Frequently Asked Questions

A small-scale biodigester suitable for a home, small farm or small food enterprise will cost you between $500-3,000, depending on many variables (how big the system is, if you want to use it year round, if you buy a prefab system or make one yourself, etc.). Medium- and large-scale systems are more expensive. There is a reliable company that makes prefab systems (https://www.homebiogas.com/). They are based in Israel/Palestine and ship within 2 to 3 weeks at a reasonable price. The carbon footprint of shipping is one reason we are exploring local production.

A small, small system made from a 55-gal drum will accept about 3 gallons of waste per week and make enough fuel to cook as many meals. A larger system (like the Homebiogas 7) will accept about 250lbs of food waste per week and makes about 6 hours of cooking fuel per day on a 2-burner stove. It takes about 30 days for the biome in a biodigester to get up and running and make fuel reliably. Setting up a small biodigester takes the good part of a day. Tending a biodigester requires feeding scraps daily/every other day and periodically emptying the effluent bucket.

Biodigesters have a mild smell, like a compost pile, but it is not offensive. You can use a small bucket to cover your feed tube to limit wafting smells, and the new HomeBiogas systems have a plunger that seals the feed tube when not in use. Similarly, regularly emptying your fertilizer bucket or piping it away for steady use will also reduce odors. In general, it’s good to site your biodigester 20-30’ away from your kitchen.

Biodigesters are safe. Globally, there are over 30 million small-scale biodigesters, with India and China leading the way. Biogas technology was developed over 100 years ago, and is low-tech, safe and easy to use. The most important safety measure you can take is to ensure that your digester stays filled with water, to keep the system oxygen-free. Biogas, the gas produced, is the same gas that travels through neighborhood pipelines as methane, aka “natural gas”. The difference between biogas and “natural gas” is that natural gas typically comes from hydraulic fractu...

In the US, most towns, counties and states do not have specific regulations for small-scale biogas. Instead, small-scale systems are treated like a backyard barbecue grill, which means they must be kept outdoors, and sited at least 10 ft from property lines. One of the goals of the Northeast Biogas Initiative is to develop zoning and building codes friendly to small-scale biogas. If you are an architect, builder, engineer or government official with a passion for green energy and local regenerative economies, please join our Advisory Council to bring this legislation to life! List of ...

There are also several large biodigesters in operation in the Valley, used for electricity generation at large farms. There are several small-scale digesters, as well.

You can learn more by joining our mailing list, joining us for a webinar or workshop. You can join Kathy Puffer’s great 3-month online training on Mighty Networks at biogaseducation.com.