Anaerobic Digestion

A Brief History - Anaerobic Digestion is the process in which micro organisms break down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen. This degradation is a natural process except in a biogas plant where it occurs under controlled conditions. Scientific interest in the gases produced by the natural decomposition of organic matter, were first reported in the sixteenth century and the first anaerobic digester was built in 1859.

Almost any organic material can be processed with anaerobic digestion including biodegradable waste materials such as grass clippings, food waste, sewage, animal by-products and farmyard manure. The exception to this is woody materials that are largely unaffected by digestion as anaerobes are unable to degrade the lignin. Anaerobic digesters can also be fed with specially grown energy crops such as silage for dedicated biogas production, particularly popular in Germany and continental Europe.

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