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Stay on this page for the top 10 UK-specific AD questions.
For comprehensive and detailed FAQs about AD in general, see this list produced by the International Energy Agency.
1. How many anaerobic digestion plants are there in the UK?
AD has been used for many years in this country by the water industry. It currently treats 66% of the UK's sewage sludge in AD plants. Beyond the water industry AD in the UK is in its infancy, but growing rapidly. There is currently fewer than 40 AD plants in the UK producing bioenergy. You can see the locations of operational AD plants on the Biogas Map. There are further AD plants in the planning stages.
2. What does the UK produce that can be used in anaerobic digestion
The UK produces over 100 million tonnes of organic material that is suitable for treatment by AD. This includes:
- 12-20 million tonnes of food waste (from households and industry)
- 90 million tonnes of agriculture by-products like manure and slurry
- 1.73 million tonnes of sewage sludge.
3. How much energy can you get from waste?
The amount of energy produced by AD will vary depending on the material that goes into it and the particular type of digester that is used. Digesting 1 tonne of food waste can generate about 300 kWh of energy. According to the Renewable Energy Association, if all the UK's domestic food waste was processed by AD, it would generate enough electricity for 350 000 households.
4. How much energy could anaerobic digestion generate in the UK?
AD could generate 10-20 TWh of heat and power per year by 2020. To put this in context, Drax power station sold 25.4 TWh of electricity in 2008. AD could represent 3.8 - 7.5% of the renewable energy we estimate will be required in 2020.
5. What is anaerobic digestion?
Anaerobic digestion (AD) processes plant materials ( biomass) into gas for heating and power. The gas is called methane or biogas. It is produced by bacteria, which digest biomass and produce methane as a by-product.
Biomass includes anything that is plant-derived: municipal solid waste, manure, crop residues, compost, food waste, paper and waste water. Crops can be grown specifically for use in AD.
6. Is digestate the same as compost?
No. Although they have some similar properties, digestate is not compost. Compost is produced by aerobic (with air) decomposition of biological material and digestate is produced by anaerobic (without air) decomposition of biological material.
7. Does AD smell?
There is some odour associated with the organic material that goes into a digester. However, AD can actually reduce nuisance odours as waste is delivered in closed vessels and vehicles, received in a closed reception area, and the digestion process takes place in a sealed tank. The digestion of slurry, for example, is significantly less odorous than the common practice of storing slurry in pits.
8. How do I know if AD is suitable for my farm?
This website is a good place to start. There is a AD calculator to look at the economics. There are lots of links to useful organisations in these pages. Key questions for a farmer are: a) do you have access to sufficient feedstock? b) is there sufficient land for spreading digestate? c) do you have good access, storing and handling facilities? d) are you willing to take on high capital project with capital rich initial period (i.e. can delayed returns be absorbed in cash flow model)? 9. What are the advantages of AD?
It turns waste into a resource. Instead of sending waste to landfill, we can use it to produce energy and fertiliser.
It produces fuel. Biogas can be used instead of fossil fuels.
It produces fertiliser. Fertilisers are made from fossil fuels. The digestate from can replace some synthetic fertilisers.
It reduces our carbon footprint. The methane produced during AD is burned as fuel, and therefore releases CO2 into the atmosphere. Because it comes from biomass, this does not contribute to climate change. However, if the same waste was left to degrade in a landfill site, the methane produced could escape into the atmosphere: methane has a global warming potential 23 times larger than that of CO2. Therefore, harvesting and using methane from biomass can help to prevent climate change.
It can benefit many different people. AD potentially benefits the local community, the environment, industry, farmers and energy entrepreneurs and government.
10. What are the disadvantages of AD?
AD plants can produce dust. They also produce a lot of water, which can be contaminated with nitrates and other chemicals. This needs to be processed before it is released into the environment.
Anaerobic digestion also releases CO2, which is a greenhouse gas. However, this is offset because the methane produced in AD replaces fossil fuels when it is used for heat, power or transport. It does not contribute to climate change because the CO2 released from biomass when it is burned as fuel or digested is reabsorbed by plants grown to replace it. This is in contrast to the CO2 released when fossil fuels are burned: this carbon has been stored for millions of years and the plants present on Earth today cannot reabsorb it all.
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