

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