Anaerobic digestion (AD) is one of the most established technologies for processing waste organics. This study investigated the feasibility of installing an Anaerobic Digester to produce renewable energy from available streams of organic waste (feedstock) within the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus. This study assumed that one on-site digester would be installed in the University’s South Farms. The best digester and energy conversion options were explored while considering UIUC’s existing resources and operations, as well as the goals stated in the Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP).

It was determined that animal manure waste streams should be collected and tested for biogas production potential. Waste samples of materials were collected, onsite, from the various facilities and sent to a laboratory to be evaluated for their energy production. Each of the feedstock sources was tested for its Biomethane potential (BMP.) These studies measured the amount of biogas produced by each type of waste material. Food waste BMP was estimated from known accepted values.