Bioresource Engineering Ph.D. candidate pitches biogas to turn farm waste into renewable energy

In her presentation at a scientific symposium hosted by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's Sherbrooke Research and Development Centre in June, McGill Ph.D. candidate Anjaly Paul highlighted the potential for Canadian farms to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions while generating renewable energy, by converting agricultural waste into biogas.

Paul, who is co-supervised by Department of Bioresource Engineering Professor Idaresit Ekaette and Rajinikanth Rajagopal (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada), is studying low-temperature anaerobic digestion using bacteria that are well-adapted to Canada’s temperate climate. 

This process captures methane and carbon dioxide from livestock manure and crop residues, which would otherwise be released into the atmosphere as the waste decomposes in a landfill, and produce biogas that can be used as fuel, as well as digestate, a byproduct that can be used as a fertilizer.

“What if we could use these leftovers to power a greenhouse, fuel a tractor, or even replace synthetic fertilizers with organic ones?” she said.

Her studies have shown the technology can reduce methane emissions from stored manure by up to 70 per cent.

Beyond environmental benefits, Paul believes there is real economic potential for farmers.

“Anaerobic digestion can also enhance the agro-economic value of the products,” she said. “These waste materials are otherwise just wasted in the farms. If we could use this to produce biogas, digestate, and other value-added products, it can increase the economic value of the waste materials, and it can act as an extra income for the farmers.”