Also called: Anaerobic Digestion Engineer, Renewable Natural Gas Engineer
Designs systems that turn manure, food scraps and crop waste into renewable gas and energy.
You check a giant sealed tank where bacteria are digesting manure and making methane. Gas output dropped this week, so you test the tank's temperature and acidity, adjust the feeding schedule, and watch the meter climb back up.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in agricultural, biological, chemical or environmental engineering.
Ways in: 4-year college. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Agricultural Engineering, Biological & Agricultural Engineering, Biosystems Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering.
Growing faster than average. Driven by renewable fuel credits and climate policy.
Low risk for 10 years. AI optimizes digester performance; designing and running plants on farms and landfills stays hands-on.
Classes: Chemistry, Biology, Environmental science, Physics.
Official data: O*NET occupation 17-2021.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.