SEaB Energy closes the food recycling loop

ADBA MEMBER PRESS RELEASE

ADBA member SEaB Energy, a specialist in small scale and micro anaerobic digestion (AD) systems, is set to take a leading position as the UK develops its closed loop economy and maximise the value of its increasingly scant resources. The re-use and recycling of organic and, in particular food, waste is critical to this strategy and has been scheduled as a key area for discussion at this month’s forthcoming ADBA National Conference 2012 in London.

Already at a considerably advanced stage over the rest of the UK, the Scottish Government has passed legislation, coming into effect at the end of 2013, that will mandate the separate collection of food waste, with AD being the preferred treatment route. However, there is concern as to whether Scotland is ready to meet the challenges of the new legislation.

It is estimated that up to two million tonnes of food waste [Scottish Government: Scotland’s zero waste plan, Jun 2010] could be collected annually yet, currently, there are just five suitable AD facilities in Scotland with a total capacity of 1.3m tonnes per annum.

Further plants are being proposed but with a current planning time of nearly three years, from design to completion, Scotland could be under-resourced to cope with this extra waste. Furthermore, many of Scotland’s remote and rural communities will fall outside the new rules as separate kerbside food waste collections may not be economically viable. Such a scenario is likely to impact on the ability of the rest of the UK to adopt large scale AD processing.

SEaB Energy’s MuckBuster ® and Flexibuster™ AD waste recycling solutions offer the perfect solution for many large and medium sized organic and food waste producers, as well as remote communities. They provide compact, on-site AD processing, eliminate collection and disposal fees and the biogas they produce could deliver a return on investment in as little as five years. In addition, they also provide a source of organic liquid fertiliser ready for spraying or in ground injection and a dry mulch that can be re-used as animal bedding.

In July of this year, SEaB Energy’s MuckBuster ® on-site AD system was selected by NASA backed sustainability initiative, ‘LAUNCH: Beyond Waste’ as one of nine ‘game changing’ innovations that have the potential to transform current waste management systems and practices.

Sandra Sassow, SEaB Energy, chief executive, said:

Interest in the MuckBuster ® has grown enormously since the Scottish and Welsh devolved governments have initiated their Zero Waste policies.

 

Bio and food waste producers will quickly realise the benefits of on-site AD processing as it not only reduces operational costs but is also a source of energy that can be harnessed. Alongside the bi-products that it produces which can generate incremental revenue streams, MuckBuster ® has a wide appeal in both the developed and developing world, as well as in specific vertical markets, such as disaster recovery and military applications.