In the United States (US), PurposeEnergy LLC, which designs, builds, owns, and operates industrial anaerobic digestion (AD) infrastructure, has announced the commissioning of its industrial food waste and wastewater pre-treatment facility in Minster, Ohio.
This facility converts wastewater and high-strength organic food-waste residuals piped directly from Danone USA’s largest US yogurt manufacturing facility and other regional food and beverage producers into renewable biogas, water treated to municipal discharge standards, and nutrient-rich soil amendments.
Displace fossil gas
Located on Columbia Drive in the Route 66 Industrial Park, the PurposeEnergy–Minster facility represents an investment of more than US$40 million and is the company’s first project with Danone.
Designed to process up to 250,000 gallons per day, the project is expected at full operation to produce about 50,000 MMBtu of renewable biogas per year.
That biogas is piped to a dedicated boiler at Danone’s Minster plant, where it displaces conventional fossil gas.
Using standard EPA/EIA combustion emission factors, this is equivalent to displacing approximately 3,200 short tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2eq) per year.
This project is an excellent example of PurposeEnergy’s role in creating circularity benefits for food and beverage manufacturing. Food manufacturers shouldn’t have to choose between growing production and meeting their environmental commitments. With this facility anchored near Danone’s Minster plant, we can give our partner a solution that supports both their goals, said Eric Fitch, founder and CEO of PurposeEnergy.
For the Village of Minster, the project reduces strain on municipal infrastructure. Water leaving the PurposeEnergy facility meets standards well above the village’s discharge requirements, with surplus nutrients and dissolved solids removed before it reaches the municipal wastewater treatment works.
In Minster, sustainability isn’t just a goal for the future; it’s a commitment we build into our infrastructure today. By investing in local, resilient energy and smart growth, we ensure that our village remains self-reliant, vibrant, and prosperous for the next generation as it is for us today, said the village Mayor Craig Oldiges.
PurposeEnergy estimates piping residuals directly from Danone’s Minster plant to the facility avoids about 720 short tons of CO2eq each year versus the previous off-site handling route.
The PurposeEnergy facility is an example of our Danone Impact Journey in action and part of our wider Re-Fuel energy excellence program, helping turn organic material from our Minster plant into renewable biogas that can be piped back to the plant and used through a new biogas boiler. What makes this project especially meaningful is how it brings together industry, local infrastructure, and community stakeholders around a shared goal. It is a powerful example of how operational growth and environmental stewardship can go hand in hand, said Heiko Gerling, COO of Danone Americas.
The PurposeEnergy-Minster facility is operational and ramping up, with a Grand Opening celebration planned for spring 2027.
