Schmack Biogas AG Signs Framework for 12 to 15 Biogas Plants

DJ DGAP-News: Schmack Biogas signs framework agreement with HgCapital
Schmack Biogas AG (20.12.2007)

Schmack Biogas (Germany)has announced that it has signed a framework agreement with HgCapital to an Order volume of approx. EUR 130 million until 2010.

Schwandorf, December 20, 2007. Schmack Biogas AG and HgCapital, a leading private equity investor in Europe, have signed a EUR 130 million framework agreement that will run until 2010. Under the agreement, Schmack Biogas will build 12 to 15 biogas plants with a combined capacity of approximately 30 MW. The bulk of the plant construction volume is expected to be ordered in 2008 and 2009. The framework agreement also covers the development of the respective project sites. Schmack Biogas AG assumes that the site development services provided will be reflected in 2007 and 2008 sales and earnings.

Ulrich Schmack, CEO of Schmack Biogas AG: 'HgCapital is an experienced investor in renewable energies and already has extensive experience with biogas technology. Against this background, the strategic partnership is all the more valuable. We are particularly pleased that Aufwind Schmack, Regensburg, will be in charge of the commercial management of the projects, as the company has already worked successfully with HgCapital in the past.'

Emma Tinker, Director at HgCapital, said: 'We are delighted to have expanded our existing investment commitment in biogas through our partnership with Schmack Biogas, the world's leading biogas business. We believe that biogas is the most technically efficient and economically attractive segment of the bioenergy industry and that the feeding-in of biogas into the natural gas grid is a market with huge potential. Through Aufwind Schmack we have already invested in a number of biogas plants in Germany that use Schmack Biogas's technology. In Schmack Biogas we have found a partner that combines mature technology with a compelling and innovative feedstock and service concept.'

More...

New Video Describes the Anaerobic Digestion Process

At www.anaerobic-digestion.com we have produced a video which is under 5 minutes long and describes the basis of the AD Process.

Click on the title of this posting to visit our web page to view this new video.

All readers of the posting are welcome to visit YouTube and obtain the embedding code and to freely use this video in your blogs and web pages etc.

The more people that understand the great AD process advantages, the better!

BBC's Archers Programme Features Anaerobic Digestion

The BBC has awoken to the possibilities of Anaerobic Digestion and has a storyline about UK farmers Adam and Debbie who are thinking of building an AD Plant on their Farm.

Feelings about the project are mixed in the country town of Ambridge about which this long-running BBC serial is based.

If you want to kow what the listening public thinks about the idea of Anaerobic digestion on farms you should visit the BBC archers web site, by clicking on the title above.

The UK Government's Comprehensive Spending Review October 2007 - Resourcing, CHP and Biofuels

Things are looking up for Anaerobic Digestion Projects.

To gain an extra £2bn in Private Finance Initiative credits between now and 2011 to help fund new facilities is good for the sector, and this was promised in the UK waste management review in May. This is good going by any estimation. The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority was handed more money, and the development of renewable energy technologies was backed to the tune of £370M during the three years between 2008/9 and 2010/11, as covered by the latest CSR.

Read more about the good news for technologies such as Anaerobic Digestion.

But, it is not all roses! British construction's heavy workload and lack of resources are likely to combine and push tender prices up at a pace that the public purse will be unable to keep up with.

Read more at the
Anaerobic Digestion community web site here.

Friends of the Earth urges the UK Government to Get Sorted on Waste

Friends of the Earth is calling on the Government to get its policies on waste sorted to boost recycling and composting and avoid building any new incinerators.

This follows a fortnight of confusion over whether the Government will allow councils to give financial incentives to those who recycle more.

Friends of the Earth's senior waste campaigner, Michael Warhurst said:

"It's time for the Government to get their waste policies sorted so that councils can offer financial rewards to those who recycle more. The endless in-fighting is preventing important action that would help us to tackle our growing waste problem, save valuable resources and cut emissions of climate change gases. We already pay for other utilities as we use them, and these schemes work well in other countries."

This plea comes as a Public Accounts Committee report calls for more to be done to get waste out of landfill. It reports that DEFRA "must now take the tough decisions and practical steps needed to promote large-scale recycling" if it is to meet EU targets set in 1999. The committee reports that DEFRA was slow to react to these targets, taking no effective action until 2003. Local authorities now face enormous fines from the Government if they fail prevent more waste going into landfill.

CAMBI Technology Increasingly Used for Waste Water Sludge Treatment

It has been established that advanced digestion technology, as exemplified by the Cotton Valley Sludge Treatment Centre (STC) project in Milton Keynes, can both enhance biogas production and increase digester loading.

The Cambi process is being used in 19 projects so far around the world, treating sludge from 8M people.

Two Cambi sites the project team visited were already operating at the high digester loading than the mark II Cotton Valley project required: Dublin Corporation's Ringsend wastewater treatment works (WwTW) and Thames Water's Chertsey WwTW are also operational examples. A

WS, through its international company Celtic Anglian Water, is the operator of the Ringsend plant.

"Cambi UK now operates the THP plant at Chertsey as part of an incentivised contract for Thames Water.

CAMBI UK Thermal Hydrolysis Plant Project Underway

The Nowegian Anaerobic Digestion specialist Anaerobic Digestion technology provider has started their new UK Anaerobic Digestion plant project as below:-

On 15 June 2007 Black & Veatch (then Gleeson Ltd.) issued a binding letter of intent (LOI) to Cambi AS for a 4-reactor Thermal Hydrolysis plant for the pre-treatment of sludge prior to anaerobic digestion for a sludge treatment centre located at the Whitlingham Wastewater Treatment Works, Norwich.

The LOI will allow Cambi to start the project prior to final contract signature, expected in August 2007. The project has a delivery period of 12 months from start to completion. The contract is part of a contract for sludge treatment upgrade between B&V and Anglian Water.

Whitlingham WWTW is one of 4 sludge treatment centres to be set up/upgraded in the next 5-year plan of Anglian Water, starting 2006. The project will treat 17,000 tonnes DS. Total for Anglian's 5-year plan is to treat sludge from 6 million p.e., approx. 100,000 tonnes TDS.

More...

A Historical Perspective: Have Things Changed?

Have things really changed that much from the article below, from the sentiments expressed by those who installed agricultural AD Plants, more than 10 years ago?

Let's get some discussion going! Email us your Feedback to info@anaerobic-digestion.com .

Here is the article from May 1995:

Anaerobic Digester Survey of California Dairy Producers

D. Morse 1, J. C. Guthrie 1, and R. Mutters 2
1 Department of Animal Science, University of California, Davis 95616-8521
2 University of California Cooperative Extension, 2279 Del Oro Avenue, Suite B, Oroville 95965

We conducted a survey to identify for the US Environmental Protection Agency examples of and reasons for the failure of many previously installed methane recovery systems. Six dairy producers participated in this survey.

Installation costs of systems ranged from $100,000 to $950,000. Three producers have continued their dairy operations but no longer use methane recovery technology. Two producers were favorable to the technology but no longer operate a dairy.

Of those surveyed, only one producer continues to use methane recovery technology. Identified problems associated with unsuccessful operations included poor design, collection of manure in a wet form, and incomplete cooperation from electric companies.

Producers found that the technology required intense management and was economically risky. Increased cooperation between electric companies and small producers of electricity and greater prices paid for electricity might provide positive economic incentives that would encourage methane recovery and electricity generation.

One producer indicated that the benefits from anaerobic digester technology to be emphasized to potential users were income from sales of final solids and that nutrient value of both solid and liquid effluent streams as fertilizer sources.

Is this how it is now, or have the recent recent developments made a difference? Will the encouragement by improved ROCs payments in May's White Paper for the UK, make the difference? Why not give us your thoughts! If you give us your views and agreement to publish, suitable material can also be featured here in our future postings, and on our web site.

Enviro Solutions Website

The Enviro Solutions website is a great place to visit to find companies in the waste and environment sector. They also provide business news

For more information - Click Here

Tyne and Wear Waste Managers Considering Anaerobic Digestion Option

Anaerobic digestion considered for Tyne and Wear:

Anaerobic digestion is one of the options up for strong consideration to treat residual waste across South Tyne and Wear.

The South Tyne and Wear Waste Management Partnership made up of three councils in the region - Gateshead Council, South Tyneside Council and Sunderland City Council - aims to tackle the region's 370,000 tonnes of household waste a year (see letsrecycle.com story).

Defra has already given the councils the go-ahead to draw up plans for residual waste treatment facilities to secure Private Finance Initiative (PFI) funding credits (see letsrecycle.com story).

Before doing so, the partnership has decided to launch a public consultation on its Draft Joint Municipal Waste Strategy to ask residents for their views, not only on residual waste treatment but also on recycling, composting, reuse and waste minimisation.

This is with the aim of diverting as much waste from landfill as possible and to increase recycling rates. In 2005/06 - the most recent year audited by Defra - the recycling rates for Gateshead, South Tyneside and Sunderland - were 20%, 21% and 19% respectively. All three councils met government-set targets.

Project director Fiona Brown said: "Three councils are coming together to work in partnership and produce a joint strategy on an issue that will impact on everybody. This consultation process will help to deliver a more efficient service around the management and treatment of waste.

"We really want residents to have their say on how to handle rubbish in the future and help us come up with solutions that are more sustainable and better for the environment," she added.

Options:
It has assessed nine options for residual waste treatment using a range of criteria.

These are:

- Anaerobic digestion (AD) of biodegradable wastes
- AD of all wastes
- Mechanical Biological Treatment with Refuse Derived Fuel to EfW
- MBT with RDF to landfill
- Autoclave
- EfW
- Alterative Thermal Treatment (ATT)
- Aerobic digestion
- EfW with CHP

In its consultation document, council officers said autoclaving - where waste is cooked at high temperatures was cost-effective, environmentally-friendly and had high recycling rates. For more at LetsRecycle click on the title.

New ArrowBio MBT & Anaerobic Digestion Facility Project Starts

In July 2007, Oaktech Environmental signed a contract with Avondale Environmental Ltd. to commence the Design Development of a 70,000 tonnes per annum ArrowBio facility at the Avondale Landfill Site in Falkirk, Scotland.

The ArrowBio process is described as a unique, water-based mechanical-biological treatment for solid waste, which includes anaerobic digestion stages.

ArrowBio’s strengths are stated as residing in its unique ability to reclaim resources for recycling and produce green energy from the biodegradable residues through simple, flexible and effective design.

Avondale Environmental, who own and operate the Avondale landfill in the Falkirk area just off junction 4 of the M9 motorway, have chosen ArrowBio as their preferred technology partner for the development of a processing facility for treating mixed waste from both household and commercial sources. Waste will be diverted from landfill with recyclable materials recovered and renewable electricity generated for supply to the national grid.

Upon completion of the Design Development phase, the construction of the Plant will take 16 months, subject to receiving the necessary consent. This will provide nearby Local Authorities with the opportunity of moving some way towards landfill diversion targets required by the EU Landfill Directive.

Following on from this success, Oaktech Environmental, distributors of the ArrowBio process in the UK & Eire, in collaboration with Monsal Ltd., UK market leader for the provision of advanced anaerobic digestion and biogas related technology, will be jointly exhibiting at the RWM Exhibition, NEC Birmingham on 11th – 13th September.

Do visit them at Stand 1100 for details on how they will be working together to deliver the ArrowBio Falkirk project, as well as for updates on other of their projects currently underway in London and Northern Ireland.

To find out more about the RWM Exhibition go to: http://www.rwminfo.com.

You can also visit their web site at http://www.oaktech-environmental.com and http://www.monsal.com for further information and regular updates.

