Biogas is a mixture of different gases produced from the breakdown of organic matter in the absence of oxygen. We use food waste from UW Dining Halls, mainly fruit and vegetable scraps to produce biogas in addition to digestate supplied by Impact Bioenergy. After the biodigester begins to function, the production of biogas will take about 1-2 months from the food scraps. The produced biogas will be stored in tiers, which will be connected to burners to supply methane as the cooking fuel.
Why do we care about food waste?
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Up to 40% of food produced in the US intended for consumption is not eaten. Almost all uneaten food ends up rotting in the landfill facilities where organic matters account for 16% of U.S. methane emission. Globally, the food waste produced annually emits 3.3 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
Why do we choose to work with biogas?
Biogas derived from food, animal and agricultural wastes, is used as the cooking fuel by many households in rural areas of developing countries. Food, animal and agricultural wastes are much more sustainable than fuelwood and charcoal. In addition, burning these wastes allow us to reduce methane, a strong greenhouse gas, emitted.
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In the U.S., 20 pounds of food waste is produced per person a month on average, and end up in landfills generating methane and exacerbate climate change. Utilizing food waste and methane mitigates the situation.
Biogas Food Cart
Food waste = renewable energy
GSI is honored to serve UW community seasonal and sustainably grown food and reduce UW greenhouse gas emission. We produce biogas from UW campus food wastes as the primary cooking fuel to cook food ingredients from local sustainable farms.
DEMO OF BIODIGESTER
How do we produce biogas from organic residues
