More than 100 people attended the July Minnesota Renewable Energy Roundtable in Bemidji, Minn. From young students interested in renewable energy to experienced scientists and innovators, the variety of participants speaks to the interest in renewable energy in Minnesota. The roundtable featured thought-provoking presentations from LeAnn Oliver, senior advisor for clean energy and rural development for the U.S. Department of Energy; Jim Bensen, president emeritus of Bemidji State University; and other innovative thinkers in the area of renewable energy.

Many wet biomass feedstocks have low value due to the high cost of thermally removing water to make use of the lignocellulosic material contained therein. There are mechanical technologies that can potentially remove water in a cost effective manner, which would help raise the value of these materials by opening markets for combustion or gasification of the feedstocks, new livestock feed opportunities, slow release fertilizer or using the feedstocks as ground covers. The goal of this initiative was to identify technology transfer opportunities to improve the economics of drying high moisture feedstocks.

Interested in learning more about this report? AURI will be hosting a webinar on September 19. Email news@auri.org for more information.

A special thanks to our funding partner on this project: Northwest Minnesota Foundation.

> Read the report: Mechanical Dewatering Technologies for Wet Biomass Feedstocks