Biogas pitched to turn farm waste into renewable energy

McGill University researcher Anjaly Paul says that converting farm waste into biogas and organic fertilizer through anaerobic digestion could provide farmers with additional income and support Canada’s net-zero emissions goals. Photo: Acilo/IStock/Getty Images

Canadian farms could significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions while generating renewable energy by converting agricultural waste into biogas, a McGill University doctoral student said.

Anaerobic digestion could transform livestock manure and crop residues that would otherwise decompose in landfills into valuable resources, said Anjaly Paul.

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

Canada’s agriculture sector is being pushed by both consumers and policy makers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Much of that conversation has centred around farm efficiency, from 4R fertilizer management and precision agriculture to new products, such as methane-reducing feed additive Bovaer or green ammonia production.

Statistics Canada, however, still counts agriculture among the nation’s emissions drivers. Emissions were up between 1990 and 2023, primarily due to increases in the oil and gas, transport, and agriculture sectors, the agency reported.

Anaerobic digesters could turn an environmental problem (such as manure and crop waste) into a environmental win, Paul noted.

In 2011, Canadian livestock produced almost 152 million tonnes of manure, with cattle accounting for 84 per cent, pigs eight per cent, and poultry three per cent, Paul said. There’s also biological material from animal carcasses.