University of Cincinnati Researchers Produce Biofuel and Fertilizer from Food Waste

In 2013, colleagues Timothy C. Keener, and Drew C. McAvoy, from the University of Cincinnati, proposed to convert food waste into gaseous fuels, solid fuels, biodiesel and other products.

The researchers have since developed a synergistic technology that uses anaerobic digestion (AD) to turn organic materials into fuel, fertilizer, or soil conditioner, while using the carbon dioxide fraction of the biogas to grow algae where lipid oils are also extracted and converted to biodiesel. This process allows researchers to almost completely utilize the carbon found in food waste.

"The anaerobic digestion of food waste coupled with algae production seems to be an attractive alternative for not only reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but also for the production of renewable energy," McAvoy explained.