ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS
The UK has almost 730 operational anaerobic digestion (AD) plants
and Net Zero (DESNZ) mentioned biomethane in the context of making UK energy systems more independent, secure and resilient, but failed to engage the sector or fully appreciate the potential scale of this mature technology. As ADBA Chairman Chris Huhne commented on the
report’s publication, “At a time when other European governments are boosting biogas as a key part of their policy, this energy security strategy shows little grasp of the potential of the sector or what is needed to unlock it. At least biogas and biomethane are mentioned – an advance of last April’s energy security strategy – but words are cheap. We need action on planning, regulation, bankability, grid connections and more to give Britain home-grown green gas.”
In contrast, the Climate Change Committee’s (CCC) Sixth Carbon Budget recognises the various roles of AD in meeting the UK’s emissions targets, in particular its role in tackling emissions associated with food waste, wastewater treatment and agriculture.
What is required?
We began this article by asking whether the UK can meet its AD potential. The answer is yes, provided that the industry is given the right policy support. In particular, there needs to be a ban on all biodegradable wastes being sent to landfill – something which the CCC has proposed from 2025 – and this material must be diverted to AD facilities. Furthermore, all wastewater treatment plants should include AD systems, which the CCC believes could reduce such emissions by 21% by 2030. AD also has a key role to play in the treatment of agricultural and food waste, both on farms and in processing factories, and this investment needs to be supported with suitable policies. The use of low emmission technology for the application of digestate also needs to be supported, for example through the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI). In addition, there needs to be more support during the planning and pre-development stages, with local authorities recognising that AD plants can help them meet carbon
reduction targets in their region. The devolved nature of many of the policies which drive AD investment across the UK has unfortunately resulted in different support schemes and planning policies across the country. Overall, simplification of the many different policies and legislative requirements would be one of the biggest factors in facilitating new AD development.
The importance of efficiency
Finally, however much policy support is given to the biogas sector, it is imperative that anaerobic digestion plants maximise efficiency at every stage of the process, for both economic and environmental reasons. ADBA clearly believes that there is room to improve the efficiency of AD plants1, and doing so will require a multi-disciplinary approach including the use of heat regeneration through heat exchangers, as well as the use of bespoke systems such as the HRS BDS (Biogas Dehumidification System), DCS (Digestate Concentration System) and DPS (Digestate Pasteurisation System).
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