Authors

Sienna Taylor

Senior Project Advisor

Lindsey MacDonald

Document Type

Project

Publication Date

Spring 2023

Keywords

anaerobic digestion, food waste, compost, emissions reductions, zero-waste, closed-loop, dining services

Abstract

Anaerobic digestion (AD) is the process by which organic matter (such as food waste, manure, paper products, etc.) are broken down by bacteria in a contained system lacking oxygen. The decomposition in this environment produces the byproducts of digestate, which can be used as a liquid fertilizer, and biogas, which can be used in place of natural gas. The goal of anaerobic digestion at Western Washington University is to create a closed-loop waste system to process the pre-consumer and post-consumer organic food waste from the dining halls and use the resulting byproducts. This paper provides recommendations for anaerobic digestion at WWU.

Department

Environmental Studies

Subjects - Topical (LCSH)

Sewage--Purification--Anaerobic treatment--Washington (State)--Bellingham; Food waste--Washington (State)--Bellingham; Compost--Washington (State)--Bellingham

Subjects - Names (LCNAF)

Western Washington University

Geographic Coverage

Bellingham (Wash.)

Type

Text

Rights

Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author’s written permission.

Language

English

Format

application/pdf

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