How can Producers Handle the Digestate?
The digestate from anaerobic digesters usually contains about the same amount of nutrient as in the feed materials for the digesters; however, nutrients in the digestate are in a more readily available form for plants. Therefore, farmers can apply digestate to land like manure from an on-farm digester. However, the land application of digestate should meet the allowable nutrient loading levels recommended by the Agricultural Operations Practices Act and Regulations. If the digestate is from an off-farm digester, the producer must consult Alberta Environment and the NRCB for permission and guidance for land application. Applying digestate to cropland may replace commercial fertilizer use.
