Partnerships

“Farmers are the original stewards of the land, and we do our part to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. At Adirondack Farms, we constantly evolve and innovate to ensure we remain viable in a competitive marketplace while preserving of our natural resources. Our partnership with Suburban Renewables provides us with the tools needed to take our recycling efforts to a new level, resulting in the production of renewable natural gas. We realize we are only a small part of a larger effort to combat climate change, but we want to demonstrate how the dairy industry is a leader in reducing emissions in our communities.”

Anaerobic digestion takes place in an oxygen-lacking (anaerobic) container with temperatures and conditions favorable to microorganisms, the powerhouse of the digestion process. Biodegradable material such as manure, wastewater sludge, food waste, etc. is fed into the system. The microorganisms break down, or “digest” the organic material, creating biogas and digestate. Biogas contains mostly (50 – 75%)2 methane, plus carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, water, and trace compounds. Biogas can be used in place of fossil-based natural gas to generate electricity, heat, or even bioplastics, and can be further conditioned into renewable natural gas and transportation fuels. And the solid and liquid portions of the digestate have many beneficial uses–fertilizer, animal bedding, crop irrigation, soil amendment, sustainable building materials, etc.