Anaerobic Digestion News
All the latest buzz around the Biogas scene!
Updated :
The power of food
Supermarket giant TESCO'S new distribution centre in Widnes is to be completely powered by renewable energy generated from food waste, they have announced.
It has joined with with transport company Stobart Croup, and food waste recycling experts the PDM Croup in a move that will see the new shopping centre take its renewable energy from PDM's combined heat and power (CHP) plant that turns 230,000 tonnes of food waste, including Tesco's unwanted, into green renewable heat and electricity. The retailing company is already working with PDM which recycles all Tesco's meat waste at present.
There are no losses in the cable route either as the power is sent via their own cable link which provides renewable energy direct from the CHP plant to the neighbouring distribution centre.
Tesco has leased the new 528,000 sq.ft. distribution centre, which will see its first customers this summer, to provide increased capacity to service its growing network of stores in the north west of England.
Juliette Bishop, Tesco's corporate affairs manager, said:
"This venture is an ideal example of how sustainability is at the very core of the Tesco business and it's great that we can demonstrate that our food waste is directly providing power back into our operations, helping us to reduce waste going to landfill and our carbon footprint."
Stobart and PDM will work together to offer Stobart's customer-base comprised of predominantly food retailers, a recycling service. The agreement would see food waste taken in return journey loads, on Stobart vehicles, to Widnes.
The Widnes plant recycles more than 230,000 tonnes of biomass fuels a year to generate renewable combined heat and power using biomass-to-energy technology.
The fuel is derived from food and other bio-wastes produced from every stage of the food chain, from farm to dinner plate.
PDM Croup director Robert Ratcliffe explained:
"Using green power is becoming an important objective for many businesses, however it's extremely rare that such power can come directly from anywhere other than the National Grid. This type of closed-loop biomass-to-energy relationship is rare in the UK and it's great that we can work together to not only help bolster green credentials, but also enable Tesco to demonstrate that any food waste it generates is essentially helping to power its own supply chain."
Author : Steve Last
Yet more good news for the Anaerobic Digestion process as this is bound to mean promotion of the use of the process, so here is the full news release:
New EU Commission Strategy Announced to get Even More from Bio-waste
The European Commission today laid out steps to improve the management of bio-waste in the EU and tap into its significant environmental and economic benefits.
Bio-degradable garden, kitchen and food waste accounts for 88 million tonnes of municipal waste each year and has major potential impacts on the environment. But it also has considerable promise as a renewable source of energy and recycled materials.
Today’s Communication promotes actions to unlock this potential by making the best use of existing legislation while giving Member States discretion to choose the options best suited to their individual circumstances. Supporting initiatives at EU level will also be necessary.
Environment Commissioner Janez Potočnik said: "We already have a significant body of legislation governing bio-waste in the EU. But through better implemention and enforcement, we can squeeze even more benefit from bio-waste. This will not only help in the fight against climate change: producing good quality compost and biogas will contribute to healthy soil and slow biodiversity loss."
Bio-waste is an untapped potential
A Commission assessment has identified significant environmental and economic benefits from improved management of bio-waste in the European Union.
Today’s Communication lays out recommendations on the way forward to reap these benefits in full. The most promising approaches include the prevention of bio-waste and biological treatment with the production of compost and biogas.
The main environmental threat from bio-waste is the production of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide. If biological treatment of waste was maximized, the most visible and significant benefit would be avoided greenhouse gas emissions – estimated at around 10 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent in 2020.
About one-third of the EU's 2020 target for renewable energy in transport could be met by using biogas produced from bio-waste, while around 2% of the EU's overall renewable energy target could be met if all bio-waste was turned into energy.
Good quality compost and digestate from anaerobic digestion would improve resource-efficiency by partially replacing non-renewable mineral fertilizers as well as by maintaining the quality of EU soils.
Full implementation of existing policies supported by improved bio-waste management should deliver environmental and economic benefits estimated at between €1.5 and €7 billion, depending on the ambition of recycling and prevention policies.
Priority actions
According to the Commission's analysis there are no policy gaps at EU level that could prevent Member States from taking appropriate action. Progress achieved in several Member States shows that existing waste legislation is an excellent basis for advanced bio-waste management. For this, the available tools need to be used to their full potential and rigorously enforced where necessary in all Member States.
Priority actions include rigorous enforcement of the targets on diverting bio-waste away from landfills, proper application of the waste hierarchy and other provisions of the Waste Framework Directive to introduce separate collection systems as a matter of priority.
Supporting initiatives at EU level – such as developing standards for compost – will be crucial to accelerate progress and ensure a level playing field across the EU. This will involve specific guidance and indicators for bio-waste prevention with possible future binding targets, as well as compost standards and guidelines on the application of life cycle thinking and assessment in the waste sector.
