Anaerobic digesters perform best when fed the right diet. An AURI initiative is giving northwest Minnesota processors a better idea of what’s on the menu.
An AURI-sponsored study inventoried northwest Minnesota feedstocks. Animal waste, food processing leftovers, yard waste and other feedstocks could potentially feed the region’s anaerobic digesters, which produce methane to generate energy.
“There are companies and communities evaluating digesters for waste handling and methane gas production,” says AURI’s Jennifer Wagner-Lahr. “We are looking to see how we can boost gas production by combining problematic wastes.”
The feedstock inventory is the first phase of AURI’s initiative to evaluate biogas production potential. “We’re taking a stab at a really big question by focusing on a smaller region,” Wagner-Lahr says.
