Bengal Tiger
The Detroit Zoo is investing $1.1 million into a biodigester that would convert the yearly 400-500 tons of manure (and other organic waste) the zoo creates into methane heavy gas. The power would be used to run the
Ruth Roby Glancy Animal Health Complex. The Health Complex is an animal hospital space.
The biodigester will also produce compost for the animal habitats, gardens and public spaces on the zoo's 125 acres, saving it $70,000-$80,000 in energy costs and another $30,000-$40,000 in waste disposal fees. [...]
The estimated cost for the project "is a pretty big barrier to entry for most zoos," COO Gerry VanAcker said. "But we expect a return on investment in close to 10 years."
Price, as with all seemingly no-brainer ideas, has always been the hurdle. But the zoo has been creative, and lucky, in balancing the economics of such an investment. They've received some money from grants as well as a generous $600,000 donation from the
Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation. They have also applied for grants with the
Michigan Energy Office and hope the biodigester will be in operation come October.
MSU's Anaerobic Digestion Research Education Center will help launch the biodigester and operate it for the first year under a $100,000 contract, VanAcker said.
Zoo employees will shadow the MSU team so they can take over the operation after the first year. Estimates are that the biodigester will take just eight to 10 hours of staff time each week to operate, VanAcker said.
This is all a part of Detroit Zoo's
Greenprint initiative to make their park more environmentally sustainable. Part of raising the money is a matching fund from the Michigan Environmental Development Corp, who has agreed to match up to
$55,000 of any funds the zoo is able to raise on Patronicity (a crowdfunding source).
You can watch the Detroit Zoo's Patronicity video below the fold.