Montana Researchers Study Household Food Waste

Researchers at Montana State University (MSU) are studying the application of anaerobic digestion for household food waste.

Roland Ebel, assistant research professor in the Department of Health and Human Development, along with a team of instructors in other departments including Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, collaborated with a dozen households in Bozeman to gather data.

The 12 households were divided into two groups - participants that received basic food waste digesters and ones that utilized a commercial digester. Researchers also set up three digesters on the university's campus and collected samples from households to test the biogas generated from different types of waste.

Overall, the experiment produced highly flammable methane, a "highly desirable result," according to Ebel.

He explained that participants were expected to put accumulated food scraps in a prepared, airtight container, which created a nutrient-dense biofertilizer. Now that the data have been collected, researchers are analyzing what it means for residential food waste and landfill diversion.

“People have sustainability concerns, and they also want to get rid of food waste and fertilize their gardens,” Ebel said. “We think this may be a way to meet all those needs.”

The basic anaerobic digesters, which only cost around $50 to construct.

The project is in line with MSU's mission to create and enhance sustainable food systems, according to Alison Harmon, MSU vice president of research and economic development.

Read more about the research here.