Simonpietri Enterprises Awarded Federal Grant for Fertilizer Made from Fire-Prone Invasive Plants
Summary
HONOLULU, Jan. 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded Simonpietri Enterprises LLC a $206,500 grant to conduct research on producing organic fertilizer from locally-sourced green waste and wildfire-prone invasive plant biomass. This grant provides crucial funding to demonstrate the viability of Simonpietris idea to manufacture fertilizer in Hawaii from invasive and fast-growing plants like guinea grass and koa haole. The Phase I research accomplished so far has taken invasive guinea grass from a wildfire prevention project done on Oahu by Hui Ku Maoli Ola, and converted it to biochar and syngas for energy and fertilizer production at the U.S. "Our SMRFF project is small but would be an important first step in Hawaii to build capability to convert wood and green wastes into renewable power, biochar, and value-added products like organic fertilizer," said Naomi Kukac, Communications and Community Engagement lead at Simonpietri Enterprises. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof.