Generating Renewable Energy
View our slide presentation explaining the Anaerobic Digestion Process
Farm & Food bi-products to Renewable energy
Concerns for energy security, climate change and rising oil prices are driving the search for cheaper, secure and environmentally friendly alternatives.
Anaerobic Digestion (AD):
A sustainable, environmentally friendly way of producing energy from waste.
What is AD?
A natural process which breaks down organic material in the absence of air. The decomposition is caused by natural bacteria action which produces bio-gases (mostly methane and carbon dioxide). These are contained, then converted into renewable energy, leaving a hygienically safe, nutrient rich fertilizer.
What will be going into it?
- Crops grown by R & L Anthony (such as maize & grass silage), which are mainly break crops therefore complimenting not instead of growing crops for food
- Food wastes (such as bran from bread making, juice residues from drinks manufacturing & vegetable oil from food manufacturing)
- Agricultural bi-products (livestock manures)
What happens to the energy produced?
All the heat and energy used in the process will be self-generated. The electricity and heat produced will largely be used by Cenin Ltd, a technology company, specializing in processing recycled material to produce low carbon footprint cement replacement, which neighbours the site of the digester. Any surplus electricity will be sold to the National Grid.
How do we know it works?
This is a proven technology which is used substantially in Western Europe, as part of an integrated energy resource management programme. In Germany 80,000 people are employed in AD and in Sweden government vehicles are run on biogas.
Impacts from the plant
The plant will be strictly regulated and will be monitored by various bodies. The digester is designed to collect any gas produced so there are no uncontrolled emissions to the atmosphere. There will be very little noise, odour or visual impact as the anaerobic digester consists of simple sealed tanks which are set into the ground and screened by trees. There will be very low volumes of lorry movements into the plant.
About us | Progress | Services | Contact | Sitemap
© . All Rights Reserved.
GD Graphics
Benefits of AD
- Reduces emissions of carbon dioxide & methane (23x as potent as carbon dioxide as a GHG)
- Reduces the amount of waste going to landfill and lowers waste disposal costs particulary for food manufacturers and suppliers
- Gives an opportunity for the government to meet targets
- Produces high quality gas which can be converted into local affordable electricity, displacing fossil fuels
- Produces a high quality organic fertilizer which can be spread directly onto the ground with reduced odour and very little land and water pollution risk
- Reduces the amount of synthetic fertilizers needed (the production of 1 tonne of nitrogen results in the emission of 2 tonnes of carbon dioxide)
.
Waste Energy:
A closed loop sustainable system
At present a high percentage of food waste is disposed of by sending it to landfill; releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, enhancing global warming and climate change. Anaerobic digestion converts this from landfill and returns nutrients to the soil, but first utilizes the energy value from the feedstock.
What happens to the end-product?
The material left in the end tank (digestate) is a virtually odourless organic fertilizer which retains the essential nutrients for plant growth. In fact the nutrients are now in a form more readily available to crops than in any product initially entering the system or in synthetic fertilizers. This will be spread on land farmed by R & L Anthony.
The total carbon reduction involved could be approaching 100,000 tonnes. This is a local sustainable partnership and small scale solution where all economic benefit will be retained in the local community.
Useful websites
Wikipedia article on Anaerobic Digestion
Friends of the Earth Leaflet on Anaerobic Digestion