The Michigan State University (MSU) in East Lansing, MI has the largest college campus-based anaerobic digester system in the United States. The system, located at the Dairy Cattle Teaching & Research Center on the South Campus Farms, is designed by UTS, an Anaergia Group company. The facility converts 16,800 tons of food waste per year from campus dining halls, manure from MSU's dairy farm, and food processing waste from the local community into renewable energy.

The methane-rich biogas produced in the digester is used to generate clean energy through a CHP system. 2G Energy Inc. was selected to supply and install a fully containerized agenitor 212 thermodynamically optimized MAN-based engine with 400 ekW/h or 3,320 MW p.a. electrical power and 474 kWh/th thermal power output. Renewable electricity is used on campus, while the natural fertilizer created through the process is utilized on agricultural land.

In addition to the engine, 2G Energy Inc. supplied a 2G Gas Treatment system, consisting of biogas dehumidification for moisture removal, as well as a Biogas Flare system. 2G provides completely integrated flare solutions (low emission, low NOx). These fully enclosed flares are specifically designed for biogas applications. 2G flare systems, vapor combustors, and solutions meet EPA regulation 40 CFR 60.18 and are BACT-approved.

The payback and ROI for this project come from the energy produced, the fertilizer sales, and tipping fees. The organic waste is fed into a complete mixed digester (CSTR), where the material is naturally broken down by microorganisms in the absence of oxygen. The nutrient-rich liquid is separated from the leftover solids and used as natural fertilizer on the surrounding agricultural land. The remaining fibrous solids can be composted for use as renewable bedding material for local dairy cows or sold to the public as fertilizer.

MSU's anaerobic digestion project and 2G Energy Inc.'s advanced biogas CHP energy conversion system generate renewable energy, reducing the dependence on the university's coal-fired power plant and greenhouse gas emissions. Anaerobically treating multiple waste streams and converting clean biogas into electricity and thermal energy is a smart way to utilize economies of scale and allows for the most cost-effective solution to produce green energy.