CSANR > Resources > Anaerobic Digestion > When Digesters Make Sense

When Digesters Make Sense

Anaerobic digesters are not a universal solution. Whether a system makes sense depends on farm characteristics, management capacity, and access to markets and infrastructure.

Likely a good fit

Digesters can make sense for large dairies that have:

  • Consistent, high volumes of manure
  • The capacity to manage a complex system
  • Access to energy markets, pipelines, or utility partnerships
  • The ability to use or capture value from co-products such as fiber or recovered nutrients
  • Access to incentives or funding programs that improve project economics

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May be a fit

Some mid-sized dairies might be a good fit under the right conditions:

  • Operations with strong partnerships or cooperative models
  • Farms integrating digesters with other technologies (e.g., nutrient recovery)
  • Sites with specific environmental or regulatory drivers such as grants, carbon markets, or clean fuel programs

Often not a good fit

Digesters are less practical for some dairies:

  • Smaller farms without access to shared systems or partnerships
  • Operations without time or capacity for system management
  • Locations without viable energy or product markets

Digesters tend to work best where they solve multiple problems at once, such as manure management, emissions reduction, and energy use. Projects built around a single benefit may struggle to cover installation and operating costs.

Resources

These WSU Extension publications discuss how to determine whether building an anaerobic digester and associated technologies makes sense for your operation: