Exploring digestate’s contribution to healthy soils

The further expansion of biogas production in Europe will see the generation of increasing amounts of digestate. Leveraging its significant advantages will yield benefits for farmers, local communities, and producers alike. The European Biogas Association launched a comprehensive white paper exploring the potential of digestate in fostering healthy soils and advancing sustainable agricultural practices across Europe. Further work is also carried out via the FER-PLAY project, assessing multiple types of circular fertilisers.

From reducing reliance on costly synthetic fertilisers to promoting effective soil management and restoration, digestate emerges as a key player in addressing mineral imbalances in soils and facilitating efficient carbon capture. Moreover, its utilisation aligns with ongoing developments in EU carbon farming policies, positioning it as a cornerstone in Europe’s transition to a greener, more sustainable agricultural sector.

About the European Biogas Association

The European Biogas Association is the voice of renewable gas in Europe since 2009. EBA advocates the recognition of biomethane and other renewable gases as sustainable, on demand and flexible energy sources that provide multiple knock-on socio-economic and environmental benefits. Supported by its members, EBA is committed to work with European institutions, industry, agricultural partners, NGOs and academia to develop policies which can enable the large-scale deployment of renewable gases and organic fertilisers throughout Europe, supported by transparent, well-established sustainability certification bodies to ensure that sustainability remains at the core of the industry. The association counts today on a well-established network of over 300 national organisations, scientific institutes, and companies from Europe and beyond.