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New reports from IEA Task 37

Task 37 is the Bioenergy Task group of the International Energy Agency (IEA) – a branch of OECD – and is devoted to analysis and dissemination of new advances in science and best practice in anaerobic digestion. It is a valuable resource for any business involved in AD, providing sound science, evaluation and inspiration for new developments in the industry. It guides and supports government, industry and the investment community to make informed decisions. The UK contribution and influence made through Task 37 (UK) Ltd ensures that UK AD businesses continue to have access to the resource it provides as well as be able to influence its agenda and focus in the future.

Here are the latest publications from the Task:

 

Icknield Farm Biogas: An Integrated Farm Enterprise

A recent case study of Task 37 demonstrates a perfect iincorporation of a biogas facility into a farm. The farm operates as a Family Partnership in association with a nearby farm which together form a contract farming business servicing over 3,000 ha of mainly cereal growing land. The plant produces 4.4m m3 of biomethane a from pig manure, cereals/screenings and maize/rye. A containerized 360 kW CHP engine provides all the heat and power needed to operate the plant. The installation of biogas/biomethane plant introduced a diversification which forms an integral part of the whole farm management system. Prior to the biogas development the farm had a three-crop rotation of oilseed rape, wheat and barley. This has been replaced by a four-crop rotation consisting of: maize as a spring crop; wheat; rye for silage; and turnips. The latter provide winter grazing for 2,000 ewes from a neighboring farm. You can download this here.

 

Task 37's 2017 list of biogas upgrading plants worldwide

The list provides the latest data on biogas upgrading plants, separated in Task 37 member and non-member countries. In total 532 systems were recorded in 2017 up from 480 in 2016. Germany, UK, Sweden and France lead. Facilities are dominated by water scrubbers, chemical scrubbers, membranes and PSA. You can access this data here.

 

The role of biogas in greening the brewing industry

Towards the end of 2018 Task 37 published another interesting case story. With the goal to operate Austria’s largest brewery GHG emission free, a digester was installed treating in a two-stage system brewers spent grains and brewery waste water. The Gösser brewery developed the concept of a “Green Brewery” with an ambition to produce beer with 100% renewable energy. The biogas from the anaerobic digestion process is used in the boiler of the brewery to substitute natural gas. Residual biogas is combusted in a CHP for electricity and heat production. Read this report here.
 

Anaerobic Digestion of Food Waste for a Circular Economy

There is increasing awareness of the quantities of food that are lost every year across the globe; while the quality of available data varies, estimates suggest the total is around 1.3 billion tons. These losses occur at all stages of production, from pre-harvest on the farm through to post-harvest losses during processing, distribution, retailing and consumption. By far the largest proportion of this material is generated at the point of consumption, in the home or in cafeterias, canteens and restaurants. The method of choice to treat food waste is anaerobic digestion which is now undertaken commercially at a large scale. It is most widespread in the UK, where there are currently 94 digesters producing over 220 MWe of power from food processing residues, supermarket wastes and curbside collected source-separated domestic food waste. These processes are efficient, with as much as 85% of the degradable material being turned into biogas, The Task 37 brochure outlines case studies from eleven countries, namely; Australia, Canada, China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, the United Kingdom and Vietnam. You can view this here.

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