Covered Anaerobic Lagoons

From time to time we add additional Anaerobic Processes to the process section of the Anaerobic-Digestion.Com web site.

We have now added a page about the use of covered anaerobic lagoons of which there were a number built in the UK during the 1970s and 1980s on farms and for effluent treatment, plus methane gas production.

You are welcome to visit the web page which is here, and if you have more information to give us for publication about this type of treatment please do send it to us for publication.

Is My Waste Suitable for Anaerobic Digestion?

Is My Waste Suitable for Anaerobic Digestion? - is one of three new pages I have uploaded today to the Anaerobic Digestion Community web site.

While doing some general research on AD systems on the web today I came across a presentation produced by the leading AD authority Prof. Dr.-Ing. R. Stegmann, Dipl.-Ing., from Germany which is almost certainly (with apologies to the Swiss, the Austrians, and certain Scandinavian countries!) the leading nation for implementation of large scale anaerobic digestion technology.

I thought that our readers may also find the free downloadable version of this presentation useful, which originates from the TUHH, Department of Waste Management 'Workshop in Anaerobic Digestion and Production of Biogas', Prof. Dr.-Ing. R. Stegmann, Dipl.-Ing. Olaf Bade, Chimatra Workshop 2005.

So, I have created three new pages based upon slides in the presentation and these are now available for you to see, on the http://www.anaerobic-digestion.com web site.

On each page I have added commentaries on one the slides, which I hope will be useful. The first article page discusses; 'Is My Waste Suitable for Anaerobic Digestion?'. Click on the title block above this post to visit that page.

New Alternate Weekly Collection Scheme Guidance Favours AD

There has been nothing as contentious for a long while in the Waste Management scene as alternate weekly collection schemes (AWCS). So it is interesting to note the new guidance: Your Web Master.

WRAP have re-issued their guidance on alternate weekly collection schemes. Included within the revised guidance is a suggestion that to meet Landfill Directive requirements it will be necessary to deal with food waste. The best way to do this the guidance suggests is through a weekly collection of food waste and to process it either through composting or preferably through processes like Anaerobic Digestion. [Download the .pdf here. - Removed because the linked pdf is no longer available.]

Biogas Production Conference: Biogas from Agricultural Biomass and Organic Residues

The International Biogas and Bioenergy Centre of Competence (IBBK) invites you to participate in the international conference "Progress in Biogas - Biogas production from agricultural biomass and organic residues" which takes place from September 19-21, 2007 at University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany.

During three days the international conference will extensively discuss the topics production technologies and gas utilisation, country related political frameworks, chances and perspectives for rural areas as well as global epicentres of biogas production.

With presentations from well known international scientists and practitioners as well as with penal discussions, poster sessions, an exhibition and technical tours the international conference will show future developments in the field of biogas production and utilisation.

You will find further information regarding the program as well as a registration form attached to this mail. For more detailed information please visit our homepage: http://www.biogas-zentrum.de or download the comprehensive program brochure from http://www.biogas-zentrum.de/ibbk/downloads/int_IBBK_Biogas_konf_2007.pdf .

Book this month and take advantage of our early bird rates for bookings made before July 31, 2007!

Combined Anaerobic Digestion/In Vessel Composting Plant Announced for Northamptonshire

A newly established organics company has announced this week that it will be opening a composting facility in Northamptonshire next April which will combine anaerobic digestion and in-vessel composting.

The Bio Group, which formed this May as a joint venture between in-vessel specialists Cambridge Recycling Services (CRS), composting machinery providers Global Recycling Solutions as well as green waste and wood processors Material Change; has begun construction for a 30,000 tonne per annum facility in the village of Helmdon in the south of the county. (see letsrecycle.com story)

The "hybrid" system: Steve Sharratt, chief executive of the Bio Group, explained that having both technologies in one facility will allow the company to simultaneously treat source segregated food waste in the IVC and food waste in paper, cardboard or plastic packaging in the AD.

