Anaerobic Digestion Investment - Uncertain About Investing on the Money Markets? Then Consider AD

There is plenty of bullish news from Anaerobic Digestion plant contractors at the moment, despite the money markets sinking due to a lack of confidence in the business exchanges over the past fortnight in the world economy. 

With gold prices tumbling this week, it is tempting to suggest that investing in Anaerobic Digestion facilities does at least provide an investment which can, and will normally do very well throughout recessionary periods. It is clear that waste will continue to be created whether or not the economy is growing, and energy demands have not been adversely affected either.

So, we have a lot of sympathy with the following piece:

No time like the present to invest in Anaerobic Digestion

Journalism.co.uk (press release)

"Farmers are being urged to increase revenues from Anaerobic Digestion (AD) sooner rather than later. The calls come from AD specialist EnviTec Biogas, which plans, builds and services farm-scale AD plants across the UK. Mike McLaughlin, managing ...Journalism.co.uk (press release)"
http://www.journalism.co.uk/press-releases/no-time-like-the-present-to-invest-in-anaerobic-digestion/s66/a552676/

Other recent news shows that as we start the traditional period each year when new construction starts are at their highest, seeking to make use of better spring and summer weather, a number of new AD Plant projects are getting underway:

Anaerobic digestion plant reduces farm waste sent to landfills ...

(author unknown)

"(Boston Globe) At Jordan Dairy Farms in Rutland, an anaerobic digestion plant, which runs on ...www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hobtL5Rf-w"
http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3D7hobtL5Rf-w

Place your opening curation after this and then delete this text:

Plans submitted for waste recycling plant in Walton

Your Local Guardian

"The applicants want to create a modern recycling and recovery park, which will include an autoclave and anaerobic digestion (AD) facility, a materials recycling facility, an open construction and demolition waste recycling area, skip hire and workshop ..."
http://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/local/elmbridgenews/10353070.Plans_submitted_for_waste_recycling_plant_in_Walton/

Want more AD Info? The visit www.anaerobic-digestion.com 

Carbon Capture and Storage - Is This The Last Chance Before Runaway Climate Change Becomes Unavoidable?

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is the only technology proposed at present that could enable emissions mitigation with continued use of fossil fuels, so why is it taking so long for it to be developed?

Man generated energy-related CO2 emissions are higher than ever and further emissions increase seems inevitable. The rapid application of carbon capture and storage is a much heralded means to tackle emissions from both existing and future sources. In the minds of many it has been seen as a possible escape route for planet earth, allowing us additional time to move to renewable energy sources while the remaining usable fossil energy reserve is consumed.

However, despite extensive and successful research and development, progress in deploying carbon capture and storage has stalled. No fossil-fuel power plants, the greatest source of CO2 emissions, are using carbon capture and storage, and publicly supported demonstration programmes are struggling to deliver actual projects. Yet, carbon capture and storage remains a core component of national and global emissions-reduction scenarios.

Governments really need to be either increasing their commitment to carbon capture and storage (CCS) through much more active market support and emissions regulation, or come clean to their citizens about accepting its failure.  If governments are giving up on carbon capture and storage they will have to recognize that continued expansion of power generation from burning fossil fuels is a severe threat to attaining objectives in mitigating climate change. At the same time they should be refocusing their efforts and that means redoubling their work to subsidize and maximize renewable energy production in areas such as anaerobic digestion.

For example, the International Energy Agency (IEA) Blue Map scenario envisages a 19% CO2 reductions contribution from carbon capture and storage by 2050. This suggests a need for the construction of hundreds of CCS operations worldwide in the 2020s, rising to thousands in the 2030s and beyond, to capture, transport and store over 8 Gt of CO2 per year by 2050.

To give you an idea of the scale of this endeavour let us just say that this is double the mass of current global annual oil consumption. So far, the viability of carbon capture and storage  to deliver on anything approaching this scale remains unproven. That is where investment by governments worldwide is essential to provide confirmation or otherwise of the viability of  carbon capture and storage.

To put it starkly: Public funding is essential to develop an informed climate mitigation strategy and to have any hope of limiting atmospheric CO2 levels to 450 ppm.

Decisions need to be made quickly on carbon capture and storage  provisions as the generating capacity with which it needs to be integrated will be being built over the next few years.

CCS is not perfect, but is technically feasible with existing technologies. Current capture processes can remove 85-95% of the CO2 contained in the waste gases produced by a power plant or industrial process. The capture, transport and storage processes all require energy, so more fuel needs to be extracted, transported and burnt to produce the same sale-able output of electricity or product'.

Renewable energy sources are being developed, and our readers will be very familiar with the success of the anaerobic digestion process in recent years in increasing their particular type of renewable energy. However, no alternative yet exists for mitigating emissions from the continued use of fossil fuels for electricity generation, or from high-CO2-emitting industry, for example, steel, cement and fertilizer production.

There has never been a time like this, when the decisions of politicians living today will decide the fate of future generations for thousands of years, if indeed civilization survives unabated climate change.

For now, the question remains open. Carbon capture and storage is in all likelihood technically deliverable, but will it be delivered before it is too late?

For more information see Nature Climate Change, University of Edinburgh - Feb 2013, Vol 3 No 2.


References:
World Energy Outlook 2011 (IEA, 2011); available at
http://www.worldenergyoutlook.org
Technology Roadmap: Carbon Capture and Storage (IEA, 2009).
Statistical Review of World Energy 2011 (BP.2011).
Calvin, K. et al. 2.6: Limiting climate change to 450 ppm CO> equivalent in the
21st century. Energy Econ. 31(Supplement 2), S107-S120 (2009).
IPCC Special Report on Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage (Cambridge Univ.
Press, 2005).
The Costs of CO, Capture, Transport and Storage (ZEP, 2011).
Gibbins, [, et al. Retrofitting CO, Capture to Existing Power Plants
(IEAGHG, 2011).

Pump and Mixer Reliability is All About Buying Quality Says Landia

O.K. so as a process engineer I am biased, you might say. I don't have to pay high initial plant installation costs myself, and a lot of plants simply would not have been built at all if the owners had not been seeking to build them on the lowest conceivable budget.

But, talk to those in the UK anaerobic digestion industry with operating plants and within a short time you will know that pump and mixer reliability is a big issue.

That's why I am delighted to publish here this press release from a supplier that is committed to quality, and is prepared to invest in external audit services to provide the rest of us with good evidence of their internal systems, to back up their claims.

PRESS RELEASE:

Pump and mixer quality counts says Landia with new 100% UVDB quality achievement Landia UK, the leading pump and mixer manufacturer, has achieved a 100% pass rate for quality in its latest UVDB VERIFY Approval.
According to Landia UK Director Hugh Vaughan, a maximum quality score in this independent audit by Achilles clearly makes a statement about the excellence of the company’s products, procedures and ethos.
“The UK’s biogas industry does get some flak about AD plants that aren’t working properly. Sometimes this is down to very poor ‘chuck in anything and everything’ feedstock choices, and it can also be down to using equipment that just isn’t fit for purpose”.
He added: “We hear plenty from the industry about wanting to improve biogas yields, but those citing poor performance are invariably the ones who’ve specified equipment such as pumps and mixers that aren’t of a good enough quality to work properly in an AD plant. There’s also plenty of kit out there that has been dressed up as supposedly suitable for the UK biogas industry, but simply isn’t capable – and/or doesn’t come with any proper maintenance or spares back up”.
In addition to its 100% UVDB VERIFY quality approval, Landia also achieved (for OnSite Assessment) 98% for Health & Safety and 93% for Environment.
Hugh Vaughan continued: “In addition to quality, health and safety should be paramount for AD owners and operators, so they need to look very closely at finding those in the supply chain who have the proper credentials. Not a difficult task. This would then in turn enhance the reputation of the industry for everybody’s benefit”.

Landia

01948 661 200

info@landia.co.uk

www.landia.co.uk

Waymills Industrial Estate

Whitchurch,

Shropshire

SY 13 1TT

Verder Chemical Dosing in the Spotlight

Verder Chemical Dosing in the Spotlight

In this article Philip Brown, Project Manager for pumping solutions at Verder UK, explains the chemical dosing process, and how dosing techniques are commonly applied by Verder to the popular chemical dosing functions of pH buffering and phosphate removal.

Chemical Dosing

Chemical dosing is the controlled delivery of a chemical into contaminated water, sewage or sludge–like fluid, usually as a pre-processing method. It is frequently used during sewage treatment, and as part of the anaerobic digestion process for making energy from waste. Chemical dosing is also used when treating industrial effluents to remove contaminants, before it can be returned to a natural watercourse.

The Dosing Process

A set of chemical dosing equipment mounted on a "skid" (a relocatable metal frame) is the most effective way build a chemical dosing system to dispense chemicals. Most skid mounted assemblies use at least two peristaltic or reciprocating dosing pumps. These are attached to pipe manifolds and the whole unit is usually protected within a cabinet. 

In such arrangements one pump acts as a duty standby component to ensure the dosing process is uninterrupted in the event that a wearable component fails, and the system needs to be serviced. 

Normally, chemical dosing systems are set up with pumps and valves to accurately and automatically control the dosing process to inject a chemical into a pipe or vessel at a predetermined rate.

pH Buffering

Chemicals such as sodium hydroxide or lime are dosed in conjunction with pH measurement - a process known as pH buffering to ensure that the process runs in the optimum pH range for the reactions of the chemical process to take place. 

For sewage works systems the amount of buffering will vary according to the time of day; for example at a high rate in the morning when people use the toilet or bathroom, at a lower flow rate during the day, and back at a high  dosing rate in the evening when they finish work. As a result, dosing pumps need to increase the amount delivered at these peak demand times and reduce it during the hours of sleep, producing a diurnal, cyclical flow. 

Removing Phosphates Using a Unique Product Developed by Naiad Aquatic Water Services

Introduction of an iron-based chemical solution like ferrous or ferric sulphate or chloride can very effectively remove phosphates which are pricipitated out during a settlement stage. Alternatively ferrous sulphate can take the form of copperas crystal, a by-product of the pigment industry, which can be mixed in a tank with water in a unique patented process available from Verder, and provided in conjunction with Naiad Aquatic Water Services. 

Working in an exclusive collaboration with Verder UK, Naiad Aquatic Water Services, has developed a range of chemical dosing systems including the Naiad Copperas Saturator. 

The latter was developed in partnership with Thames Water’s R&D section to provide a cost-effective alternative to liquid dosing. Naiad chemical dosing systems incorporate feed-back and load profile control options, and enable process optimisation for phosphate removal and septicity control. When used to dose chemicals into sewage for phosphate removal, Verder's equipment ensures that phosphate residuals in the final effluent consistently meet targets, and odours are minimised. 

Verder takes pride in delivering pumping solutions that are designed around the needs of the customer, not off-the-shelf packages which are made-to-fit all, but which seldom fit any site's needs perfectly. Verder points out that their customer feedback regularly shows that the quality and robust nature of the company's end-product is superior to their competitors off-the-shelf solutions.

Verder has found by experience that the best outcomes come from their practice of involvement with engineers face-to-face, and by setting-up meetings to discuss their client's requirements in detail. Whether the setting is a boardroom, or on-site in "boiler suits", they place a high priority to always providing a professional service built upon courtesy and respect between contractor and customer. 

Philip Brown points out that ultimately, it all boils down to Verder's passion for saving water utilities as much money as possible, while at the same time always providing them with the most reliable and robust equipment.

Visit Verder's website for more information at http://www.verder.co.uk

Author: Verder

Email: info@verder.co.uk

Phone Number: +44(0)1924 221 001

UK Biogas Plants Exceed 100 And Hit Trouble

The good news is that that magic number of 100 anaerobic digestion plants in the UK has now been exceeded. In fact, if you visit the AD Info "Official Anaerobic Digestion" website, you will find that their list of 100 does not include a number of categories of AD Plant, such as Water Company sewage sludge fed plants. That means that the true number is probably more like 125 already, plus even within their categories we know of several unlisted digesters. Even so, the UK is still a long way behind Germany and other EU states, so we maybe should not be proclaiming this achievement at all? On balance I think the UK is right to give itself a small pat on the back. But, let's not forget that Germany has two to three thousand AD Plants in operation. Yes. That is thousands! And yet, the proportion of UK plants that are organic waste fed, as opposed to energy crop, is vastly higher than in Germany, and that in itself is arguably far better. It is better for the environment and the avoidance of potentially reducing food production and raising food prices. So, the UK AD industry is correspondingly much "greener". The following is the press release that prompted this article:

Anaerobic digestion plants hit the 100 mark...

(author unknown)

"The number of anaerobic digestion (AD) plants in the UK – excluding waste water plants - has passed the 100 mark.www.mrw.co.uk/news/...plants.../8643427.article?..." http://www.mrw.co.uk/news/anaerobic-digestion-plants-hit-the-100-mark/8643427.article%3Fblocktitle%3DLatest-news---recycling-and-waste-management%26contentID%3D2182

But, unfortunately, as the UK biogas industry is expanding it is also beginning to hit trouble with odours and pollution. The Poplars Landfill Anaerobic Digestion Plant was last week in the News for continued odour complaints from local residents. Hopefully, that will be a thing of the past , after the plant operator brings in new measures to combat those odours this month. Watercourse pollution is the "trouble" which one AD Plant oprator has been "hit" by. Yet, one wonders whether the method being used for pumping the digestate at the time was wise, given the risk from pollution. The following is an extract from the article, to which we refer:

Somerset company fined for polluting stream with waste from anaerobic digester... 

Waste Management World

"The pipe had broken free while digestate was being pumped from the anaerobic digestion plant. The pollution flowed into a trench and eventually into a stream which flows into the River Parrett. Approximately 60 tonnes of liquid digestate was lost ..." http://www.waste-management-world.com/news/2013/02/21/somerset-company-fined-for-polluting-stream-with-waste-from-anaerobic-digestion-plant.html

The River Parrett is slow flowing through the Somerset levels so the potential damage to river ecology is large.

What Every Biogas Plant Engineer Should Know About Contracts

O.K.! In our headline we have to admit that we changed the title to add in "Biogas Plant Engineer", and the course we are recommending here is a general training course, aimed at all engineers. However, the IChemE Forms of Contract are particularly useful for those like Biogas Plant Engineers and Managers, who need a form of contract which is designed for a process plant.

The ICE offers similar courses, but for biogas plant contracts they are generally not nearly as good, because they are all about getting a structure built, and nothing much beyond that.

Biogas Plants (Anaerobic Digestion Plants) are above all process plants. Process Plants are different. A bridge is finished and providing value as soon as the red-tape is cut on opening day, and the road over it, is opened. 

A process plant is different. To have a process plant built and sitting there is no good to anyone. A process plant like a leachate treatment plant, has to be commissioned, and working to produce the treated effluent to the quality specified by the discharge consent.

There are IChemE Forms of Contract for process plant contracts which suit every type of financing as well, so attending this course is really important for those in the leachate treatment industry, and if you are active in this area, we recommend attendance.

The details of the course follow:

The "What Every Engineer Should Know About Contracts" course will provide you with a
detailed understanding of contract law as it relates to engineering and construction contracts. It is taking place twice in the UK this year: 1-2 May in Rugby and 15-16 October in London.

Suitable for engineers of all disciplines, the course examines the law of contract and of tort within which engineering and construction contracts are made and operate.

It also looks at:

• the structure and essential contents of these contracts risk allocation and its links with payments
• the role of the contract administrator why the various standard forms of contract say what they say 

It is ideal for managers involved with contracts, particularly those who have moved into a procurement, project or contract management role, as well as engineers who are developing their skills across the range of business activities.

Click here for full course details and to register

Download the course brochure

You may also be interested in: 

IChemE Forms of Contract

12-13 June 2013, Redcar, UK
19-20 June 2013, London, UK

Helping those who will prepare, tender or manage a contract using the IChemE forms to understand their structure, main provisions and features, and the key differences between them. Fully updated to cover the new 2013 suite of UK contracts. Find out more here.

Please note that this is not a sponsored recommendation. We make no money from the course promoter if you attend.

Landia's Biochop Hygienisation Unit Targets Low Risk Anaerobic Digestion Plant System Market

The New Landia Biochop Hygienisation Unit will be a useful addition to the biogas equipment market as it is aimed at the majority of anaerobic digestion plants which accept Animal By-Product wastes and only process the low risk category 3 type waste materials, which are defined as:

Animal By-Products Regulations Category 3

• Catering waste from households, restaurants
• Former food
• Much slaughter house waste e.g. waste blood & feathers.

These are waste feedstocks which can generally be used in composting and biogas plants without pretreatment as stated by Wikipedia. So, the BioChop Hygienisation Unit is great news enabling AD Plant operators to utilize Category 3 animal by-products as part of their feedstock.

The Biochop Hygienisation Unit

According to the recent Landia Press Release:

"Landia’s new free-standing BioChop Hygienisation Unit mixes and heat treats Category 3 animal by-products so that the resulting thin substance can be used as an energy-efficient substrate in biogas plants.

Organic remnants that are reduced in size by the Biochop are liquefied, heat-treated and pumped back out as a valuable raw material in closed pipes by one highly efficient process to an AD storage tank or tanker for transportation to a biogas plant.

In addition to significant cost savings on labour, transport and disposal. Landia’s Biochop minimises foul odours and prevents pests from entering residual products.

Suitable for AD operators, especially in enabling them to utilise Category 3 animal by-products as part of their feedstock, BioChop can also be bring benefits when installed for the poultry, fish, fruit and vegetable processing industries."

The BioChop Hygienisation Unit is described in the online (pdf) leaflet here.

Landia
01948 661 200
info@landia.co.uk
www.LandiaWorld.com

Börger’s New Rotorrake Chopper is Designed to Deliver Brutal Grinding Power to Biogas Plant Applications

The use of macerators in the anaerobic digestion and biogas industry has the potential to raise yields from many feedstocks, and by chopping up the larger lumps and particles in a digester, will certainly allow better mixing with a lowering of the viscosity of the mixture in the reactor. It may also help to cure pipe blockage problems in systems where these have proved to be troublesome. 

Buying the right knife action macerator for a biogas plant application can be a highly cost effective purchase, especially when there are benefits in the three areas of:


Higher biogas yield per unit volume of feed due to the methanogenic organisms being able to work on a larger surface area of the particles after being chopped up 
Better mixing of a more homogeneous reactor contents
Reduced potential for pipe blockage.

Leaders in this field in the UK are Landia, and now Börger with its new specialized biogas product.

Börger manufactures the Rotorrake chopper/ macerator in Europe specifically for biogas plants. The Rotorrake is a robust, single-shaft coarse chopper.

In common with competitor products, these macerators are easy and economical to install into most operating biogas tanks, without major disruption to the process and/ or the contents. 

Börger's many years’ of experience in the European market has resulted in a precision engineered system utilizing heavy duty components for trouble free service. 

Börger has longstanding experience in the grinding of solids in the most varied of applications.

Börger’s new Rotorrake builds on that experience and has been designed for simple yet highly effective size reduction of coarse solids in AD plants, where reversible knife rotation against fixed counter rotating knives bring about the Rotorrake’s course macerating effect for chopping and grinding tough solids such as manure and crop feedstock.

Börger reports that they are easy to service with their "Maintenance in Place (MIP)" capability that includes a quick-release cover and single screw cover removal for access. The Rotorrake is also modular and has a small footprint.

Stated to be "blockage-free in operation", Rotorrake achieves its highly effective size reduction of solids with a throughput of up to 800m3/m (3,500 usgpm), with centrifugal forces aiding the collection of any stones or debris that drop into its large stone trap, which can then be easily emptied via a front cover.

If you are a biogas plant operator and you think that you plant may benefit from a chopper system, you can contact Börger Pumps, at the address below:


Börger Pumps
01902 798977
Email uk@boerger.com
Web www.boerger.com

Anaerobic Digestion Gets PR Bonus from UK Meat Scandal Plus Permits Streamlined

You may well be amused to hear that the Anaerobic Digestion process, which has rightly been getting an increasingly favourable press recently worldwide, is now also picking up a PR publicity bonus from the UK meat scandal. Read the details in our first link below from the UK's Guardian Newspaper.

However, the anaerobic digestion industry is much more quietly taking on another role, which in the long-term will be much more important, which arises from the ability of AD Plants with suitable pasteurizing equipment, and suitably permitted to accept potentially infectious wastes is likely to increasingly take on the role of disposal route as the disposal method of choice for the carcasses of fallen animals.

Horsemeat scandal: discarded burgers to be converted into fuel

The Guardian

""The products withdrawn from stores will be sent to anaerobic digestion plants," the spokeswoman said. "This is the most efficient method of generating energy from waste, and part of our broader 'zero food waste to landfill' strategy. We are the UK's ...The Guardian"
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jan/17/horsemeat-scandal-burgers-converted-fuel

In many ways, the quiet adoption of the AD process for fallen stock disposal on-farm rather than incineration or another dispoal method, after haulage to a suitable facility, would most likely have larger long-term benefits, as described in the following article:

Anaerobic digestion could be solution for fallen stock | Features ...

(author unknown)

"RESEARCHERS at Harper Adams University have been awarded more than £150,000 to investigate how anaerobic digestion (AD) can be used as an on-farm ...www.farmersguardian.com/home/...could.../52777.article"
http://www.farmersguardian.com/home/renewables/anaerobic-digestion-could-be-solution-for-fallen-stock/52777.article

And, if that was not enough good news for biogas in the UK, the EA seems to be about to make the often criticized anaerobic digestion plant permitting system just a little bit easier to comply with:

Permit for Anaerobic Digestion Plants Published

(author unknown)

"UK - New streamlined environmental permitting regulations for anaerobic digestion plants could be 'timely boost' for industry, says NNFCC.www.thebioenergysite.com/.../permit-for-anaerobic-digestion-..."
http://www.thebioenergysite.com/news/12254/permit-for-anaerobic-digestion-plants-published

So, this must surely be a good month for the AD industry in the UK.

Tell us whether you think this help with permitting will really assist you.

Dry Anaerobic Digestion Technology is the Buzz Word Now in the US

So called "Dry Anaerobic Digestion" is the latest buzzword this week for MSW AD plants in the US. While I was researching this post I found at least 6 recent articles, each giving a different angle on the New Monterey, California Anaerobic Digestion Plant. I have included some of those dry anaerobic digestion technology links below for your reference.

California's first dry anaerocbic digestion facility to open next month

Waste & Recycling News

"The Monterey (Calif.) Regional Waste Management District's new waste conversion facility is set to go online in mid-February, the first in the state -- and second in the nation -- to use dry anaerobic digestion technology, The Monterey County Herald ..."
http://www.wasterecyclingnews.com/article/20130125/NEWS02/130129941/californias-first-dry-anaerobic-digestion-facility-to-open-next-month

Here is another article on this subject:

Anaerobic Digestion Operation Opens in California | Food Waste ...

"The Monterey (California) Regional Waste Management District and San Jose- based Zero Waste Energy LLC have opened an anaerobic digestion operation in ...waste360.com/.../anaerobic-digestion-operation-opens-californ..."
http://waste360.com/food-waste/anaerobic-digestion-operation-opens-california

In this article we learn about the company "Zero Waste Energy" which has been involved in this technological first for California:

MRWMD, Zero Waste Energy Introduce Dry Anaerobic Digester for Processing ...

AZoCleantech

"The Monterey Regional Waste Management District (MRWMD) and Zero Waste Energy, LLC (ZWE) held an open house today introducing the country's first dry anaerobic digester (AD) utilizing the SMARTFERM technology for use in processing organic waste ..."
http://www.azocleantech.com/news.aspx%3FnewsID%3D17899

And, if you live in the US, you can even apply for the Plant Manager job!

Plant Manager - Anaerobic Digestion (22551134) - reed.co.uk

(author unknown)

"View all details on this Plant Manager - Anaerobic Digestion vacancy on reed.co. uk, the UK's #1 job site. You can also search for all similar roles now.www.reed.co.uk/jobs/plant-manager-anaerobic.../22551134"
http://www.reed.co.uk/jobs/plant-manager-anaerobic-digestion/22551134

What is dry anaerobic digestion technology?

The "dry anaerobic digestion" process has been in use in Germany for at least 10 years, where the Linde company were one of the first to adopt this process. unfortunately, we have found that this product is no longer on the market in recent years though.
In Europe dry anaerobic digestion processes are far from being "dry", however, they are less "wet" than their counterpart "wet anaerobic digestion processes. The lowest moisture content dry AD processes can look very like an in-vessel composting plant with heaps of organic material being placed in the digestor tunnels by wheeled plant and conveyors on a batch process basis. At the other end of the water-content spectrum, these processes may be simply higher solids biogas digester systems than the standard digester.
An example of a dry anaerobic digestion system is the Dranco system described in the link above.

