Innovation awards finalist: MyGug digester turns food waste into renewable energy and fertiliser

MyGug is an egg-shaped anaerobic digester that turns food waste into renewable energy and fertiliser. Dried bacteria are used to start the breakdown process and once the waste is macerated it flows into a storage tank.

The end products are biogas and liquid plant feed. The feed can be used to enrich soil while a small pump pressurises the gas for use for heating or cooking. The system can be remotely controlled by an app, and 1.5kg of food waste produces roughly 1.5 litres of bio fertiliser and one to two hours of cooking time.

“Most of the waste digestion systems available are meant for large applications in agriculture or industry,” says company co-founder Fiona Kelleher, whose husband, Kieran Coffey, a mechanical and environmental engineer, designed the product. “MyGug makes the technology accessible on a much smaller scale making it suitable for schools, restaurants and small food businesses.”

The digester comes in various sizes and can be used to dispose of 99.9 per cent of food waste, excluding bones and hard stones. On the way is a smaller unit specifically designed for everyday domestic use. The units are enclosed and are rodent proof with no smell.

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“Food waste emits methane gas when sent to landfill, and this is much more damaging to the environment than carbon. The primary goal of MyGug is to cut the methane emissions associated with food waste,” says Kelleher.

MyGug is an Irish Times Innovation awards finalist in the Sustainability category sponsored by Skillnet Ireland