The first of a series of anaerobic digestion (AD) plants backed by Government opens today at a vegetable production company in Lincolnshire.
The £6.5 million
AD facility at
Staples Vegetables in Boston, Lincolnshire received £2 million in funding from the Government’s
Environmental Transformation Fund (ETF). Able to process 40,000 tonnes of '
waste’ vegetables, it will generate 11 million kilowatt hours of electricity per year. The energy produced by the
technology will go towards heating, cooling and powering the business, which specialises in growing and harvesting Brassicas, including cabbages, sprouts, broccoli and cauliflower.
"The project will provide integrated power generation giving us control not only over future pricing of power, but also over power security," said Vernon Read, managing director at Staples.
Anaerobic digestion
AD produces energy from organic material such as food waste and manure. It produces a nutrient-rich digestate, which can be used as fertiliser, and keeps organic waste out of landfill, cutting greenhouse gas emissions and helping to deliver an increase in the generation of
renewable energy in the UK.
The Government and agencies such as the WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) are trying to encourage greater use of the technology, which the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs estimates could produce 7.5 per cent of the renewable power the UK will need by 2020. The UK produces over 100 million tonnes of organic material per year from food waste, livestock slurries, sewage sludge and energy crops, all of which could be converted to produce biogas.
Environmental Transformation Fund
The ETF has been set up to accelerate development of new low carbon energy and
energy efficient technologies in the UK and is committed to funding up to six AD plants in England.
According to WRAP, which is charged with delivering the ETF’s AD programme, three additional Government supported AD facilities will open this Spring, including one at a dairy processing site in Dorset, one at Langage Farm in Devon and another at United Utilities.
Staples Vegetables
The anaerobic digester at Staples Vegetables has been designed and constructed by Danish turnkey supplier Xergi. It will process waste vegetables created by the existing harvesting and packaging process at the site. The electricity produced by the plant will be used on the site with the excess fed back into the Nation Grid. Heat generated by the process will be used to chill processing areas through heat absorption coolers, which will reduce the amount of energy used by the business. Excess heat will be used to heat offices and staff
buildings on the site.
The processed vegetable matter will replace fertiliser currently used and be applied to land using an existing irrigation network and spreading equipment.
"We’re delighted this facility is now available in Lincolnshire and that the robust benefits of anaerobic digestion technology will be reaped not only by Staples Vegetables, but local authorities, communities and businesses across the UK as this technology becomes increasingly mainstream," said Marcus Gover, director of Market Development at WRAP. "AD is a growing part of the
resource efficiency solution, capable of reducing biodegradable waste from landfill so reducing methane emissions, creating renewable energy, stimulating the green economy and improving the sustainability of commercial agriculture."
According to David Wright of JH Walter, and project manager for the Staples AD facility, the ETF funding was a crucial element in getting the plant off the ground. Since commissioning the plant at its site in Boston, Staples said it was now planning a second AD facility at another one of its sites.
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