Have some manure to get rid of? In the market for switchgrass to convert to fuel? If you’re in the Keystone State, you might want to bookmark the Pennsylvania Biomass Trader on your Internet browser.
The free website is a sort of classified ad service for people looking to buy or sell materials that could be turned into energy or compost. It’s run by the state Small Business Development Centers, which also run a similar website, the Pennsylvania Material Trader, a resource for those in the market for everything from scrap paper to medical supplies.
The Biomass Trader grew out of another website just for those looking to buy and sell animal manure. “A lot of people were interested in manure not just for fertilizer, but as an energy source,” explains Nancy Crickman, who runs the Small Business Development Centers’ Environmental Management Assistance Program.
The site has been up for about a year, but Crickman still considers it a new initiative because it’s not useful unless enough people take advantage of it.
“It’s a free resource, and the more it’s used, the better for everyone,” she says.
So far the Biomass Trader has about 160 members, and it has hosted about 150 listings. Users include a Juniata County buyer in search of scrap wood, a State College supplier looking to sell switchgrass and several farmers with horse manure to give away.
Source: Nancy Crickman, Pennsylvania Small Business Development Centers
Writer: Rebecca VanderMeulen