The Anaerobic Digester at MSU

Michigan State is addressing how to reliably meet the university's growing energy needs while reducing negative impacts of power generation on the environment. One of the many sustainable solutions being explored is the Anaerobic Digester. The new digester eats food waste from campus dining halls—as well as farm waste—which is then heated at high temperatures to produce methane gas that generates electricity to power buildings on south campus while reducing the amount of food waste that ends up in a landfill. The byproduct of the process—a nutrient-rich mixture of digestate—can then be used to fertilize croplands at MSU. DISCLAIMER: Prior to the creation of Infrastructure Planning and Facilities in January 2013, several IPF departments were a part of the now-dissolved MSU Physical Plant. This video references that former unit.