Anaerobic Digestion Overview

Anaerobic digestion is a technological process that transforms waste into renewable energy while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. During anaerobic digestion, biogas is produced from naturally occurring microbes that break down biodegradable material inside a sealed, oxygen-free reactor called a digester. Digesters can process a wide range of feedstocks, such as manure, food scraps, crop waste, or sewage sludge. With rising concerns about odors and greenhouse emissions from manure and food waste, the use of anaerobic digestion processing allows farmers to greatly reduce or eliminate these odors and greenhouse gas emissions from manure management. Additionally, the anaerobic digestion process produces bioenergy and a fertilizer that is largely odor and pathogen-free.