Renewable Greenhouse Gas Project

With record amounts of greenhouse gasses being released into the atmosphere, many companies are looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprint.

“Consumers are demanding companies increase their environmental consciousness,” said Jeff VanVoorhis, vice president of EPC project development for Mead & Hunt. “They’re making decisions dependent on how things can be more sustainable, whether it’s for fuel or the type of food they buy.”

Last year, Mead & Hunt and DTE Energy partnered to produce renewable natural gas using manure from more than 10,000 cows at Matsche Dairy Farm in Birnamwood.

The location of the farm proved to be a challenge for crews, as it was not situated near a natural gas pipeline injection point. To overcome that obstacle, Mead & Hunt designed a transfer system that collects manure from several barns on the farm to a central location for anaerobic digestion.

When organic materials are anaerobically digested by microorganisms, they produce biogas. For this project, Mead & Hunt designed and built two anaerobic digesters — each with 2.5-million-gallon capacity — to convert manure waste streams into raw biogas.

The project was completed in March 2023. The gas produced at the farm is loaded into trucks and used as fuel for vehicles, helping to meet the growing market demand for renewable gas.

“Mead & Hunt projects positively impact our communities,” VanVoorhis said. “The anaerobic digesters designed and installed by our team at this 5,000-acre Wisconsin farm helped to create jobs, grow the economy, develop renewable natural gas in Wisconsin and reduce greenhouse gasses to the benefit of our environment.”