Mapping of Digestate Originating from Norwegian Biogas Plants using Feedstocks from the Food System

Biogas production in Norway is expected to grow significantly, mainly through the use of livestock manure, food waste, and fish farming residues. However, this increase will also produce much larger amounts of digestate, a by-product rich in valuable nutrients. In the future, digestate could cover up to 40% of Norway’s agricultural phosphorus needs and around 25% of its nitrogen needs. However, drying digestate requires a very large amount of energy. Therefore, efficient solutions are needed to recover its nutrients while reducing energy use, such as improved water removal, partial drying, direct use on farmland, and the use of surplus heat.