The building to be converted to the Waste Reception Building AD Process Building with the area for the IVC tunnels on the left.

The system will also mean that the solid digestate - one of the end products of the AD process which needs treating before it can be safely spread onto land- can be treated onsite in the IVC, then composted in windrows.

The Bio Group revealed it has "agreements in place to ensure the compost produced by both processes will be used to improve local farmland" and that it is looking at how the site can achieve the quality standard, PAS100 for the compost.

As for the energy produced by the AD process, Bio Group has confirmed that it will be used to power the site and that the surplus will be fed into the national grid. See more at Let's Recycle.

Can Landfill Leachate be Treated by Anaerobic Digestion?

Just a short post today, which might be of interest to our visitors and subscribers:

The use of the Anaerobic Digestion process to treat landfill leachate is not very effective, and this can be readily deduced just by thinking about the processes which leachate undergoes within a landfill. The big problem would be the lack of significant reduction of ammoniacal nitrogen in the discharge.

However, the opposite does work. Leachate treatment plant aerobic reactors can be used very effectively to treat the liquid digestate, if that "product" ends up proving to be unsaleable locally. Indeed, on site aerobic digestate treatment might be essential in these circumstances if no sewage treatment works was available to accept tanker loads of liquid from an AD Plant.

Click here for more Leachate Treatment and Anaerobic Digestion information.

More about leachate treatment.

US Farmers Look at Anaerobic Digesters as an Odor Solution

According to the Maryland Energy Administration many farmers are looking at anaerobic digesters as a solution to their odor problem.

Many of the odors associated with manure are intermediate compounds of the anaerobic process breaking down organics. An anaerobic digester confines odorous intermediate compounds to fermentation tanks and then breaks them down to less offensive ones. Digesters convert these offensive odors into methane and carbon dioxide, both of which are colorless and odorless. Animal manure is also a source of pathogenic organisms (E.coli, & Salmonella). Digesters have the potential to run at high temperatures, thus making them effective hygienization vehicles.

Anaerobic digesters convert organic matter into three usable products: biogas, fiber (used as a nutrient rich soil conditioner), and liquor (used as a slow release liquid fertilizer).

Quality Protocol for Anaerobic Digestion to be Developed by UK Environment Agency

Great News: Although this item was sent out by LetsRecycle.com in June, we are sending this as soon as we became aware of it.

"The Environment Agency has confirmed its intention to develop a quality protocol for residues from the treatment of waste through anaerobic digestion.

The announcement yesterday also said five further materials - steel slag, incinerator bottom ash, uncontaminated topsoil, gypsum and paper mill ash – would have protocols developed.

The Agency wants to cut red tape for anaerobic digestion plants.
Once finalised, the protocols could mean the materials gain the status of "products", rather than being treated as "wastes", which means they are subject to the restrictive legal controls for managing, storing, transporting and using waste as a resource.

The move to produce a protocol for anaerobic digestion – the treatment of organic wastes by bacteria in controlled conditions – fits in with the government's new waste strategy, which seeks to encourage use of the technology (see letsrecycle.com story).

The Agency believes the new protocols – being developed under the second year of its Waste Protocols project – could save around £150 million a year by helping to increase the amount of material diverted from landfill."
Martin Brocklehurst, head of external programmes for the Environment Agency, said: "The Waste Protocols Project will look at the current risk posed by the five types of waste chosen today and wherever possible remove the need for companied to hold the permits and licenses that they need."

Cardiff Univesity, Waste Research Estimate of AD Power Potential

We have copied below an analysis carried out by Cardiff University, for Anaerobic Digestion potential, which is available on their web site. (Click on the title to visit there.)

