Policy Context
Currently significant volumes of organic waste go to landfill across the island of Ireland. Some is even exported to other countries. Neither of these are sustainable solutions for the environment or the economy.
Promoting environmental alternatives for the disposal of organic waste from the agri-food industry is not just good business practice, it is also essential to fulfil current and future obligations set out by EU policy and national legislation. The Northern Ireland Programme for Government sets out targets to ensure that 12 per cent of electricity consumption in Northern Ireland comes from renewable and indigenous sources other than wind power by 2012. Further legislation has also been set in place to ensure that organic waste does not return to the food or animal feed chains. Failure to meet such targets will result in an extra burden on industry and tax payers.
An Environment and Renewable Energy Fund for Northern Ireland was launched in 2006. It has made up to £60m of funding available through a range of schemes for renewable energy. Launching the initiative the former Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Rt Hon Peter Hain MP said: “The increased use of advanced renewable energy solutions to cost effectively treat and dispose of organic wastes in a safe manner will benefit the environment, help protect business margins, enhance competitiveness and safeguard jobs.”
Linergy is contributing to meeting these objectives through its current process of converting organic waste into biomass fuels, and in its planned development to generate renewable electricity and heat.
A summary of the key legislation is set out below:
The Landfill Directive:
Ultimately seeks to ban organic waste from landfill with targets of 50 per cent (of 1995 levels) by 2013 in order to stop greenhouse gas emissions from landfill caused by the natural digestion of organic waste.
Nitrates Directive:
Aims to reduce organic waste (slurries) being spread on land to avoid the risk of contamination of waterways.
Animal By-products Regulations (ABPR):
Statutory legislation to avoid (food) organic wastes returning to food chains and animal feed.
Renewables Obligation Order (NI):
Sets targets for Northern Ireland’s energy supplies to be generated from renewable energy sources.
Best Practice
Current technologies which have been endorsed by UK and local Government to harness the energy potential from waste include:
Gasification:
This is a thermal process which produces a fuel (syngas) from carbon containing materials. This renewable fuel can be used to generate electricity and heat through combined heat and power (CHP). The UK Government has backed gasification plants in the Isle of Wight and have three more currently planned for Great Britain. Gasification technology has been operating in Norway and Germany at six plants for more than 8 years. In Northern Ireland a demonstration project using gasification is currently operating in Benburb, County Tyrone. It is capable of producing 200 Kw in heat and electricity.
Anaerobic digestion:
This is a well-proven renewable energy technology which involves harnessing the natural process whereby organic matter is broken down by bacteria in the absence of oxygen. It is a stabilisation process to reduce odour, pathogen and mass. Organic materials ferment in a closed vessel to produce a biogas (mixture of 60 per cent methane and 40 per cent carbon dioxide). Biogas can be used as a renewable energy source for heat, power and transport fuel.
A recent document published by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs ‘Anaerobic Digestion - Shared Goals paper’ states:
“By 2020 anaerobic digestion will be an established technology in this country, making a significant and measurable contribution to our climate change and wider environmental objectives. It will produce renewable energy in the form of biogas that will be used locally or injected into the grid for heat and power and for transport fuel. At the same time, it will capture methane emissions from agriculture. It will also divert organic waste, especially food waste, from landfill. The digestate will provide organic fertiliser and soil conditioner for agriculture and land use. Anaerobic digestion and its products will be used in a way that is both beneficial to the environment and cost effective for that particular location.”
