Agriculture - Standards and Quality Control

Quality Protocol

The Environment Agency (EA) have worked with WRAP to produce a Quality Protocol for anaerobic digestate. Uncertainty over the point at which waste processed by AD ceases to become waste has inhibited the development of markets for digestate. The Quality Protocol should save AD businesses time and money by stimulating the market for the use of anaerobic digestate products as a fertiliser, soil conditioner and a material in land restoration. It should also reduce the amount of organic waste being sent to landfill.

The Quality Protocol sets out criteria for the production of quality outputs from anaerobic digestion of material that is biodegradable waste (biowaste). Producers and users are not obliged to comply with the Quality Protocol. If they do not, the digestate will be considered to be waste and waste management controls will apply to its handling, transport and application.

The Protocol is available from the EA. The EA have also produced a useful regulatory position statement for anaerobic digestate, which clarifies the legal obligations for buisness producing anaerobic digestate.

PAS 110

The Publicly Available Specification (called PAS110) for digestate, derived from the anaerobic digestion of source-segregated biodegradable materials creates an industry specification against which producers can verify that the digested materials are of consistent quality and fit for purpose. If an AD plant meets the standard, its digestate will be regarded as having been fully recovered and to have ceased to be waste, and it can be sold with the name “Bio- fertiliser”. PAS110 is for the digestate product, the QP is about safeguards and process needed to achieve PAS110.

The PAS110 document is available to download from WRAP.

Certification of Biofertiliser

The Biofertiliser Certification Scheme (BSC) provides assurance that biofertiliser (the BSC name for digestate) is safe and of good quality. Renewable Energy Assurance Ltd., a subsidiary of the Renewable Energy Association, administers the Scheme, and has appointed two independent Certifying Bodies to assess plants impartially against the standard.

There are different regulations concerning certification in England and Wales and in Scotland. In England and Wales the certification criteria are the PAS 110 together with the Quality Protocol. Biogas plants in Scotland will be certified only with regard to the PAS110 (not the Quality Protocol) with further conditions specified by Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).

You can find more about how to become certified on the Biofertiliser Certification Scheme website.

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End of Waste Criteria for Digestate in Scotland

The Anaerobic Digestate Quality Protocol is not applicable in Scotland, however SEPA have published a Regulatory Position Statement (SEPA Regulatory Position Statement: the Use of PAS 110 certified Digestate from Anaerobic Digestion) which is to be followed and used in conjunction with PAS110 certification.

PAS 110

The publically available “BSI PAS110:2010 Specification for whole digestate, separated liquor and separated fibre derived from the anaerobic digestion of source-segregated biodegradable materials” creates an industry specification against which producers can verify that the digested materials are of consistent quality and fit for purpose. In order to fully comply with the end of waste criteria, the SEPA position statement above also has to be followed.  If an AD plant meets the specification and complies with the position statement, its digestate will be regarded as having been fully recovered and to have ceased to be waste, and it can be sold with the name “Bio-fertiliser”.  REAL (Renewable Energy Assurance Limited) manage the Biofertiliser Certification Scheme for PAS110.
 
The PAS110 document is available to download from WRAP.  WRAP and Zero Waste Scotland provide support to AD producers to help them attain PAS110 certification. Further details are available on the WRAP and Zero Waste Scotland websites.

Also note that in Scotland under the Zero Waste Plan (launched in June 2010) digestate which is not PAS110 certified and produced in accordance with the SEPA position statement above, will not be counted towards recycling targets even if it is currently produced and used under an exemption.  This is particularly important for those plants taking in waste from Local Councils, see Recycling Guidance.

PAS 110 support

Zero Waste Scotland offer free support to help AD operators on the Biofertiliser Certification Scheme (BCS) achieve BSI PAS 110 certification.  AD operators must be registered with the Biofertiliser Scheme (BCS) to qualify for this support and in the first instance should contact Ciaran Burns (cburns@biofertiliser.org.uk) at Renewable Energy Assurance Ltd. (a subsidiary of the Renewable Energy Association) who manage the BCS.

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Quality Protocol

The Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) intend to publish a Northern Ireland Quality Protocol for Anaerobic Digestate, and a Northern Ireland Regulatory Position Statement explaining how it will be regulated, in Summer 2010. PAS 110 will automatically be in place in Northern Ireland when the Quality Protocol is launched, as this will be the standard to which the Quality Protocol will refer. NIEA hope to run an awareness event for the industry later in the year.

Uncertainty over the point at which waste processed by AD ceases to become waste has inhibited the development of markets for digestate. The Quality Protocol should save AD businesses time and money by stimulating the market for the use of anaerobic digestate products as a fertiliser, soil conditioner and a material in land restoration. It should also reduce the amount of organic waste being sent to landfill. The NI Quality Protocol will set out criteria for the production of quality outputs from anaerobic digestion of material that is biodegradable waste (biowaste).

PAS 110

The Publicly Available Specification (called PAS110) for digestate, derived from the anaerobic digestion of source-segregated biodegradable materials creates an industry specification against which producers can verify that the digested materials are of consistent quality and fit for purpose. If an AD plant meets the standard, its digestate will be regarded as having been fully recovered and to have ceased to be waste, and it can be sold with the name “Bio-fertiliser”. PAS110 is for the digestate product, the QP is about safeguards and process needed to achieve PAS110.

The PAS110 document is available to download from WRAP.

Certification of Biofertiliser

Coming soon...

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