An analysis can be conducted for anaerobic digestion in a similar manner to the previously used technique to estimate the potential of generating electricity by using all the UK's available waste. There is about 90Mt of waste produced in the UK each year. 62% of this waste stream is said to be biodegradable (DETR, Limiting Landfill, 1999). This biodegradable waste will produce about 150m3/tonne of biogas at 60% methane concentration (Warmer Information Sheet, 1998). Using a 70% process efficiency, 70% load factor, and the known 37GJ/tonne energy content for methane, an estimate can be produced. After accounting for the 20-40% of energy needed to maintain the digestion is accounted for, anaerobic digestion could provide the UK with about 1.4GW. This represents about 1.9% of the UK's installed capacity.

Comparing to the other processes anaerobic digestion solely for the purpose of electricity generation is about twice as productive as total landfill gas power, but only a third as efficient as mass burn, and only a fifth as fruitful as gasification.

From an ecological point of view it is quite a sound process. Impacts related to visual intrusion, pests and noise will be similar to other waste management options and with proper planning can be minimised to acceptable levels. The input of waste, seen as a liability, can be reduced to a saleable soil conditioner. All the greenhouse gas generated is burnt for energy recovery rather than letting some of it escape to the atmosphere as would occur in landfill. CO2 is emitted but as it comes from organic material this has a short carbon cycle and so has no overall environmental impact. However, as this waste management option only deals with part of the waste stream, it is not on it's own going to solve the sustainable waste management dilemma.

Anaerobic digestion has not taken off as a waste treatment and disposal option in the UK mainly due to the lack of market for the produced soil conditioner.

At www.anaerobic-digestion.com we think that there are more reasons for AD not already being a commonly adopted process, than the lack of a market for the soils conditioner, indeed, is this still true?

BUT, this web site will soon need updating, in our opinion as "AD takes off" given the recent activity and Welsh support for AD recently announced.

European Biogasmax Project June Reports

BIOMASS-BASED METHANE
A 20% potential of the fuel needed in for transportation in Europe
The European Biogasmax project creates a network of biomethane-related demonstrations on the European territory with the aim of sharing experiences in terms of best practices in managing urban transportation and waste.
Learn more...

THE CITY OF BERNE, capital of Switzerland,
joins the european project BIOGASMAX.
The biomethane experiment conducted in Berne is an examplary approach of territorial management and has led to concrete results.
Learn more...

ArrowBio Process Article Added to Web Site

A recent addition to our web site is the article about the ArrowBio Anaerobic Digestion Plant. These plants accept mixed wastes, and use the Upward Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) system.

The process which was initially developed from Isreali research is being used for a new plant in Australia with we understand, more to follow very soon.

Read about this process by clicking on the headline above.

East Anglia Centre - Food Waste Event & Site Visit

Make a note in your diaries that 3rd July is the great East Anglia food waste day, to be held at HotRot Composting Systems, Brandon. Morning speakers include WRAP, Bekon and HotRot, with parallel afternoon workshops including NISP, CRN and technology providers with Local Authorities and LATS specialists. There will also be a mini - exhibition and lunch and networking opportunities.

Booking will be available soon, but you can register your interest with clair.thomas@ciwm.co.uk

Cows and Anaerobic Digestion from The Guardian Newspaper

Heading: Fist-sized pill hard to swallow

23 March 2007

According to today's Guardian newspaper, a new methane-reducing pill has been developed by German boffins to help stop cows from burping.

Scientists have estimated that cows are responsible for 4% of greenhouse gas emissions.

Known as a bolus, the fist-sized pill should help to reduce the methane produced by the animals and go some way towards combatting global warming.

WebMaster: Well it amused me... and, it is about Anaerobic Digestion, albeit not the sort we usually discuss in this blog!

Septic Tanks: Are they Anaerobic Digestors?

As we have been asked this question several times recently, we have added a page to our articles section on the www.anaerobic-digestion.com web site.

The short answer is of course yes, they utilise the anaerobic digestion process for the treatment (albeit only partial and not to watercourse discharge standards) of sewage from isolated locations where inhabited dwellings are located remote from public sewers into which a connection would otherwise be made.

However, they are in my expereince not normally discussed as being anaerobic digestors, and I have never heard them mentioned as methane emittors. If methanogenisis does occur it will be at low temperatures for the methanogens to be working.

