Gansu Province is pioneering a low-carbon agricultural transformation by integrating rural clean energy into its development, aiming to improve rural living environments and foster eco-friendly farming. This approach, rooted in national strategies for carbon peak, carbon neutrality, and rural revitalization, is creating a unique model for northwest China.
Across the province, biogas projects are turning waste into resources. In Gaolan County, a large-scale biogas facility collects waste from pig farms and processes it using advanced anaerobic fermentation. The resulting biogas powers the grid and fuels vehicles, while the nutrient-rich digestate fertilizes fruit and vegetable crops. Similarly, in Huixian County, a company treats toilet waste from over 1,200 households, using the biogas for power generation and greenhouse heating, and the residue for crop nourishment. In Minle County, a biogas plant handles livestock manure, providing energy for feed processing and heating, and producing bio-fertilizers and biodegradable materials.
Biogas's Role in Creating a Circular Ecosystem
In Gaolan County, villages that were once plagued by waste and pollution have been transformed. A resident recalls the past chaos of sewage and litter, contrasting it with today's clean, organized environment featuring modern sewage systems and daily waste collection. The collected waste is sent to a local company, Lanzhou Xinrong Environmental Energy Engineering Technology Co., Ltd., which operates a massive anaerobic fermentation tank. The company treats 170,000 tons of organic waste annually, including livestock manure, slaughterhouse wastewater, and kitchen garbage, producing 4.8 million cubic meters of biogas and 160,000 tons of bio-fertilizer each year. Its innovative technology, recognized in a national green technology catalog, is now deployed across 20 processing centers in 10 counties.
The digestate from this process is a key asset. Farmers in Shichuan Town use it through a smart farming app, which provides tailored soil testing and fertilizer recommendations. This approach has reduced pesticide use while improving the quality and sweetness of melons, boosting market sales. Lanzhou Xinrong has built a comprehensive service system, integrating soil testing, technical guidance, and effect tracking, covering over 100,000 acres. This model creates a closed-loop system, linking waste disposal, energy production, and soil health, with 110 demonstration sites built across the province.
Boosting Green Agriculture Through Bio-Fertilizer
In Ning County, the Ningxian Zhonghe Planting and Breeding Farmers' Cooperative operates a 1,000-cubic-meter biogas project, processing waste from its 1,100-pig farm. The biogas powers the cooperative's facilities, while the digestate is used to fertilize a 510-acre apple orchard through a drip irrigation system. This practice has reduced chemical fertilizer use by 5.1 tons annually, producing high-quality organic apples. The orchard yields 3,000 kilograms per acre, with sales exceeding 2 million yuan, demonstrating the economic and environmental benefits of this "pig-biogas-fruit" cycle.
This model is a prime example of the "small circulation" system within the farm. On a larger scale, "regional circulation" projects are also thriving. In Gaotai County, Gansu Fangzheng Energy-saving Technology Service Co., Ltd. has created a county-level circular economy model. It processes 125,000 tons of livestock manure, 16,000 tons of straw, and 100,000 tons of vegetable waste annually, producing 7 million cubic meters of biogas. The biogas is used for vehicle fuel and power generation, while the digestate is piped directly to a 50,000-acre demonstration park. The company has also pioneered a carbon credit trading system, earning its first revenue of 360,000 yuan from the sale of verified carbon credits, setting a benchmark for turning waste into value.
Straw Utilization and Low-Carbon Rural Communities
Gansu, a major livestock province, is also focusing on comprehensive straw utilization. In Guanghe County, corn straw is converted into silage feed for cattle and sheep, with the animal manure then processed into organic fertilizer for corn fields. This cycle has reduced fertilizer use and established the county as a national green agriculture pilot zone. The province's straw utilization rate has reached 92.1%, supported by over 2,500 processing enterprises.
To further cut carbon emissions, the province is building low-carbon rural communities. In Wuwei, a biogas station supplies heat and cooking gas to 1,136 households in a resettlement community. The system, which combines biogas with biomass boilers and solar energy, provides clean energy at a low daily cost of just 1.4 yuan per household. It processes 14,600 tons of waste annually, saving 314 tons of coal and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 832 tons. The resulting digestate is sold to nearby greenhouses, completing a beneficial ecological loop.
Gansu's efforts are creating cleaner villages, greener industries, and a more beautiful countryside. With a focus on building a safe, efficient, and low-carbon rural energy system, the province is injecting green momentum into its agricultural development and contributing to national carbon neutrality goals. These initiatives demonstrate that the "small biogas" system is a powerful engine for a "big cycle" of environmental and economic benefits.
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