Bio-waste management in the Member States
Member States have vastly diverging national policies for bio-waste management, ranging from little action in some Member States to ambitious policies in others.
The environmental and economic benefits of different treatment methods for bio-waste depend on local conditions such as population density, climate and infrastructure.
Composting and anaerobic digestion offer the most promising environmental and economic options for bio-waste that cannot be prevented. However, an important pre-condition is good quality input to these processes. In the majority of cases this would be best achieved by separate collection of bio-waste.
Highly efficient systems based on separating various streams of bio-waste already exist in Austria, Germany, Luxembourg, Sweden, Belgium, the Netherlands, Cataluña in Spain and certain regions in Italy.
The Communication on bio-waste is available at:
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/compost/index.htm
Author : Steve Last
Here is the AD News' summary of the Most Important Points from the new ISWA "White Paper on Waste and Climate Change", for those interested in Anaerobic Digestion.
The climate change phenomenon, its causes and consequences, is now generally accepted and recognised by the international scientific community, governments, the private sector, NGOs and the general population.
It requires a robust response. Solutions must be found that will mitigate emissions of greenhouse gases and help to adapt to its unavoidable consequences. The complexity of the issue requires the acceptance of a common responsibility from both the public and private sector.
The waste industry occupies a unique position as a potential reducer of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. As industries and countries worldwide struggle to address their carbon footprint, waste sector activities represent an opportunity for carbon reduction which has yet to be fully exploited.
The waste sector offers a portfolio of proven, practical and cost effective technologies which can contribute to GHG mitigation. When adapted and deployed according to local traditions and needs, they can help secure significant global GHG emission savings.
The global direct GHG emissions resulting from waste management activities are around 1.3Gt CO2 eq. or approximately 3 – 5% of total anthropogenic emissions in 2005 (IPCC 2007). However, there is now credible evidence that, taking into account associated avoided emissions, the waste sector can completely change this picture.
Through aerobic and anaerobic biological treatment technologies, organic wastes can be recovered and transformed into soil conditioners and fertilisers. These processes reduce GHG emissions by sequestering biogenic carbon in soils, improving soil physical properties, and adding soil nutrients.
The organic component of waste (e.g. paper, cardboard, food waste or garden waste) ranges from 30-70% of total municipal waste production. If collected separately, it can offer a valuable contribution to GHG emissions reduction and soil improvement.
Organics recovery is particularly effective where soil and organic matter are being eroded due to deforestation, cultivation practices, or as a consequence of climate change.
Anaerobic technologies provide an added energy benefit.
Waste offers a significant source of renewable energy. Incineration and other thermal processes for waste-to-energy, landfill gas recovery and utilisation, and use of anaerobic digester biogas can play important roles in reducing fossil fuel consumption and GHG emission.
Accurate measurement and quantification of GHG emissions is vital in order to set and monitor realistic reduction targets at all levels. Current methodologies form a valuable database for assessment of GHG emissions from waste activities, however, improvements are required to adequately represent the full lifecycle of materials and energy.
- IPCC national waste GHG inventory methodologies estimate direct emissions, but do not include indirect emissions and environmental benefits, especially those which impact other sectors.
- Improved, harmonised and transparent approaches for both the direct and indirect emissions associated with waste management activities must be developed to complement existing methodologies.
- More consistent and coordinated data collection is needed to support the improved methodologies and reduce accounting uncertainties.
More about Waste and Climate Change at ISWA.
Author : Steve Last
The Association for Organics Recycling is an organiser of a conference about securing revenue streams from land based energy Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire 22 Jun 2010 - 23 Jun 2010.
This should be of great interest to all UK farmers, and others interested in developing biomass energy production on their arms, including Anaerobic Digestion otherwise known as Biogas Digester Plants.
Farmers have a massive potential resource pool at their disposal and this conference is intended to give the rural sector guidance concerning how to capture this other method of income from their land holding, permitting them to gain valuable info on the range of technologies available and issues that can influence investment choices.
It will be an in-depth analysis of Anaerobic Digestion and other renewable energy options for the agricultural sector, this conference will assess the options open to the farming community as the market looks increasingly towards on-farm energy generation.
The confernece will be an expansion of last year's "A Farmer's Guide to Anaerobic Digestion", this time looking in far greater detail at the policies, strategies and issues to be considered when planning a project
For more details and booking options please click on the following On Farm Energy Generation Link.
Author : Steve Last
24th - 25th June 2010
"Building an AD infrastructure for waste, energy, heat and fuel"
Stoneleigh Park Conference Centre, Coventry, Warwickshire
Key speakers from the industry analyse policy, strategy, support mechanisms, financing and technology advances for cohesive and synergy-led development for a sustainable UK biogas industry. Experts from Europe and the UK assess the options for the optimum end use of biogas, and explore examples of successful projects – as electricity, pipeline quality gas or vehicle fuel, and debate the best way forward for this rapidly evolving industry.
