Advancing Anaerobic Digestion through Circular Bio-Economy Innovations: NDDB’s Integrated Approach to Manure Value Chain Development
Company: National Dairy Development Board (NDDB)
Country: India
NDDB has pioneered an integrated manure-to-value approach that strengthened the technical, environmental and financial sustainability of anaerobic digestion (AD) systems in India. Through innovations in feedstock quality assessment, digestate valorisation and circular bio-economy models, NDDB transformed cattle dung and slurry from waste into valuable resources for clean energy and sustainable agriculture. A patented portable dung and slurry quality testing system enabled scientific, real-time feedstock assessment, improving digester stability, methane yields and transparency in farmer payments.
To enhance plant viability beyond energy generation, NDDB developed Fertilizer Control Order (FCO)-compliant digestate-based products including Fermented Organic Manure (FOM), Liquid Fermented Organic Manure (LFOM), Phosphate Rich Organic Manure (PROM), and micronutrient formulations, alongside binder-free granulation technologies and mechanised slurry application systems.
Collectively, these innovations improved nutrient recycling, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, enhanced soil health and established a scalable circular manure value chain model with relevance for the global AD sector.
