UK has 'huge' appetite for anaerobic digestion
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London – The UK government has announced that it is drawing up an action plan to deliver a “huge increase” in anaerobic digestion (AD) projects, and is inviting input from stakeholders on how this can be done in a cost-effective way.
AD is a process for turning food, farm and other organic waste into energy and fuel. The UK produces about 100 million tonnes of this waste each year which could instead generate up to 7% of the renewable energy required in the UK by 2020.
Biomass waste such as animal manure, sewage sludge and waste food can be digested in the absence of oxygen to produce a methane-rich biogas which can be used to generate heat and power for industry and homes, or to provide a transport fuel. The biogas can be upgraded to biomethane which is potentially suitable for injection into the National Gas Grid.
AD can be carried out in a small scale system, for example located on a farm, or at a business producing large volumes of food waste. Alternatively it can be carried out in large centralised systems, for example at sewage treatment works, or to treat municipal food waste, or manures and slurries from several farms.
There are currently around 37 anaerobic digestion plants in the UK using food and farm waste, with around 60 planned or under construction. A further 220 water treatment plants have anaerobic digestion facilities for sewage.
Readers' comments (1)
Dr. Smarajit Roy | 20 Jul 2010 10:00 pm
“I am promoting biofuel from domestic waste in this country and biofuel from sewage in developing countries. Technology exists and is affordable, sustainable with economical and environmental benefits. I want to work in developing countries but as charity begins at home, I want a pilot project to start within a local borough in London, to further reducing the carbon footprint of transport to landfill. Process designers have assured me that it is possible, even in inner London boroughs.
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