Biogas from Farm & Food Waste

The waste disposal process is subject to ever more stringent regulation, particularly for food manufacturers, retailers and waste handling companies. The more effective and sustainable use of waste resources is a growing environmental requirement. F.L.I. Energy delivers a local recycling solution for food waste producers using proven and reliable Anaerobic Digestion technology, which is widely recognised as the most environmentally sustainable and beneficial disposal option. Our customers receive a competitive and cost effective waste solution which enables them to comply with national and local government regulations and legislation.

F.L.I. Energy’s HOST® technology is robust and can process almost all types of food waste including liquids, solids and sludges in our farm-scale plants. With our proven pre-treatment and separation systems we can accept both packaged and un-packaged waste. Typical challenges in the treatment of food waste in biogas plants include contaminants such as plastics, glass and metal which can cause problems for pumps; mixers etc. and inhibit the process, also the stability of the biological process can be affected by chemical imbalances resulting from shock loading of new feedstocks.

Energy from Farm & Food Waste

We use food waste, co-digested with animal manure and slurry to produce biogas and generate electrical energy. The addition of food waste to a manure substrate in anaerobic digestion serves to significantly increase gas yields, dependent on the available energy content of the feedstock.

A gas engine is used to convert the biogas to electricity and if possible the heat from the gas engine can be used for on site space heating, material drying or even district heating. This combined use of heat and power is known as (CHP). The digestion process promotes a better management of animal slurry and the digested material (digestate) is a nutrient rich bio-fertiliser which can be used on the farm, displacing the requirement and cost of chemical fertiliser.

Waste Legislation

The UK and Ireland have traditionally been heavily dependent on landfill and today the volume of waste that we produce continues to grow. The Waste Framework Directive has been a key driver in the development of national and governmental plans to move away from reliance on landfill and the EU Landfill Directive enforces the diversion of Biodegradable Municipal Waste (BMW) from landfill with challenging reduction targets set for member states.
Legislation such as ROCs (Renewables Obligation Certificates) in the UK, place an obligation on licensed electricity suppliers to source a specific and annually increasing percentage of the electricity they supply, from renewable sources. Electricity generated using biogas from Anaerobic Digestion is eligible for ROCs.

Revenue from Waste

With increasing pressure to divert organic waste from landfill, all disposal/processing options must be considered. An existing outlet for food waste processing is aerobic composting, this technology is actually a net consumer of energy and it produces a low value end product. In contrast, biogas production by anaerobic digestion of organic waste is a net generator of energy, producing a valuable digestate bio-fertiliser and revenue from the sale of generated electricity and heat.

Typical Sources of Food Waste

• Food damaged in production
• Damaged food packaging
• Discontinued products
• Catering food waste
• Domestic food waste
• Out of date foods
• Foods not meeting factory QC