Right Tech, Right Model Angela Bywater

UK & World Biogas Expo 2019

Environmental Biotechnology Network (EBNet)

• Follow on from the AD Network

• Concerned with engineered microbial systems for environmental protection, bioremediation and resource

recovery

• One of 6 Phase 2 BBSRC/EPSRC Funded Networks in Industrial Biotechnology and Bioenergy (NIBB)

• Academic funding to (a) help address industrial problems and (b) help translate lab to industry

• Free to join and many free events to address challenges in this sector

Right tech – what size is Micro AD?

.2m3 in a household? 2m3 in a community garden? 20m3 in a hotel/co-op?

Urban? Peri-urban? Rural?

Right tech – what size is Micro AD?

300m3 (300 cows) heating a manor house for 25 yrs?

1100m3 (650 cows + orgs.) running a 90kWe CHP?

Right model – (Fixed/Mobile) Hub & Pod The HUB and PoD concept

Source separated food waste collected from households is taken to a centralised processing facility (the HUB) where it is homogenised, blended and pasteurised to

ensure it is safe.

This could be an existing site such as a landfill where there are already facilities for waste handling and spare heat from CHP for pasteurising.

The pasteurised food waste is tankered to farms, the ‘points of digestion’ (PoD) where the material is used as feedstock for the digester.

The biogas is used to meet farm energy needs with any excess exported.

The digestate provides a valuable organic fertiliser with nutrients in the right proportions and can be used to replace mineral fertilisers.

Benefits of HUB and PoD Environmental

Nutrients are returned to farm land

Reduction in use of fossil fuels

Reduction in GHG emissions from landfill and farms

Decentralised power production (AD framework)

Economic

Farm digestion becomes economical leading to increased take-up

No requirement for centralised digestion results in lower capital costs to local government

Income from energy sales to farms gives a boost to the rural economy

Farm based digestion creates local employment opportunities in the rural community

Waste management companies have greater flexibility and opportunities for recycling food waste

back to agriculture at lower costs

Source: Prof Charles Banks, University of Southampton; A Bywater, RASE Review of Farm AD

Right model: Co-op/aggregate?

Small farms: gas piped to centralised upgrading

& gas grid injection facility (Wijster, Netherlands)

OR

Small farms: Slurry transported (vehicle/pipes) to

centralised AD CHP facilities. Aim to co-digest 80%

of municipal animal manure, with energy crops from

5% of the farmland to replace 20% of the fossil fuels

(Ringkobing-Skjern Municipality, Denmark)

Source: http://task37.ieabioenergy.com/case-stories.html

Slurry/biogas (from lagoon digesters) transported to

centralised AD/CHP, respectively. Operated as a

micro-grid, either in island mode or grid-connected.

(Parana, Brazil).

Combine with other renewables, eg solar?

And…..?

• Mix and match renewables: eg Canadian example solar/biogas

• Virtual pipelines to off-grid gas grids

• Biomethanisation (use electrolytic H2 produced using excess renewable energy in order to biologically raise the CH4 level in biogas to >90%

Thank you!

Angie Bywater EBNet@EBNet.ac.uk

@EBNetUK