The advantages of dry anaerobic digestion can be:

• Reduced reactor volume
• Reduced digestate (this can be an advantage for municipal waste when digestate liquids may be of low cash value due to the fact that the digestate liquids may be unsuitable for crop fertilizer use.

If there are other advantages than these that you know of please add by commenting.

UK Energy from Waste - Don't Get Hurt By The Waste Hierarchy

Take care energy from waste people - Don't let the Waste Hierarchy Bite!

The topic today is the UK Waste Regs. and how important it is when planning a UK energy from waste project, not to "fall and get hurt by" the Waste Hierarchy!

Generating energy from waste, including anaerobic digestion - Gov.uk

(author unknown)

"Overview; Conventional technologies; Advanced conversion technologies; Environmental controls; Obstacles to energy from waste; Anaerobic digestion strategy ...https://www.gov.uk/generating-energy-from-waste-including-..." https://www.gov.uk/generating-energy-from-waste-including-anaerobic-digestion

The link above will take you to a new page which is a great starting point for anyone looking for an official page setting out the current requirements for compliance of new AD plants (and also feedstock changes to existing energy from waste facilities), with UK regulations and we recommend that those starting out to plan an AD Plant/ Biogas Plant in the UK will find this new page very useful.

It starts by explaining the current UK obligation for all energy from waste projects, which exists under the revised EU Waste Framework Directive to apply the waste hierarchy, before deciding on suitable EfW/ AD Plant feedstocks. Take care to consider this as it ranks waste management options in order of environmental preference.

The important point here is that you will need to be able to show that you have complied with the first priority of waste reduction, when you submit for a permit for any waste to energy project.

They point out that:

"Recovering energy from waste is only appropriate for waste that cannot be prevented, reused or recycled with less greenhouse gas emitted.

Energy recovery can be a sustainable option for waste that would otherwise go to landfill and create landfill methane emissions."

From which all AD and biogas plant project planners must realize that they mean that you will have to be able to show that suitable actions have already been taken to follow the heirarchy, and that is usually BEFORE it arrives as your feedstock. In most cases this will not be difficult, and the main action will usually be to obtain evidence that your feedstock source organisation has applied the waste hierarchy before the waste arrives at your energy from waste plant.

Nevertheless, this is an important step in obtaining UK permits, and it is easily missed.

Biogas Technology is the New Free Android App for Smartphone Users

Download Our App for Android Smartphone Users!

Smartphone users are invited to try out our new Android App about Biogas Technology, Articles News and Developments here. It's free to download and use, and it is for all those in the Anaerobic Digestion and Biogas Industry, students and any other interested users, who prefer to get their information from their mobile device.

We already provide a mobile AD website here, and growth in smartphone use has been such that we have seen a doubling of visitor numbers to that site over the past 12 months, but we think that people prefer the convenience of an installed application on their phones, so we built this app.

The app that we have been busy compiling this last few weeks (did you notice how quiet this blog has been?), has been built to compile a number of unrestricted-copyright social-networking sources for the users of the app. It uses a form of content curation which, if a sufficient number of users download and use the app, can be extended and enhanced.

The current app version has tabs for the following:

• Biogas News from Google's News service at www.news.google.com
• Our Facebook News Feed about anaerobic digestion
• A selection of the most Popular YouTube videos on the subject of anaerobic digestion and biogas
• Our Twitter Feed (@anaerobicnews) also on the subject of anaerobic digestion
• An Events Page which is not very useful currently (one of you has already commented on that. Thank you!) but which we have been trying to "localize" (not very successfully) , and which we hope to be able to improve in the near future
• An images tab (more of a gimmick than really useful?).

The general idea has been to pull together social networking technology to provide a truly useful app. To what extent that has been achieved I am not sure, so your feedback is very welcome.

The rate in which the use of smartphone apps is increasing is very rapid indeed. At present there don't appear to be any more than about half a dozen biogas apps available on the largest Android platform at Google Play, but my view is that this will change rapidly over the next few years as professionals begin to tap into this trend.

The more web savvy of you will no doubt also be aware that those that invite me to follow them on Twitter will be able to participate when their Tweets appear in this app, and anyone (business or individual) who wants me to follow them is welcome to contact me, and I will follow back all requests which show a biogas and AD related interest.

The same goes for those that post updates on my Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/anaerobicdigestion  . If you know of other suitable Facebook and Twitter accounts/ pages updated regularly with relevant news which can be added to this app, let me know via the comment box below, or do message me on Facebook.

If any of you have RSS Feeds set-up already in your websites or blogs, relevant to the app and would like them also to be streamed into the app in future versions, let me know.

Due to the additional cost and complexity of producing an iPhone and iPad version of this app we have not produced an Apple iOS version, although we will do so if there is sufficient interest shown. If the investment can be found there would then be two parallel versions of the app developed and updated together. A small charge would potentially need to be made for the iOS app version.

There is a small amount of advertising within the app currently, and it is hoped that ad revenue will be sufficient for the app to remain free for the current app and for any iOS version. So far, add revenue has been disappointingly low...

We hope that a significant number of you share our enthusiasm for developing a really useful app for all to use in the anaerobic digestion and biogas industry, and try out this app.

Is UK Biogas Plant Development Matching Growth Expectations?

Now that we are approaching the end of 2012 we thought it would be interesting to briefly analyse the progress in anaerobic digestion in the UK (UK biogas plant growth) since the summer by reminding ourselves of what was said at the Anaerobic Digestion & Biogas Association (ADBA) in June, and how the AD industry has been progressing during the 6 months since.

In June Lord Redesdale, who chairs the Anaerobic Digestion & Biogas Association (ADBA), said that the anaerobic digestion and biogas market could witness an:

"incredible" eightfold increase in renewable energy generation by 2020."

This was provided that the UK government provided the right support (and this is still debatable given that support rate on some incentives are still in consultation), the potential for a growth explosion, was huge.

It is also worth repeating that, at that time Lord Redesdale also made the point that:

"It is incredible that with only 78 plants built outside of the water industry, the UK AD industry is already delivering over four times more electricity than solar PV." 

AND, we have not seen anywhere that the solar PV industry has refuted this assertion.

UK Biogas Plant Growth - the Continuing Expansion

So, the AD market is potentially a big growth area, and we are now able to report that the another batch of treatment infrastructure projects is now well on its way to getting the green light for a large number of anaerobic digestion/ renewable energy plants across the UK.

The largest project to move forward this month seems to be Peel Environmental's £145m energy recovery centre for residual waste in South Clyde. We understand that he development has been granted planning permission by Glasgow City Council.

The facility will be designed to generate up to 20MW of electricity which will be exported to the grid, 55% of which will be renewable.

Just prior to that West Dunbartonshire Council issued consent for a recycling centre at Rothesay Dock, Clydebank. This site will have an anaerobic digestion (AD) Plant as part of a facility for sorting mixed recyclables.

In another development the organic waste treatment specialist contractor HotRot Organic Solutions projects has advanced plans to expand in the UK, through a new commercial partnership between itself and Bio Watt Engineering which will focus on modern composting technologies. Under the agreement HotRot will seek to extend its in-vessel composting operations throughout the UK and Eire.

But, HotRot is not just into composting, and is also working in collaboration with biogas developer agri.capital to develop 50MW of AD capacity in the UK.

There is yet more AD growth to report as Wyke Farms (said to be the UK's largest independent cheese producer and milk processor), is planning to build a digester near its farms in Bruton, Somerset.

Merry Christmas to all Anaerobic Digestion Blog Visitors

We send our Seasons Greetings to all that visit our website, and we hope that you find our Christmas card amusing.

We also hope that you have enjoyed our articles in 2012, in our seventh year of posting, and thank you for being subscribers and visitors.

You can visit our main AD website here or take a look at our AD resources with free downloadable resources for use by AD industry professionals.

If you are looking to experiment with your own small biogas plant, we recommend the Firedigester eBook here.

IF YOU ARE NOT YET A SUBSCRIBER - WATCH THE PROFESSOR PUPPET VIDEO AND FILL IN THE FORM TO THE RIGHT!

2012 has been a great year for the biogas industry worldwide!

When the figures for the year 2012 are counted up we are sure that the year saw:

• more biogas plants operating than ever before pumping more energy into the world's homes and businesses than in all history
• more new biogas plants completed than ever before
• more shovels put into the ground to start building new AD plant starts than before
• more publicity, more politicians wanting to be credited for supporting AD plants, and more government subsidies paid, than ever before!

It has been a great year for the industry, and the technology looks like growing even faster next year, as indeed it needs to do, if the renewable energy output produced is going to meet the targets of the rising number of governments which have pledged to support this very sustainable and environmentally friendly technology.

Zero Waste Scotland Moves Forward

Zero Waste Scotland Moves Ahead with New Regulations, and Seeks Tenders for an Advisor

Zero Waste Scotland has truly embarked on the journey towards a more sustainable approach to waste and resources, and form now on Waste Management Practices in Scotland will diverge from those in England. Under the measures adopted so far by the UK government recycling rates have continued to rise, volumes of waste being sent to landfill have been declining, and as a society the Scottish population are increasingly aware of the environmental impact of their activities.

Zero waste does not mean that households and businesses will not produce waste, they will (although it will be much less than now). It means that close to no waste will be sent to landfill.

The Zero Waste Plan means building on past achievements and making ongoing progress. It has now become central in all strategic planning for waste policy in Scotland. What is more it is a popular policy with wide ranging grass root support. The Zero Waste Plan has been described by its originators as: "achieving the best overall outcomes for Scotland's environment, by making best practical use of the approach in the waste management hierarchy: waste prevention, reuse, recycling and recovery".

In effect, Scotland despite its small population, is leading the way within the UK, in setting a national plan for zero waste, and this brings them into the whole issue of zero waste, zero to landfill, and the zero waste economy - with a bang!

The targets to help them shift the focus up the waste hierarchy, were set-out in the Zero Waste Plan for Scotland, and in essence are:

• for 70 percent recycling and,
• only five percent to landfill by 2025 for all waste (which is very ambitious and will require changes which will be felt by every citizen and all businesses.

Zero Waste Scotland will need additional help from consultants to implement their strategy and they have (December 2012) published tender details for the appointment of just such in the TEDs European Tenders database.

To achieve such a large diversion away from landfill they will have to innovate a lot. So the ideas which will be developed range from:

• investment in plastics recycling to creating a nationwide network of volunteers to getting zero waste into the school curriculum;
• and from beefing up third sector re-use capacity, to helping councils deliver communications campaigns. 

Food waste collections coupled with the Anaerobic Digestion process is seen as a central platform for removing valuable organic content from the waste, as well.

The Driving Principles of Zero Waste Scotland

The idea is to create an "Accredited Re-use and Repair Network" nationally which will entail embedding a new level of professionalism, quality and customer focus throughout a large number of third sector re-use organisations, with the intention being making it a mainstream option for materials such as furniture, electrical goods, bikes, carpets and building materials.

A Zero Waste Zones scheme will be used to involve the public at communmity level. It is intended that this will inject a competitive element and provide a framework for; "communities, which will include schools, workplaces and other institutional settings as well as local neighbourhoods, to work towards a recognised standard and in the process change how resources are valued by others." (CIWM Magazine 2011.)

This will also require the involvement of all the important economic sectors like food and drink, hospitality and construction.

But this is unlikely to be enough without lots of innovation. They admit that they will need:

• new product design ideas, 
• better reprocessing technologies and 
• comprehensively improved and optimized collection systems.
• to make big strides in designing out the need for waste to be created in the first place.

Plus, progressively more restrictive landfill bans for certain materials; and it is considering a carbon metric to better reflect environmental impact (or value) than the current tonnage-based system.

Scotland won't be on its own though as the rest of the UK is set to follow the same path to zero waste. Caroline Spelman, the Defra Environment Minister, spoke at Futuresource of the Government working towards a "zero waste economy" and of a "new approach, to waste" which works for the new economy.

According to CIWM's Ben Murphy (CWIM Magazine August 2010), she wants to:

""Unpack" what we mean by zero waste and went on to explain the statement by defining what it isn't. It isn't a saintly society where no waste is produced, but it is one where all resources are fully valued, where consumers make deliberate decisions about waste prevention and in which we change behaviour to better reflect the top of the hierarchy."

Northern Ireland,is also aspiring to zero waste. As if he had been colluding with Spelman, he went on to mention maximizing the use of resources, a more sustainable and dynamic economy and behaviour change.

