At Agri-Cycle, our mission is to assist our clients in following the Food Recovery Hierarchy while diverting food waste from landfills and into green energy and healthy soils. We work with businesses and even cities to set up the collection of all their food waste and then take their food waste to anaerobic digestion facilities for processing. But how does it work, and is it that sustainable? Learn how we do our part for a better future and really put bring “Food Full Cycle.”
How It Works at an Anaerobic Digestion Facility
As you can see in the image above, anaerobic digestion (AD for short) is a cycle where organic waste products go in, and renewable products come out. Let’s guide you through one cycle of the process, starting with where we come in:
- Food Waste is collected (and, if necessary, packed to be separated by our depackager) and mixed with cow manure.
- The Anaerobic Digesters are fed this mixture, and the bacteria inside get to work. The process is similar to composting but captures both the biogas and waste heat of the process.
- Biogas and Heat are recovered from the process and used to create power, with the excess being sold back to the grid for more renewable power.
- Bio-separators take the remaining products and recover the liquid – perfect for fertilizer – for use as crops for animals at the farm and elsewhere. At the same time, the solid material is processed for bedding and compost.
And that’s it in a nutshell! If you’re interested in learning more about the process and how Agri-Cycle fits into it, check out our Frequently Asked Questions. If you’re interested in learning more about our mission statement of sustainability, check out our Right Solution at the Right Time page.
Our Friends at Stonyvale Farms and Exeter Agri-Energy
Agri-Cycle works with many processing partners in New England and the Mid-Atlantic, but it all started with Stonyvale Farm, a 5th generation dairy farm in Exeter, Maine, and Exeter Agri-Energy (EAE). EAE’s anaerobic digestion facility was created to help with manure management and diversify the revenue of the farm, and with the increasing need for sustainable solutions among companies generating food waste, we were created to collect that food waste. Since then, we’ve just kept growing! It’s a beautiful cycle in which all businesses are greater and more sustainable than any of them separately. We also have additional processing partners to help close the loop!
If you’re looking for a more sustainable solution to your commercial food waste, we can help. At Agri-Cycle, we’re proud to help businesses (and cities) throughout New England – from Maine to Maryland – find better ways of dealing with and reducing their food waste. We can help you find better solutions at similar costs to what you’re paying now with less environmental impact. Contact us today to get started by getting a quote or calling us at 1-800-850-9560.