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Anaerobic Digestion

RESOURCES › BIOENERGY & BIOPROCESS SYSTEMS

Turning Louisiana’s Organic Waste into Clean Energy

Every day, Louisiana’s agricultural operations, food processing facilities, and municipalities generate tons of organic bypass materials, from crop residues and livestock manure to food waste and municipal sludge. Anaerobic digestion (AD) offers a proven path to transform these waste streams into valuable local energy and high-grade soil amendments.

How It Works & Primary Outputs

At its core, anaerobic digestion relies on naturally occurring microorganisms to break down organic matter inside a sealed, oxygen-free vessel (the digester), yielding two valuable outputs:

Biogas Generation & Upgrading

A methane-rich gas that can be combusted on-site for combined heat and power (CHP), or upgraded into pipeline-quality Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) to inject into Louisiana's natural gas infrastructure and fuel compressed natural gas (CNG) fleets.

Nutrient-Rich Digestate Management

A nutrient-dense liquid and solid coproduct that serves as a stabilized organic fertilizer, returning key bioavailable nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium back to local agricultural soils while reducing synthetic chemical inputs, controlling odors, and curbing field runoff.

Explore the Anaerobic Digestion Resource Repository

Access all peer-reviewed literature, state technical reports, and workshop presentation slide decks.

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Funding & Acknowledgments

The Louisiana Energy Extension Service (LEES) is primarily funded via the State of Louisiana through legislative support approved by Gov. Jeff Landry, EIL-based funding, and donations from various industry stakeholders.