At its heart, anaerobic digestion is simple and natural process that can be implemented in variety of situations. It has been utilized as a flammable energy source for thousands of years by societies around the globe, including peoples from the Middle East, India and China.

Humans benefit from the natural process of anaerobic digestion in two major ways. One, materials that are intrinsic waste products of society, such as those from processes like food harvesting and cattle breeding, are re-invented as usable resources. And two, these newly created resources provide needed energy in the usable form of heat (and with more advanced technologies, electricity and fuel).

The technologies that generate and utilize biogas range from highly engineered systems, like BIOFerm’s facilities, to quite minimal structures that simply take advantage of the naturally beneficial process of anaerobic digestion. In many situations, a technologically multifaceted biogas plant provides the best design and overall advantage. In other situations, such as in rural, developing-world locations where individual farmers wish to gather benefits from anaerobic digestion, simplistic biogas plant designs are more accessible, reasonable and provide adequate energy generation and waste utilization benefits. To see an example of the latter situation, read about this biogas plant in Tanzania.

Anaerobic digestion, and its by-product of biogas, can provide great benefits to humans and the environment. It is crucial for the US to capitalize on this natural process for its renewable energy generation and waste management aspects.