However, in hot countries we do know that methane gas can be produced very effectively from domestic effluent type anaerobic digestors and is used for cooking etc. Such installations are used throughout China and India in very large numbers.

So, should we in the west be collecting methane from our septic tanks?

We always love feedback and comment, but feedback on this one appreciated more than ever.

Advantages of Anaerobic Digestion Processes

ANAEROBIC DIGESTION contributes to reducing the greenhouse gases.

A well-managed ANAEROBIC DIGESTION system will aim to maximise methane production, but not release any gases to the atmosphere, thereby reducing overall emissions.

ANAEROBIC DIGESTION also provides a source of energy with no net increase in atmospheric carbon which contributes to climate change.Energy generated through the AD process can help reduce the demand for fossil fuels.

ANAEROBIC DIGESTION creates an integrated management system which reduces the likelihood of soil and water pollution occurring, compared to disposal of untreated animal manure / slurries.

A financial advantage of ANAEROBIC DIGESTION is the conversion of residues into potentially sale-able products: biogas, soil conditioner, liquid fertiliser.

These are just a few the the advantages of AD. We have updated our The Benefits of Anaerobic Digestion page. We suggest a visit to read more.

Have we listed them all?

Biomethane Looks Promising for 2007 Says US Fleets and Fuels

Biomethane Looks Promising for 2007 San Francisco, California [RenewableEnergyAccess.com]

Biomethane, the focus of the January issue of Fleets & Fuels newsletter, is reported as promising as a viable renewable energy market. Since biomethane is made from waste - from animals, crops and municipal sewage - its production involves no diversion of foodstuffs, unlike liquid biofuels.

"Biomethane is fast proving itself in Europe, and entrepreneurs and policymakers in the United States are becoming aware of it too."

-- Rich Piellisch, Fleets & Fuels, editor

Read more at RenewableEnergyAccess.com

Inetec Offers Abrasive Drying Alternative to Anaerobic Digestion

From Inetec News Release:-

Inetec, a South Wales based company have developed a process which looks set to fulfil the needs of food producers by providing them with a sustainable system suitable for both food waste and non recyclable packaging waste.

This process, which has recently been recognised as a novel technology, is a mechanical process which breaks the waste down and produces an inert biomass fuel, called Food Derived Fuel or FDF for short, as a by product of the process.

It works by using a process called 'abrasive drying'.

The mixed waste is transferred into a vessel where it is macerated by a series of paddles.
As it is being churned it is gently heated from underneath.

The mixture of physical abrasion and heat initially exposes surface moisture and then after around 4 hours of processing cellular level moisture.

This is evaporated off as a vapour and is then condensed back into liquid for treatment or disposal to a foul sewer.

The resulting FDF has a high calorific, or energy value, of around 6-8KW hours per kilogram.
To put this into perspective wood is around 40% lower.

This stable biomass fuel can then be used for energy recovery.

In small scale applications it is often used as part of the processing installation on client sites.
It is typically used to generate steam or hot water by replacing the existing boiler requirements of the factory, thus displacing external energy requirements.

Because the high calorific value of the fuel it can result in huge cost savings to the company.

£3bn Waste PFI will Include Anaerobic Digestion Plants

Viridor/Laing Selected as Preferred Bidder for Greater Manchester PFI Waste Contract
Viridor is delighted to announce that the Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority (GMWDA) today (29 January 2007) confirmed that it has selected the consortium between Viridor Waste Management and John Laing Infrastructure (a division of John Laing plc) as preferred bidder for the PFI contract to deliver long-term waste management solutions in Greater Manchester. The integrated waste management contract (investment value £300 million) with the Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority (GMWDA) is the largest such scheme in the UK.

The Viridor/Laing consortium proposals will assist GMWDA with their obligations under the EU Landfill Directive, achieving high levels of materials recycling and recovery and radically reducing the proportion of waste sent to landfill. Viridor/Laing will provide a full range of waste management services through the PFI mechanism, including waste reduction, recycling, composting, treatment, recovery and disposal.

