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 Practices related to Food, Energy and Waste form an ecosystem of interconnected components and hybrid systems, as they do not strictly belong to a single category: for instance, many plant species, such as corn, sorghum, or sugarcane, can be used either as food or as biomass to be converted into fibers or biofuel. Similarly, anaerobic digestion – in which microorganisms break down biodegradable material – is used for industrial or domestic purposes to manage waste and/or to release energy. Some processes are complementary: fish farming is often combined to natural filters, such as grass, to alleviate the waste content in the water. It can also be combined with hydroponics in a symbiotic environment, so that by-products from the aquaculture are filtered out by the plants as vital nutrients. Others are by-products of a first process: methane can be collected during waste processing in a landfill, where the gas is gathered, processed, and treated to produce electricity, heat, fuels, and various chemical compounds. Similarly, nutrient-rich digestate, the by-product of composting processes, can be used as fertilizer. Municipal solid waste is often used as source of biomass for generating electricity or to produce heat.
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