What Types of Industrial Waste Can an Anaerobic Digester Process?

Anaerobic digesters may seem like complex systems, but in reality they aren’t. They function similarly to a human digestive system; they get upset, like a stomach, when undesired materials are inputted into their tank.

Digesters strictly require organic materials, “organic” meaning that it comes from or is made of animals or plants. Anaerobic digesters cannot process industrial waste.

Anaerobic digesters cannot process industrial waste, such as toxic chemicals. Why is that?

Anything considered “inorganic” or manmade, such as hazardous industrial waste or toxic chemicals, will not be able to breakdown properly, kill the bacteria in the tank and ultimately cause a malfunction in the digestive system.

At Renergy, the bacteria in our digesters process the following organic materials: food waste, fats, oils and greases (also known as FOGs), animal manure and biosolids.

What does the Environmental Protection Agency say?

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) states that “organic industrial residuals” can be processed in an anaerobic digester. However, this refers to the organic residual waste produced at an industrial or commercial food manufacturing plant.

Any “organic industrial waste” we input into our digesters refers to the residual food waste collected at food manufacturing sites. This waste contains only food grade materials.

Our ongoing mission is to keep our digesters happy and the community around us healthy, while crafting the best fertilizer product for our environment. In order to continuously work towards our everyday goals, we do not process hazardous industrial waste at our plants.

If you have questions about our process and the materials we take, please feel free to reach out! Contact Us