Knowledge Base

Digestate is the residual material left over once micro-organisms have digested organic feedstock inside a biogas plant’s digester tanks. As bacteria convert the biodegradable fraction of the input into biogas, the remaining liquid and solid fraction, the digestate, retains most of the nutrients from the original feedstock. Depending on the input, digestate typically contains nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and organic matter, which makes it a valuable resource for soil improvement. At HoSt biogas plants, digestate is pasteurized where required and can be converted into a clean biological or organic fertilizer, closing the loop between waste and agriculture and giving farmers and plant operators a usable output alongside the biogas or biomethane produced.