Digestate

Digestate, a by-product of anaerobic digestion, is a safe, effective, environmentally friendly alternative to traditional fertilizer.

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Digestate includes the same macro-nutrients as traditional fertilizer - nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Our process includes the pasteurization of organic waste, which inactivates animal and plant pathogens. This is one of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)'s criteria for selling digestate as registered fertilizer.

Digestate releases nutrients slowly and steadily, meaning they remain available to plants and the soil longer than the nutrients supplied by synthetic fertilizer, which plants consume instantly.
The slow release of nutrients also reduces the risks associated with over-application, including the toxic build-up of salts, and leaching from rain or irrigation.
In addition to supplying crops with essential nutrients, digestate conditions soil to improve future crop yields and support land's healthy functioning in the long term.

Like compost, digestate strengthens soil's ability to:

  • supply plants with bio-available nutrients

  • resist run-off and erosion

  • resist pests and diseases

  • help seeds emerge

  • clean the air

  • filter water

Digestate does this by feeding the micro-organisms that live in soil.

Other Benefits

01

It returns nutrients to the earth

Anaerobic digestion allows us to recover essential nutrients from organic matter instead of losing them in a landfill.This is especially important as potassium and phosphorous are finite resources, the mining of which is energy-intensive process that involves the burning of fossil fuels.
01

It returns nutrients to the earth

Anaerobic digestion allows us to recover essential nutrients from organic matter instead of losing them in a landfill. This is especially important as potassium and phosphorous are finite resources, the mining of which is an energy-intensive process that involves the burning of fossil fuels.
02

It is safe

Escarpment Renewables process includes pasteurization of organic waste to ensure the inactivation of animal and plant pathogens. This is one of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)'s criteria for selling digestate as registered fertilizer.
03

It improves the workability of soil

The application of digestate positively impacts soils' physical properties, specifically by forming "pores" in soil that facilitate the flow and air of water. This helps wet, heavy, clay-based soil filter water, which prevents compaction and makes soil easier to turn, and helps sandy or dry soil hold water so it can better resist drought.
04

It reduces the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere

When organic matter decomposes in an open environment, such as a landfill, it releases green houses gases (GHGs) including methane and nitrous oxide, both of which are several times more damaging to the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. During anaerobic digestion, we capture and convert these gases to renewable energy and fuel, helping us reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. Also, the de-centralized nature of AD reduces the costs and environmental impact of transporting fertilizer and compost long distances.

About us

Escarpment Renewables is Miller Waste's green energy facility 
in Grimsby, Ontario where we transform organic waste from municipal, commercial, and industrial sources into renewable energy and anaerobic digestate, a high-value alternative to traditional fertilizer for local farms.