Articles
Basics of Anaerobic Digestion
An anaerobic digester is an air tight, oxygen-free container that is fed an organic material, such as animal manure or food scraps.
Updated:
March 9, 2023
An Introduction to Anaerobic Digesters
A biological process occurs to this mixture to produce methane gas, commonly known as biogas, along with an odor-reduced effluent. Microbes break down manure into biogas and a nutrient-rich effluent.
Benefits
Local
- Reduced odor, fly eggs, weed seeds in digested manure
- Revenues:
- On farm power production sales
- Tipping fees from other feed stocks (food wastes)
Regional
- Pathogen reduction of land applied nutrients
- Rural electric grid voltage support
Global
- Reduced methane emissions, a greenhouse gas
- Reduced dependency on foreign fossil fuels
Notes and Lessons Learned
- Anaerobic digestion "Does Not Reduce Nutrients in Manure"
- If consdering to build an anaerobic digester, select an experienced "Farm Digester" consultant
Some helpful terminology used in anaerobic digestion.
Safety Note
Biogas production systems have many hazardous components and characteristics. No design or project is complete without a safety plan.
