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This digester uses less water, so it is economically feasible for use in regions where water is scarce, and helps to reduce the environmental impact of large-scale animal feeding.
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Technology Researchers at Colorado State University have created a new digestion process that is particularly well-suited for the treatment of equine, bovine, and poultry waste in arid regions. This digester uses far less water than other digestion methods to process animal waste into useful compost and methane gas. Because this digester uses less water, it is more economically feasible for use in regions where water is scarce, and helps to reduce the environmental impact of large-scale animal feeding operations. This digester uses multiple stages of both aerobic and anaerobic digestion to break down waste. Specifically, it has multiple leachate bay reactors (LBRs) that can work together or separately. The digestion stages are all separate from each other, so if one LBR becomes contaminated or the bacteria in it die, the digestate can be removed from it while the uncontaminated LBRs continue to process. Furthermore, the digestion process can be scaled back during times of lower waste production by taking one or more of the LBRs offline. Additionally, each stage is monitored to ensure that optimum conditions for the bacteria are maintained; this monitoring ensures that the conditions in the reactor are appropriate for the specific type of bacteria needed in that step.