An environmental biotechnology firm is innovating how philanthropy can support University of Iowa research in hopes of creating a business case for diverting waste from the landfill and converting it into energy.
Idaho-based Valkyrie Analytics has pledged $1.5 million to the Bioenergy Innovation Fund to support the research of Craig Just, the Donald E. Bently Professor in Engineering and associate professor of civil and environmental engineering.
Just, who says that waste is just a misplaced resource, leads Iowa’s Wastewater and Waste to Energy Research program, which will benefit from the funds. The goal is a scalable approach to turning animal biproducts and food waste into renewable energy, a breakthrough that could reduce carbon footprints worldwide.
"This collaborative agreement will further our efforts for a better, cleaner future where we can measure by the ton the impact we have on the carbon mitigation efforts, moving from a theoretical calculation model to more real-time monitoring supported by real-time analytics,” said Will Charlton, president of Digester Doc, the primary shareholder of Valkyrie Analytics.