Ecotone’s ZEUS Machines Turn Food Waste Into Fertiliser, Cut Emissions

Designed to lower greenhouse gas emissions and handle the mounting food waste problem in the United States, Pittsburgh-based Ecotone Renewables has created a scalable food waste to fertilizer technology. The little, entirely automated ZEUS Biodigester units from the business fit within regular shipping containers, making them simple to move across places like hospitals, restaurants, schools, and community centres. 

The ZEUS systems produce Soil Sauce, a liquid fertiliser from leftover food including coffee grounds, banana peels, and leftover meals. Using anaerobic digestion, the devices combine food waste with water and let bacteria break it down without oxygen. Capturing methane gas is another advantage of this process besides producing fertiliser high in nutrients and helpful bacteria. The system transforms methane into renewable energy instead of letting it leak into the atmosphere, a gas that is 25 times more powerful than carbon dioxide. 

Every unit treats about 10 tonnes of food garbage every year and stops about 120 tonnes of carbon dioxide from escaping into the atmosphere—the same as taking 26 vehicles off the road for a year. Thus far, eight sites across Pennsylvania and Rhode Island—including the University of Pittsburgh and several hospitals—have installed ZEUS machines. 

In the United States, where around 40% of all food made winds up in landfills, food waste is a big environmental issue. Methane is produced when food breaks down without oxygen. This makes global warming get a lot worse. Ecotones' approach lowers methane emissions as well as contributions to landfills. 

Pittsburgh University was among the first users of the ZEUS system. From November 2024, when it was initially installed at Posvar Hall, the machine has handled more than 1,000 pounds of food waste from dining halls. The institution has said it will put a second biodigester at Sutherland Hall in the summer of 2025. The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, which worked with Ecotone in 2021, has kept more than 6,000 pounds of food waste from going to waste. Some of the fertiliser made from this is being used to grow food for programmes that give food to people in need. 

Improved crop yields, better water absorption, and better soil health are all advantages of employing Soil Sauce in community gardens. Every gallon of the liquid fertiliser stops as much as 90 pounds of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere. The product is carbon-negative, therefore it eliminates more greenhouse gases than it produces. 

Ecotone Renewables, a public benefit company created in 2019 by Dylan Lew, Kyle Wyche, and Elliott Bennett, runs as such. The firm earmarks 10% of every Soil Sauce production for underprivileged neighborhoods in order to assist urban gardening in regions lacking access to fresh food. 

Ecotones' business plan aims to make the technology affordable. The business provides equipment leasing choices instead of demanding a sizable upfront investment. This enables businesses to get useful fertiliser for landscaping or agricultural demands while lowering waste disposal expenses. 

Ecotone received $3 million in investment from investors including Cisco and Earth Foundry in December 2024; the transaction is expected to close in February 2025. As municipalities across the world progressively ban food waste from being dumped into landfills, this investment will help the business with its international expansion plans in line with larger trends. Unlike conventional composting, which calls for a lot of room and months of processing time, the ZEUS system generates usable fertiliser in a few weeks. 

Ecotone now handles around 385 pounds of food waste every week across all of its locations, producing over 2,600 gallons of Soil Sauce yearly. Over the next decade, the company aims to stop one billion metric tonnes of carbon dioxide from reaching the atmosphere; this target would account for 1% of world emissions and would need worldwide deployment of the ZEUS systems. 

Ecotones technology shows a practical and financially sustainable way to handle food waste by converting it into useful fertiliser and collecting pollutants that would normally damage the earth. Every setup helps to lower waste, generate jobs, and strengthen regional food systems. The companys approach reflects a growing trend in green technology where climate goals align with community and economic benefits.

Source:
Grant Brown, Food Waste to Fertilizer System Turns Scraps Into Plant Fertilizer