Milwaukee-In a little more than two years the producers of Milorganite specialty fertilizer hope to be bringing methane from a nearby landfill to handle the costly drying process for their product. “The methane will be the energy source that will run our dryers after it is brought in by pipeline from the landfill,” Milorganite spokesman Jeff Spence told Green Markets. “What better way to make a product than from renewable energy sources!” Spence said the $80 million project, which involves a 17-mile-long, 16-inch diameter pipeline from Muskego, Wisc., will save the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District at least $148 million over the next 20 years. Of course, procuring methane from a landfill is cheaper than buying from traditional sources. In this case, Spence reported, replacing natural gas and sometimes electricity to run the dryers will cut these purchases by 90 percent and eliminate the need to buy electricity from the local utility. Spence said the project will decrease the cost of Milorganite production; since energy is the biggest cost. In addition to saving money, the plant will cut greenhouse gas emissions by 500,000 tons a year. The district will seek bids from pipeline builders beginning in May or June, and start construction by August or September.
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