The Consortium for Cultivating Human And Naturally reGenerative Enterprises, or C-CHANGE, began in 2018 as an Iowa State University Presidential Interdisciplinary Research Initiative to create prosperity through the intersection of agriculture, society, and the environment. In 2020, C-CHANGE expanded to a multi-institutional consortium including Iowa State University, Penn State University, Roeslein Alternative Energy, the USDA-ARS National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment, and partner organizations with a Sustainable Agricultural Systems program grant from the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute for Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA; project award no. 2020-68012-31824).
Research, Education & Extension
With USDA-NIFA funding, C-CHANGE advanced the Grass2Gas project: research, education, and extension to support development of a new biobased value chain. This effort examined the production of renewable natural gas and associated bioproducts through the anaerobic digestion of herbaceous biomass combined with manure.
The novelty of the project lay in leveraging a successful business model based on the digestion of manure to encompass new agricultural feedstocks, more diverse products, and increased value throughout the supply chain.
Grass2Gas integrated activities toward feedstock diversification, process intensification and modularization, and stakeholder engagement to reduce supply chain risks, increase product value, and improve production, profitability, and resilience. Work was motivated by the pressing need to foster new economic development in rural America while alleviating social and environmental concerns.
Learn more about the project's work by reading these frequently asked questions.
Outcomes and impact
- For the first time, three "Anaerobic Digestion on the Farm" conferences were held
- More than 40 peer-reviewed papers and 4 business case studies published
- 210 talks or posters presented
- 22 dissertations and theses advanced
- 4 policy analyses completed
- 18 educational resources developed
- More than 20 datasets shared
- 5-20 undergraduate students employed per year
- 11 CyBound students hosted for summer research experiences in collaboration with ISU Science Bound program
- 65 undergraduates enrolled in an AD-focused class and hundreds more exposed to AD-focused modules
- 49 high school teachers engaged in Research Experiences for Teachers programs through PennState’s Center for Science in the Schools
- Nearly 3000 pre-college students participated in Science Bound Saturday activities
- Farmer Engagement Activities:
- Digester Days by Pennsylvania State University
- Biogas short course
- Webinars through Pennsylvania State University
- Energy Extension and Iowa Learning Farms stakeholder engagement workshops and field days
- Farmer leadership sessions
- In-depth on-farm research with two farmer cooperators, one in Iowa who co-digested cereal rye and planted prairie biomass, and another one in Pennsylvania who co-digested switchgrass
- Overall advancement of the Grass2Gas value chain
C-CHANGE & Grass2Gas team
C-CHANGE Grass2Gas is directed by Professor Lisa Schulte Moore. Explore C-CHANGE Grass2Gas team members.
Additional C-CHANGE initiatives were funded by grants from the 11th Hour Project, Iowa Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, Iowa Nutrient Research Center, National Science Foundation, Practical Farmers of Iowa, Renewable Energy Group, USDA Sustainable Agriculture and Education program, and Walton Family Foundation.