The Welsh Assembly Government launched its municipal sector plan "Towards Zero Waste" in June 2010,
making a clear statement on the subject. Full "zero waste" to landfill will not be met until 2050 and that, the assembly report tells us, will be achieved:

"...by more efficient use of resources and waste prevention, while building a sustainable environment and a more prosperous and fair society."

However, all this is complicated to explain to the public and there is a great deal of concern that as the process will take close to 30 years to complete it may be seen as failing, so it is important to stress the ideas contained in a report from ZeroWIN, an industrial network project funded by the EC, in which it condenses the essence of the zero waste mission, which all those involved should strive to keep in mind, as:

"...[recognition] that zero waste is a target to be strived for, not an absolute, and it is possible that landfill or incineration may ultimately be the best option for a very small number of wastes".

Help With Our Research on Biogas Plant Payback Periods

Please Help With Our Research on Biogas Plant Payback Periods. Are they more or less than 10 years? Read the article below, if you have time, but if not please do immediately follow the following Facebook link by clicking on the image below, and vote!

Experience with Simple Home and Community Biogas Plants in Nepal

Nepal is one of the lowest energy consuming countries in the world. More than 85 percent of its total energy comes from traditional biomass energy such as from forests, agricultural residues, and by-products from crops which lead to environmental degradation and ecological imbalance and adverse human health impacts too. Beside the carbon revenue, other quantifiable tangible benefits are also associated with the technology. The main objective of the study was to study the prospects of biogas installation in terms of the socio-economic and environmental benefits to the rural community of Nepal.

The field work was based on structured questionnaire and focus group discussion in Gaikhur VDC (154 biogas plants till June 2009, BSP) among representative Biogas and Non-Biogas Households. The primary data was used for calculation of GHG emission (IPCC guidelines), payback period and carbon abatement revenue. 

With the proper utilization of bio gas and treated solid and liquid bio manure the maximum payback period of Synod bioscience projects will be 24 to 36 months. 

http://www.synod.in/biogas-plant-faqs-tips.php

Biogas Plant Payback from the Waste Management World Magazine

Long-term contracts: A biogas plant typically has a payback period of 10 years – and financing to match – so feedstock contracts need to be long term. This is relatively simple with crops but harder when the feedstock is food waste. At present, contracts for supplying food waste typically last for a year or two, which doesn’t support the investment needed to get a biogas plant up and running.

http://www.waste-management-world.com/index/display/article-display/3933062913/articles/waste-management-world/volume-11/Issue-4/Features/Biogas-comes-of-age.html

The View from Electrigaz on Biogas Plant Payback Periods?

Biogas plants can take various shapes and forms.

A simple agricultural plant could cost as low as $3,500 per electrical kW installed. Municipal food waste plant can cost up to $19,000/kWe installed!

Every project is different. A typical payback on a biogas plant is 7 years.

http://www.electrigaz.com/faq_en.htm

Biogas Plant Payback Report from Envitec

10 tons of silage or 20 tons of manure daily. If you have less then 10 tons of raw material your payback period will be more then 2 years. Biogas plants are recommended for big and middle size companies. For such companies payback period is about 1-2 year or less. Middle size biogas plants are plants with 20-100 tons of daily biomass loading. There are no maximum size biogas plant limitations. Equipment is of modular type and can be built up if necessary.

From 5 to 6 months. Standard projects that are already operational available. While projecting only planning and adjustment are made. Equipment supplied as component assembly.

http://www.envitec-biogas.com/en/news-downloads/current-news/details/article/500kw-biogas-plant-unveiled-at-melrose-pigs.html

Biogas Plant Payback Periods in Report on Google pdf Site

BIOGAS PLANTS ON FAMILY FARMS

By 1983, 420 biogas plants, among which 378 full-scale plants and 42 pilot-scale plants, were treating agricultural wastes. Overall he total digestion working volume was 95,000 m3. Two hundred ninety one biogas plants were treating liquid or semi-solid wastes, mainly cattle and pig manure. Fourty five biogas plants were treating solid wastes, mainly immure with bedding. Seventy seven biogas plants were treating mixed agricultural wastes, mainly mixtures of manures.

Biogas plants on farm can be economical, but this is seldom the case. There are two major reasons for this; too high an investment cost or too low performances.

Among the 32 biogas plants for which enough data were available for a valuable economic analysis, only 6 were found profitable. Among these were 3 out the 5 Do-It-Yourself biogas plants. Their Simple Pay Back periods lie between 3 and 4 years and their Internal Rates of Return are higher than 30% which in turn is higher than the capital cost of 15%. Although they have a low daily biogas production, below 1m3 biogas per m3 of digester working volume, they are still profitable because their investment cost lies between 100 and 160 ECU per m3 digester working volume.

Three biogas plants, constructed on a turn-key basis by companies, among which one includes an electricity generator, are profitable with Simple Pay Back periods of 5 to 6 years and Internal Rates of Return higher than 15%.

http://books.google.com/books?id=_XiZxuEzTxMC&pg=PA161&lpg=PA161&dq=%22biogas+plant+payback?%22&source=bl&ots=TYOJVduo8O&sig=30gwu0xliyuPgtuPmgaEjkMIqP8&hl=en

Now click here to assist my research at my Facebook Anaerobic Digestion Fanpage.

Food Waste Anaerobic Digestion Plant Opens in Bristol UK

The South West of England leads again in Anaerobic Digestion! This week's press is alive with the news of a new AD Plant in Bristol, and so that our readers get the fullest possible picture, with the least effort, we have included quotations from three recent news items from different publishers for you to read. We say - why not make life as easy as possible!

The South West saw a pioneering on-farm anaerobic digestion plant at Holsworthy in Devon in the mid-2000's, and as far as I know that plant is running very successfully. It was one of the very first projects in teh current growth of the technology. Now, Bristol and the region, is clearly moving forward with food waste AD and joining the rising tally of UK food waste anaerobic digestion plants, in this welcome news.


To watch this video on the advantages of separate food waste collection for anaerobic digestion, on YouTube click here.

Bristol food waste plant launches

Insider Media

"Based at Bristol sewage treatment works in Avonmouth, the plant can produce ten GWh of energy a year from biogas generated through anaerobic digestion treatment. The plant was officially opened by Defra minister David Heath. He said: "We see here the ..."
http://www.insidermedia.com/insider/south-west/81217-bristol-food-waste-plant-launches/

As you can see, the government was keen to make its commitment to this plant clear by sending the minister to open the plant.