GMWDA currently operates and manages the UK’s largest waste management contract, covering the recycling and disposal of waste from across the Greater Manchester area and dealing with over 1.4m tonnes of municipal waste each year.

According to the New Civil Engineer magazine, Authority Chairman Neil
Swannick said:

'Several MBT Plants using anaerobic digestion will be built. We want to make sure when we get to 2010 that we have got these facilities up and running because that is when the LATS targets become really
challenging.'
Comment: Things are looking good for Anaerobic Digestion!

New Web Page about the Agricultural Use of Anaerobic Digestion

Agricultural Use of Anaerobic Digestion for Livestock Manures and Slurries

The Anaerobic Digestion.Com web site has been short on information on Agricultural AD. This actually only reflects the position in the UK which had more on-farm AD units in operation during the mid-1990s than it does now.

Probably the most authoritative recent study on the viability of anaerobic digestion is the report prepared for the Sustainable Agriculture Strategy Division of the United Kingdom Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). This is not a new report and it was published in October 2005, however, we do think it worth studying for anyone interested in utilising this abundant source of on-farm AD and Centralised Anaerobic Digestion (CAD) feedstock.

The report is really quite heavily negative about the economic vialbility of this form of AD, under the then, and current, regime in which the UK government is not providing direct financial support for AD.

We would argue that:-

Our view at Anaerobic-Digestion.Com is that there is a very good case for additional government investment in on-farm AD.

There is a significant win to be found from the reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, and the necessary £143 lifetime costs estimated for the first twenty plants in this report would surely deliver big bonuses in the development of the technology. If done well this investment would act as the seed corn for the mature development of the Anaerobic Digestion industry at which time costs would surely plummet.

Were we not at a similar stage with wind turbines no more than ten years ago?

Surely many of us can remember that wind turbine rotor blade failures featured heavily in the news. The doubters were saying that the reliability problems being experienced in that industry at the time were close to insoluble for such highly stressed and massive blades. Yet now who even mentions such problems?

The parallels are all around us which show us the benefits of strategic investment and the potential in Anaerobic Digestion. Let us see some leadership from our politicians who should by now realise that the public demand for action on carbon emissions is high.

The public also increasingly want to buy renewable power for their own domestic use, and so the provision of financial incentives for Anaerobic Digestion would help in this and other many ways.

UK Supermarkets Green Policy Update

Canadian Blogger Devon Rowcliffe has provided a set of links - blog no longer available - to UK Supmarkets which describe forthcoming green policies.

While commenting on the extent to which the Canadians are behind the UK on this, he also highlights the effort MS plans to put into AD:

All stores, warehouses and offices are to be powered with “green energy”, including “anaerobic digestion” or converting M&S’s own waste into fuel from compost.

LINKS:
Tesco:
Sir Terry Leahy answered your questions
Sainsburys:
Sainsbury’s in green packing push

Did anyone watch the BBC 4 TV on Saturday 20 January with 3 hours of climate change programming, including BBC wildlife footage on the coral reefs, in the amazon jungle etc?

It was salutory viewing, and if the Canadians get to see programmes like this I'm sure that they too will become more keen to take action on the likes of anaerobic digestion projects.

Anaerobic Digestion is Now Economically Viable in Europe and Can Provide Much Needed Security of Energy Supply

Anaerobic Digestion is both a waste treatment technology and a highly sustainable energy technology. Recent rises in energy costs, coupled with EU member state incentives, and waste management policy, now mean that economic viability has been attained.

This article explains how this technology can also provide a politically secure energy supply, and argues that there should be more fiscal assistance to promote Anaerobic Digestion.

This article is available in full at the Anaerobic Digestion Community Web Site.

The above article was posted in mid-December and has been well received.

Given that even just six years back wind power was probably where Anaerbic Digestion is now as far as popularity and technology development, is concerned, those with vision will see this and move ahead with Anaerobic Digestion Technology development.