WOOSTER -- With its anaerobic digestion facility nearly complete as the first BioHio Research Park industry, quasar energy group received yet another piece of financial assistance with the announcement of a $2M grant.

The Ohio Department of Development announced the award through its Third Frontier Advanced Energy Program, with the intention of speeding the company's commercialization of its "patent-pending anaerobic digestion technology."

"(The Third Frontier Award) will allow quasar to expedite the development of a strong supplier chain of Ohio vendors to manufacture the digester components while reducing costs and retaining and creating jobs in the region," said quasar President Mel Kurtz.

quasar dedicated its digester facility on Secrest Road last week, which essentially converts animal waste and other feed byproducts into electricity.

Clemens Halene, quasar's vice president of engineering, said the facility, dubbed the "ecoFARMsystem 550," will utilize about 25,000 tons of waste per year and can produce 485 kilowatts per hour, or about one-third of the electricity needed to run the OARDC campus.

Additional collaborators on the project include the Ohio BioProducts Innovation Center, Rockwell Automation, Seaman Corporation, seepex, and McCabe Engineering.

quasar intends on using its Wooster facility as a showpiece for others to learn from. In addition, the company will be teaching classes to students at The Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute on the process of anaerobic digestion.

"quasar has been an excellent partner for OARDC/OSU as they rapidly adapt and adopt new technologies while moving forward with their core commercial development plans," said Steven Slack, associate vice president for agricultural administration and director of the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, in a news release.

The $3 million facility was funded, in part, from more than $1 million in grants from the Ohio Department of Development and U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Halene said he hopes to have the Wooster facility in full operation by February.

Reporter Bryan Schaaf contributed to this report.