Once organic material has been processed in an anaerobic digestion system, the liquid and/or solid products that exit the system are called raw or whole digestate. These products have been physically and chemically changed. The ABC Digestate Standard Testing and Certification Program is a voluntary, industry-led specification which sets forth the testing methods and quality management system for characterizing these products. The Program quantifies the beneficial physical and chemical changes resulting from the digestion process, and delineates the physical and agronomic properties of the digestate products.
Producers, sign up here.
Labs, sign up here.How much could an extra $1-20/ton bring your project in annual revenue?
50,000 tons/year produced
$1/ton would yield $50,000
$3/ton would yield $150,000
$5/ton would yield $250,000
$10/ton would yield $500,000
$20/ton would yield $1,000,000
$1/ton would yield $50,000
$3/ton would yield $150,000
$5/ton would yield $250,000
$10/ton would yield $500,000
$20/ton would yield $1,000,000
100,000 tons/year produced
$1/ton would yield $100,000
$3/ton would yield $300,000
$5/ton would yield $500,000
$10/ton would yield $1,000,000
$20/ton would yield $2,000,000
$1/ton would yield $100,000
$3/ton would yield $300,000
$5/ton would yield $500,000
$10/ton would yield $1,000,000
$20/ton would yield $2,000,000
250,000 tons/year produced
$1/ton would yield $250,000
$3/ton would yield $750,000
$5/ton would yield $1,250,000
$10/ton would yield $2,500,000
$20/ton would yield $5,000,000
$1/ton would yield $250,000
$3/ton would yield $750,000
$5/ton would yield $1,250,000
$10/ton would yield $2,500,000
$20/ton would yield $5,000,000
500,000 tons/year produced
$1/ton would yield $500,000
$3/ton would yield $1,500,000
$5/ton would yield $2,500,000
$10/ton would yield $5,000,000
$20/ton would yield $10,000,000
$1/ton would yield $500,000
$3/ton would yield $1,500,000
$5/ton would yield $2,500,000
$10/ton would yield $5,000,000
$20/ton would yield $10,000,000
1,000,000 tons/year produced
$1/ton would yield $1,000,000
$3/ton would yield $3,000,000
$5/ton would yield $5,000,000
$10/ton would yield $10,000,000
$20/ton would yield $20,000,000
$1/ton would yield $1,000,000
$3/ton would yield $3,000,000
$5/ton would yield $5,000,000
$10/ton would yield $10,000,000
$20/ton would yield $20,000,000
The Digestate Standard Testing and Certification Program prescribes standardized test methods, performed by laboratories certified under ABC’s Digestate Lab Certification Program, as well as provides a descriptive, quality hierarchy based on the feedstocks and analytical results for the digestate products. It provides documentation specific to the digestate produced which can be used for both marketing materials to establish customer assurance for the purchase of a producer’s digestate, as well as regulatory submissions. Broad industry usage of the Program will increase the ABC’s ability to effectively communicate the valuable environmental contributions of the biogas industry. As such, the Digestate Certification Program will benefit project developers; digester owners/operators; regulators; recipients of digestate for either direct use or further processing; testing laboratories; certification bodies; communities and neighbors and the ABC. It can also serve as a model for any future local, state or federal regulation of digestate not otherwise addressed in statute or voluntary compliance programs.
Benefits
Project Developers
- Establishes best practices/legitimacy for integration into project design, operation and permitting
- Enables more detailed discussion with potential offtakers during development stage
- Provides way to communicate with neighboring properties, stakeholders
AD plant owners/operators
- Establishes best practices/legitimacy for training and operations
- Provides standardized, credible documentation for negotiating offtake agreements and ongoing regulatory compliance
- Increases differentiation, value perception in marketplace
- Provides way to communicate with neighboring properties, stakeholders
Regulators
- Provides rationale for regulatory differentiation of inputs (e.g. solid waste) from outputs (digestate) and incorporating this into either voluntary compliance standards or compulsory regulations
- Provides industry-accepted protocol for testing, characterization for incorporation into permitting process
- Provides ongoing source of data for ensuring permit compliance
Digestate Recipients
- Provides standardized, credible documentation for negotiating offtake agreements and ongoing regulatory compliance
- Provides accurate, credible material characterization to determine and monitor digestate composition to ensure highest and best use
Testing Laboratories
- Provides industry-accepted, standardized array of tests
- Provides source of new business
Certification Body
- Provides source of new business
ABC
- Provides increased value to existing members and source of new members
Communities and Neighbors
- Source of credible information while plant is operating