Alongside the implementation of the Agility maintenance system,


ABN has also adopted a ‘Return to Service’ approach, before maintenance tasks are completed.


This in turn means this waste is converted to produce the


equivalent of two-thirds of the gas required to power all of ABN’s feed mills. The move is also enabling ABN to help its own customers look at more efficient and effective ways of dealing with waste products and working towards the NFU’s NetZero 2040 goal. “ABN’s manufacturing process produces very little waste. But our


feed quality standards are exacting which means there are times when the feed produced cannot be supplied to our customers. There is a continued commitment within the business to minimise this waste in the most effective and environmentally sustainable manner,” explains Mr Metcalfe. As a supplier of AD feedstock to energy plant owners in the UK,


“We are able to provide a checklist for our engineers before


they finish a job. It is effectively a case of stepping back and double checking and evaluating everything before signing off on that particular job,” explains Dale Metcalfe, ABN’s head of engineering. “It is quick, effective and helps avoid any feed safety issues as well as supporting productivity and health and safety elements,” he adds. This has been a huge undertaking for ABN, engaging with


some 50 engineers across the group over the 11 mill sites, and encompasses thousands of assets. Stuart Smith explains, “We are constantly looking to ensure all


sites are actively using Agility and standardising the reports produced by each so that we can benchmark. This helps us to operate even more effectively and supports our drive to get our standards even higher.”


Capital investment Mr Metcalfe explains that this forms part of a general capital investment across all the mills, with significant investment each year in general equipment upgrades and replacements, again with a particular focus on health and safety and environmental responsibilities, targeting improved efficiencies and reliability, while reducing emissions.


Generate its own electricity Indeed, ABN has recently received approval for a further major investment to generate its own electricity at its Northallerton site in North Yorkshire. The Combined Heat & Power plant (CHP), expected to be up and running by early 2022, will help efficiently generate the site’s own electricity as well as using the waste heat to generate steam for the production process. A responsibility to continually improve environmental credentials


and meet ambitious NetZero goals has also been the catalyst for ABN to divert all waste from its compound feed mill sites to an anaerobic digestion (AD) plant owned and run by sister company Amur.


The waste from ABN is now creating 66% of the gas needed


to power its mills, and once the gas is extracted, the remaining food waste or digestate goes back to farmland for spreading as fertiliser on crops. Mr Metcalfe says, “Anaerobic digestion can play a key role in


helping farmers reach their carbon neutral aims. Amur’s experience in managing organic waste provided the reassurance that we could meet our own requirements, alongside our own feed mill efficiency improvements to minimise waste. We feel there is also great opportunity for our farm customers to benefit from both a financial and environmental perspective.”


FEED COMPOUNDER JULY/AUGUST 2021 PAGE 41


Amur has also built and operates its own plant in North Yorkshire, designed to take 60,000T of blended food and green waste. The plant is currently delivering more than 12,000 cubic metres of gas per day, enough for approximately 2,800 households. The plant at South Milford, near Leeds, is ‘fed’ by waste materials,


including those from the ABN feed mills. Micro-organisms break down this biodegradable material, which can also include food waste, to make gas. This is then pumped into the national grid.


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