Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a versatile technology platform that has experienced several waves of technological developments. It was originally developed as a wastewater treatment system in the 1970s. AD showed great promise as an alternative energy source particularly from animal wastes in the 1980s, and soon it became a standard procedure for treating organic-matter-rich industrial wastewater. With the growing concern around limited availability and increasing demand for fossil fuels, the need for national energy independence and safety, and the need for reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, recently AD returned to our sight for its energy recovery potential, making use of a variety of organic wastes.