Bristol's first AD plant opens

Resource Magazine

"Today (3 December) saw the official opening of Bristol's first food waste anaerobic digestion (AD) plant. The plant was opened by Defra minister David Heath and is operated by Wessex Water subsidiary, GENeco. Based at Bristol's sewage treatment works ..."
http://www.resource.uk.com/article/UK/Bristol%25E2%2580%2599s_first_AD_plant_opens-2514

And, finally in the excerpt below we have the news from the angle of the Water Company which has made the investment.

Wessex Water launches food waste biogas plant

Electric Light & Power

"(SeeNews Renewables) - Dec 3, 2012 - British utility Wessex Water said Monday its recycling and renewable energy arm Geneco had put on stream a food waste anaerobic digestion (AD) plant in Bristol that will generate 10 GWh of power annually."
http://www.elp.com/news/2012/12/03/wessex-water-launches-food-waste-biogas-plant.html

The plant will be operated by Wessex subsidiary company GENeco, and a further press release is available at the ADBA web site here. The contractor for the construction of the plant was Monsal.

We were interested to read that Wessex Water already produces 30 GWh of renewable energy from sewage sludge using the anaerobic digestion process, at the Bristol sewage treatment works already. That is just about enough to run the sewage works already, so the new power output will supply local electricity demand.

The total amount of renewable energy now being generated by the AD Process certainly continues to rise at a pace!

A Disadvantage of Wind Farms May Be Direct Local Climate Warming

The wind industry in many countries has experienced a remarkably rapid expansion of capacity in the last few years, and this fast growth is expected to continue, and yet there is a disadvantage of wind farms not previously known. 

Governments in many countries are willing to subsidize the technology which is seen as low risk compared to many other renewable energy systems, and yet the renewable energy source already holds many disadvantages, when compared to say anaerobic digestion plants.

In the UK a large number of onshore and offshore wind turbine projects are now moving into the construction stage, with an unprecedented number of onshore wind farms having received planning consent over the last 12 months. Other nations are likely to be in a similar position within the current wind turbine technology and investment bubble.

With all that activity the casual observer would, we think it is fair to say, expect that the sustainability argument for wind turbines would have been well established with all aspects well studied. Investment on this scale is surely not being pumped into a technology which will in future years be found to have undiscovered disadvantages and not be as green as was expected - or is it?

The assumption that wind turbine technology is green has recently been brought into question in a study completed by Liming Zhou, Yuhong Tian, Somnath Baidya Roy, Chris Thorncroft, Lance F. Bosart and Yuanlong Hu, which is reported in the July 2012 edition of the Nature Climate Change Journal.

The researchers point out that while converting the wind's kinetic energy into electricity, wind turbines also modify surface-atmosphere exchanges and the transfer of energy, momentum, mass and moisture within the atmosphere.

They postulate that these changes, if they are present over large enough areas, may have potentially significant impacts on local to regional weather and climate, and they continue in their paper to provide observational evidence for such impacts based on the analysis of satellite data for the period of 2003-2011 over a region in west-central Texas.

They have chosen well, as this is where four of the world's largest wind farms are located. And, they say that their results show a significant warming trend of up to 0.72 degrees C per decade, particularly at night-time, over wind farms relative to nearby non-wind-farm regions. They go on to attribute this warming primarily to wind farms as its spatial pattern and magnitude couples very well with the geographic distribution of the wind turbines studied. So this may be a big disadvantage of wind farms.

The researchers go on to say that their study is not definitive and the data used only crudely represents the effects of wind turbines at this stage. However, 0.72 degrees C per decade sounds like a large rise to us, and large enough to raise a very significant question over the sustainability of wind farms for the local environment, and regional effects may also be present.  This could come to be seen as a big disadvantage of wind farms.

In our view, and in agreement with the authors, we believe that this study should wake up the scientific community to this concern, which is an important issue that requires further investigation. To quote the authors of this paper;

"We need to better understand the system with observations and better describe and model the complex processes involved to predict how wind farms may affect future weather and climate."

Beyond that, should not this sort of basic research to investigate this disadvantage of wind farms have been completed by modelling before, and not after, such a large investment goes ahead?

New UK Environment Minister Favours Anaerobic Digestion and Shale Gas

At this Blog we see this as being superb news for the Anaerobic Digestion business area, especially after views revealed here on this blog site recently, to the effect that the coalition government did not have enough resolve to fund the wonderful options readily available to the nation from a more subsidized push from the government, which would certainly appear to be mainly what is needed for the numbers of UK AD Plants to rise swiftly.

To read the full story on the new Environment Secretary's speech we recommend that you follow the following link:
Paterson pledges support for AD sector

letsrecycle.com

"Environment Secretary Owen Paterson today pledged his support for the anaerobic digestion industry in his first major speech since joining the government front bench. Addressing delegates at an environmental panel session at the Conservative Party ...letsrecycle.com"
http://www.letsrecycle.com/news/latest-news/compost/paterson-pledges-support-for-ad-sector

Others have also been commenting on the Paterson speech and recent UK government moves in renewable energy as follows:

Paterson warns of 'unintended consequences' of renewable energy

Farmers Guardian

"Paterson warns of 'unintended consequences' of renewable energy. 9 October 2012 | By Alistair Driver. DEFRA Secretary Owen Paterson has warned of the 'unintended consequences' of some forms of renewable energy, including anaerobic digestion."
http://www.farmersguardian.com/home/renewables/paterson-warns-of-unintended-consequences-of-renewable-energy/50369.article

No doubt there are political dangers in unintended consequences of AD technology, but surely the same can be said about all forms of government subsidy?

Now read this which includes comments about Paterson being keen on Shale Gas. Wow! What a reaction that will cause!

Paterson goes for gas: from anaerobic digestion and shale

Energy and Environmental Management (EAEM) Magazine

"Environment secretary Owen Paterson has called the concept of anaerobic digestion "tremendous" and suggested a different approach to subsidies for energy technologies in a speech yesterday in Birmingham. "We have a huge amount of food waste that ...Energy and Environmental Management (EAEM) Magazine"
http://www.eaem.co.uk/news/paterson-goes-gas-anaerobic-digestion-and-shale

We also recently wrote on shale gas (as in syngas from underground coal combustion) in our article at: http://gasification4energy.com/Gasification-and-Pyrolysis-Articles/Underground-Coal-Gasification-Recent-Developments-and-Fears.php .