Developing UK Biogas addresses the issues that are critical to the development of AD in the UK. With plenty of time built in for questions and discussions, and with debate panels featuring experts in their fields, Developing UK Biogas brings you the analysis, information, discussion and networking opportunities that are essential for the development of this industry.
Developing UK Biogas analyses government policy and what it means for the developing AD industry. It addresses finance, planning and market development issues.
The programme looks at the best uses of digestate and the effect of feedstocks on the energy output as well as ensuring a constant and uncontaminated supply of feedstock.
It looks at the best uses of biogas, gas to grid and gas to fuel and the technical and economic aspects of upgrading biogas, including case studies and business models for heat delivery.
With industry experts speaking including Michael Chesshire, Nina Sweet, John Baldwin, British Gas, National Grid, Mercedes-Benz and many more, Developing UK Biogas is essential for anyone involved in the industry.
Full programme and booking details on www.recyclingwasteworld.co.uk/conferences ; email events@markallengroup.co.uk or call 01722 717031 / 24
Author : Steve Last
This is what GWE Biogas are saying, and we have no doubt with good reason, while building their new Anaerobic Digestion plant at Sandhill, Driffield, East Yorkshire.
The following has been adapted from their March newsletter:
GWE report being delighted to see that even before operations have begun the plant is being recognised as being highly innovative by external organisations. As a part of the Environmental Transformation Fund programme administered by WRAP on behalf of DEFRA and DECC, GWE’s plant will help the UK deliver an increase in the generation of renewable energy, a reduction in the waste sent to landfill and a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
They explain that their new biogas methane plant will help businesses meet their obligations, because whilst many businesses know that they need to play a part in cutting greenhouse gases, taking action to is not always a simple matter.
However, when the new Sandhill anaerobic digestion facility near Driffield comes online later this year, businesses and organisations who separately collect food waste will be able to make a difference by simply choosing to send their waste to GWE Biogas.
By converting food waste into a stream of biogas, that can then be used to generate either renewable electricity or be used directly as a renewable fuel, GWE Biogas can guarantee customers that they are maximising environmental benefit and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by the maximum amount possible.
In addition, this will often be for less than it costs to send waste to landfill.
Whilst composting processes stop the direct emission of harmful landfill gas to the atmosphere, formed by the decomposition of food waste and other organic materials, this is where the benefit stops.
The anaerobic digestion of food waste has the added value step of producing renewable energy that can displace energy produced from fossil sources.
Each kilowatt hour of grid based electricity produced results in around 500 grams of carbon dioxide emissions and so each kilowatt hour of electricity produced by the
anaerobic digestion process saves 500 grams of carbon emissions.
Visit GWE Biogas at their web site www.gwebiogas.co.uk .
Author : Steve Last
With an ever growing list of subscribers to this blog it is a continuing challenge to provide basic information on the development of biogas production for our latest subscribers.
That is why today I bring you a link to a web site page written by Dr Michael Gell, which in my view, although put up about a year ago, still provides a pretty fair picture of AD technology and market developments plus opportunities.
Here's the introduction to the article, and if you want more, the link is at the bottom of this post:
Supermarkets are trialling anaerobic digestion as a way to generate energy and minimise their waste, and soon the biological process could have a far wider reaching application
With a spate of announcements on anaerobic digestion (AD) – from supermarkets using the biological process to handle their organic waste to the building of a national AD biogas network - something seems to be exercising decision makers. Are those bacteria that digest food waste at last going to be harnessed to their full potential? Dr Michael Gell examines the potential for AD to kick-start the building of an integrated biowaste infrastructure and to become one of the star technologies feeding energy into a renewables supergrid.
Topics discussed are:
What is Anaerobic Digestion?
How does AD work?
AD as a production process
How widely is AD being used?
Recognising the potential for AD
Turning waste into useful products
What are the environmental benefits of AD?
Economic opportunities with AD
What is driving the surge in interest in AD?
Who are the key stakeholders for a national AD infrastructure?
Carbon footprints in the food waste chain
What are the supermarkets doing?
Is AD commercially feasible?
What are the prospects for a renewable gas network?
What innovations might we expect with AD technology?
Go to ClimateChangeCorp.com's AD Page.
Author : Steve Last
|
|
|
GLOBAL WARMING PROFIT SECRETS
REVEALED
How the
Top People in Global Warming Are Quietly Making $100,000 to $48 Million a Year” (And How You Can
Do The Same – Or Maybe Even Better!)
Let me take you on an exciting guided
tour of what’s working – and not working – in the Global Warming Carbon Credit Market today.
I’ll manoeuvre you around the pitfalls… and there are lots of them! And we’ll journey through
some of the most inspiring, dynamic, real opportunities available
right now.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE
INFORMATION.
|
|
|
|
