Laws around organic waste have seemed to pop up simultaneously overnight in multiple countries and states across the world. Given the record high temperatures and how food waste decomposes in landfills and turns into methane, a greenhouse gas that is 87x times more potent than carbon dioxide, it should come as no surprise to anyone. 

The LFC® biodigester is a commercial aerobic biodigester that decomposes food waste within 24 hours. It uses a series of processes in which micro­organisms break down biodegradable material in the presence of oxygen.

Businesses have started implementing new technology and solutions to sustainability to dispose of food waste at its source. Food waste biodigesters have emerged as a low effort, high impact solution.

But the question remains: what is a food waste biodigester and how does it work?

What is a food waste biodigester?

A food waste biodigester uses a natural process to digest organic material. Depending on the type of process, it will turn the organic material into either water or biofuel. 

The engineers at Power Knot often compare our LFC food waste biodigesters to steel stomachs. These machines can easily handle anything that a human can eat such as bread, pasta, fruits, vegetables, and other items commonly seen in the food group.

Most foods can be digested by the LFC biodigester, such as bread, rice, meat, fish, most fruits and vegetables, dairy products, nuts and oil.

In addition to foods that we commonly eat such as carbohydrates and protein, food waste digesters can also easily digest small fish bones, shrimp shells, and fruit skins and peelings. 

Most foods are easily digested in a 24 hour time period. However, fibrous foods will take longer to digest.

Fibrous foods such as carrots, broccoli, and onion skins cannot be easily digested while hot foods, bones, plastic, and paper are unable to be digested by the LFC biodigester.

The biodigester is also capable of digesting organic material such as hardened fats that may be otherwise unpleasant to consume.

How does it work?

Food waste digesters use a digestive process which can either be aerobic or anaerobic. In both processes, microorganisms eat the organic material and convert it into another form.

Anaerobic digestion uses a process without oxygen to convert organic material into methane which is then converted into biofuels.

Aerobic digestion uses a process in which oxygen, water, and microorganisms convert the food waste into gray water and carbon dioxide. It is this process that is used inside the LFC biodigesters.

Where can I acquire a food waste biodigester?

Food waste biodigesters are often used in business applications due to the cost, size, and volume capacity. Most food waste biodigesters are only available commercially.

A side by side size comparison of three models of the LFC biodigester from Power Knot.
A side by side comparison of three LFC biodigesters.

Power Knot’s smallest food waste biodigester is the first of its kind: the size of a commercial dishwasher. The LFC-25 biodigester is capable of digesting 9–75 kg (20–165 lb) of organic waste per day.

Most households generate less than ½ kg of organic waste per person per day whereas businesses tend to generate upwards of 1 kg of organic waste per person per day.

Contact Power Knot today to see if the LFC biodigester is the best solution for organic waste for you.