What if your food waste could reduce your organization’s electric bill? It’s possible through a process called anaerobic digestion.
Anaerobic digestion solutions help companies, schools, and other large food waste producers save money while reducing their carbon footprints. However, this can be a complicated topic.
That’s why we’ve created this guide. We’ll explore together how this form of sustainable waste management can help your organization thrive. Keep reading to learn more.
Define Anaerobic Digestion
Most of us are familiar with the idea of composting food. But that’s not the only way to break down organic waste.
Anaerobic digestion is an alternative process through which organic materials are broken down to produce methane gas. Special systems turn that gas into energy sources such as biogas and electricity.
You’d need a piece of equipment called a digester. These take your food waste and turn as much of it as possible into usable energy. Any remaining waste becomes nutrition-rich liquid fertilizer.
Biogas is a renewable source of energy. It essentially comes from capturing the gasses created during the natural decaying process of organic matter. These gasses, if released directly into the environment, can harm the atmosphere. So, by capturing them, you can reduce your organization’s overall carbon footprint.
Leverage Economic Advantages of Anaerobic Digestion
Biogas production is good for the environment, but it can also be great for your organization’s bottom line. There are several ways you may be able to benefit economically by embracing the process. We cover three examples below.
Reduce Your Waste Management Costs
First, anaerobic digestion helps you reuse more of the organic waste you generate. The result may be a meaningful reduction in your waste management costs.
Generate Renewable Energy and Accumulate Potential Revenue
Next, you can use the energy you create through anaerobic digestion to power your operations. EcoRich makes digesters that simplify this process. These digesters can immediately recycle the energy you create to help power your facilities and, thereby, reduce your electric bill.
Anaerobic digestion also turns leftover food waste into usable fertilizer. If you have no need for that fertilizer, you can sell it to create a new source of revenue for your business.
Qualify for Green Energy Incentives
Governments across the world incentivize organizations to use renewable sources of energy through tax credits. You may be able to qualify for these after adopting the practice of anaerobic digestion.
The exact amount of green energy incentives that you qualify for will depend on where your business is located. But the savings can be substantial – especially if you generate large amounts of organic waste.
Strategize How to Implement Anaerobic Digestion
Making the transition to anaerobic digestion can feel daunting when you’re just getting started. However, you can simplify it by breaking down the process into easily digestible steps. Check out our steps below.
1. Conduct a Feasibility Study
The first question you need to answer is whether anaerobic digestion makes sense for your organization. Factors such as the amount of organic waste you generate and the market demand for biogas and fertilizer in your region can influence this.
2. Evaluate Research Technology
If your feasibility study shows that your organization can benefit from anaerobic digestion, the next step will be researching options for technology. Factors that can impact the kind of digestor that’s right for you, include the:
- Type and quantity of organic waste you generate
- Budget you have
- Amount of space you have for a digester in your facility
If you had trouble zeroing in on the right type of digester in this step, feel free to skip ahead to the next step. A good technology manufacturer will always be happy to walk you through options based on your unique needs.
3. Choose the Right Partner
Once you understand the type of anaerobic digestion technology that you need, you can start looking for providers that offer it.
Be sure to choose a company that has a solid reputation in the industry, can provide references, and has a history of helping companies like yours make the switch to anaerobic digestion.
4. Monitor Your Performance and Adapt
Even if you find the perfect anaerobic solution for your needs, it will still be important to monitor the performance of the solution as it operates. You’ll need to watch gas production, digestate quality, and other data streams to find new avenues for optimization as your needs evolve. This last step is critical because it helps you improve your return on investment over time.
Identify Challenges and Solutions
Anaerobic digestion can save your organization money while reducing its carbon footprint. However, you may face various challenges while using this strategy.
For example, anaerobic digestion requires a significant upfront investment. If you can’t afford this, then don’t give up just yet. Funding opportunities and subsidized loans may be available in your area. This could qualify as a green investment your business is making.
You’ll also deal with technical complexity while setting up, operating, and optimizing your digestor. The solution to this problem is being thoughtful about partnering. That means taking your time to vet potential partners before you invest in a digester and ensuring that whoever you choose will be there to help every step of the way.
There can also be market uncertainty to deal with as the demand for biogas and organic fertilizers can change over time. You can overcome this by diversifying your revenue streams, fostering stronger relationships with stakeholders, and researching end users to better meet their needs.
Get Started With Anaerobic Digestion Today
Anaerobic digestion is an innovative way to reduce your organization’s costs while improving carbon footprint. Embracing this type of sustainability can also help you stand out from the competition to grow your revenue.
But anaerobic digestion is difficult to do on your own. It helps to have a partner you can rely on to guide you through the transition and then provide ongoing support. That’s where EcoRich comes in. Usually anaerobic digesters are for bigger volume waste, but EcoRich offers solutions for 400 lbs to 1600 lbs per day. Now smaller facilities can afford food waste to energy solutions.
We offer leading anaerobic digestion solutions combined with support from real experts. That could be just what you need to take advantage of this powerful emerging technology.
So why wait? Get in touch with an expert today to learn more.
