sees those single sugar molecules, fatty acids and amino acids broken down further into alcohols and volatile fatty acids (like ethanol and propionic acid), with by-products of carbon dioxide, ammonia and hydrogen sulphide.
What can we do with the final products?
Digestate is a stable, nutrient-rich substance and can be used for a range of products and purposes: most usefully as a fertiliser, rich in nutrients, but also as feedstock for ethanol production, and in low-grade building materials, like fibreboard.
ADBA has widened its remit to include emerging technologies and products from the bioeconomy, to reflect this we have changed the Association’s name. As of 1 October 2014 we are now called the Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association.
ADBA now represents companies and organisations working on novel technologies and processes that complement the anaerobic digestion process and products.
These technologies represent a significant opportunity to existing ADBA members as ways to increase the profitability of their existing plants by increasing efficiency or creating products that command a higher value in the current market. At the same time as reducing the industries dependency on government support and ensuring that ADBA and its members keep ahead of the curve when it comes to emerging technologies that could compete for existing feedstocks.
“Our name change reflects the opportunity that you, our existing members, are able to be a part of. The technologies and processes that ADBA now represents under ‘bioresources’ are all complementary to the existing AD process and its products.
ADBA is the trade association for the anaerobic digestion (AD) industry in the UK and companies and organisations working on novel technologies and processes that compliment the anaerobic digestion process and products. With our members we promote the economic and environmental benefits of AD in the UK.
We represent organisations from many sectors including: AD operators, AD developers, AD equipment providers, water companies, farmers, food & drink retailers, waste companies, universities and more.
On this site you can find out all about anaerobic digestion and how our organisation can help you.
Business
AD can save you money – and potentially even grow your business – in several ways. AD can:
Provide you with cheaper, cleaner, renewable energy
The AD process produces a renewable gas whose flexibility can help meet businesses needs. Biogas can produce electricity and heat to power on-site operations, with any excess energy sold to the grid for a profit, and the biogas can also be upgraded to biomethane, which can be injected into the gas grid or used as a transport fuel.
With energy prices set to soar due to 20% of generating capacity coming offline in the next decade, and fossil fuel supplies potentially becoming even more volatile, businesses with a high energy usage will benefit from the reliable and affordable gas supply that AD delivers.
For many organisations, the cost of transport is one of the biggest obstacles to improving their bottom line. Using biomethane as a transport fuel is an excellent opportunity to reduce your company’s vulnerability to rising petrol and diesel prices, and has been proven to realise huge carbon benefits. For example, Coca-Cola’s recent trial of biomethane vehicles saw a 50% saving in well-to-wheel GHG emissions compared to their diesel vehicle fleet.
In terms of promoting air quality, air pollution from vehicle emissions currently causes approximately 32,000 premature deaths a year, particularly from diesel vehicles which emit high levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and particulate matter with a diameter of less than 10 micrometers (PM
). Biomethane, however, burns much more cleanly than petrol or diesel, meaning that biomethane vehicles can have a huge impact in improving air quality. In the case of the Coca-Cola trial, they saw NO₂and PM emissions slashed by 85.6% and 97.1% respectively, while biomethane vehicles have already been demonstrated as viable through widespread use in Sweden, Germany and France.
British businesses generate almost 6 million tonnes of food waste a year (over a third of UK food waste) which costs more than £8 billion to deal with. With landfill tax set to rise sharply in the next few years, businesses will find it a financial necessity to find an alternative to throwing organic waste into landfill. By either treating your waste on-site in your own plant or source segregating your waste and arranging to have it collected separately to be treated by AD, this steep financial burden can be cut as innovation in this area continues to drive better, cheaper and more tailored food waste collections.
Not only this, by treating organic waste through the AD process you can also realise significant carbon benefits compared to landfill use or incineration. Methane emissions from landfill currently account for 3% of the UK’s total GHG emissions, while incinerating organic waste to generate electricity produces 27 times more CO₂than treating it through AD.
Help you go green
Businesses are increasingly aware of the environmental impact of their activities, and as a consequence more committed than ever to reducing their carbon footprint. Using AD for electricity and heat demand on your sites removes the need for environmentally damaging fossil fuel supplies; while electricity generated from the grid at present emits on average 500g of CO
Integrating AD into your business can therefore help to realise huge carbon savings, and also demonstrates to your customers, suppliers and the general public your green credentials and real commitment to sustainability. For businesses that fall under the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme, AD can also help to minimise this financial burden.
Grow your business in a new sector
The AD industry is relatively new and growing rapidly. This booming industry could well be a lucrative market you are yet to tap in to. Your business may not build or operate AD plants or produce significant levels of organic waste but you would be surprised at how many different technologies, products and services are required in this sector. From pumps to tanks and lawyers to land agents, the opportunities for growing your business in the AD sector are excellent.
