Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 73.84
Liaison Lisa Kilgore
Submission Date Feb. 27, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Cornell University
IN-26: Innovation C

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.00 / 1.00 Sarah Carson
Director, Campus Sustainability Office
FS - Energy & Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Name or title of the innovative policy, practice, program, or outcome:
Poop-to-Power System

A brief description of the innovative policy, practice, program, or outcome that outlines how credit criteria are met and any positive measurable outcomes associated with the innovation:

The College of Veterinary Medicine designed and successfully implemented an innovative waste and energy reclamation system on campus which successfully separates cow manure from their sand bedding, significantly reducing waste and adding a new energy capture stream. This “Poop to Power” System results in clean bedding and a liquid waste that can be used for electricity and heat. Sand bedding in manure can be hard to deal with because the sand settles in holding tanks and can be abrasive to pipes. The new system avoids this problem by separating 95% of the sand from the waste and produces clean sand that can be reused for bedding, which eliminates the need to import 30 tons of sand weekly. The captured liquid waste is sent to Ithaca Area Wastewater Treatment Facility where it is processed by an anaerobic digester that produces methane. The methane is used turn microturbines to generate electricity and create heat. The heat and electricity are used to power the Wastewater Treatment facility.

The manure is mixed with other wastes digested at Wastewater Treatment facility, however, approximately 60,000 gallons per week of manure is hauled to the Wastewater Treatment facility.


Which of the following impact areas does the innovation most closely relate to? (select up to three):
Research
Energy
Waste

A letter of affirmation from an individual with relevant expertise or a press release or publication featuring the innovation :
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The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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