Technology could transform bins into power generators

Developed by Southampton-based SEaB Energy, the ‘MuckBuster’ relies on conventional anaerobic digestion technology to turn food, manure and septic waste into a useful biogas (methane) that is collected and stored in a low-pressure gasbag.

Sandra Sassow, chief executive officer of SEaB Energy, told The Engineer: ‘A CHP unit is used to convert the biogas (methane) to electricity and heat. We also recycle the fluids, use heat exchangers and dewater the digestate to produce liquid fertiliser and mulch.’

SEaB Energy believes that by fitting conventional anaerobic digestion technology and a gas collector into a 40ft shipping container, the £95,000 MuckBuster will become more appealing for use on a commercial scale. Customers are being told that they can recuperate the initial costs in two to five years, depending on the quality of the feedstock.

The MuckBuster has been designed to handle between 0.5 tonnes to 2.5 tonnes of waste.

‘The units can be spread across a larger site to increase the capacity, allowing for the installation of multiple units,’ said Sassow. ‘So, for example, a greenhouse grower could site one at the end of each group of polytunnels, use the green waste to produce energy, feed the waste CO₂ into the polytunnels for the plants, and use the fertiliser and mulch for feeding the plants.’