Three on-farm trials have been announced to help unlock what has been described as the 'enormous potential' of anaerobic digestion in tackling farm waste and climate change.
The full-scale trials, each of which is due to run for 12 weeks, will see Edinburgh-based Carbogenics add to the plants a biochar product the company makes from waste paper and cardboard.
Earlier trials of CreChar show that it results in a more even distribution of biofilm, which encourages the development of the microorganisms that digest the food or farm waste.
This efficiency means an anaerobic digester can produce more biogas from the same amount of feedstock, or maintain its output using less feedstock.
By showing how CreChar works with different feedstocks, Carbogenics aims to make AD more attractive to farmers and other developers, helping divert food and farm waste from landfill, in turn reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
At one of the sites, in Stirlingshire, the AD plant processes a variable mixture of food and farm waste including grass silage, distillery by-products and barley mill waste.
Anaerobic digestion uses microorganisms to convert farm, food and industrial wastes into biogas and fertiliser.
There are around 650 AD plants in the UK with scope for more as the private and public sectors increasingly look towards a circular economy and net zero emissions.
The operator of the Stirlingshire site, Robert Kennedy, director of Strathendrick Biogas, said: “An earlier trial of CreChar at Strathendrick Biogas resulted in a significant improvement in gas production and efficiency.
"I am delighted to step up these trials to test the robustness of the product further. CreChar is a gamechanger for biogas operators, allowing them to maximise biogas production whilst reducing feedstock costs.”
The two other sites, in Fife and Nottinghamshire, use other types of farm waste including chicken manure, and both are able to put their biogas directly into the local gas grid.
Ed Craig, chief executive of Carbogenics, said: “Anaerobic digestion has enormous potential to tackle waste, reduce climate change emissions and create jobs in rural areas.
“Farmers, landowners and other businesses thinking of expanding their anaerobic digestion operations or investing in this technology for the first time want to see what works.
"That is why we have recruited three AD operators to take on these full-scale trials so the benefits of adding the biochar we create can be seen in real time using different feedstocks.
“These results will underline our existing successes and help give the industry confidence to grow."
