Reduce costs, improve biogas yields, transform digestate: the R&D Hub has all the answers

This year's UK AD & Biogas will include an R&DHub for those keen to share ideas about how the AD sector can reduce capital and operating costs, improve biogas yields and transform the economics of the sector. We've selected the best researchers to tell us how their research will support the sector in the coming years.

Topics include:

• Lower cost biomethane upgrading
• Use of trace elements to improve performance
• Differences in household and commercial food waste for AD
• The impact of operational parameters such as temperature and organic loading on biogas production
• Lifecycle greenhouse gas benefits of AD/ sustainability critieria
• Separation of depackaged organic material from plastic film
• New feedstocks for AD
• Growing micro-algae with digestate
• Using seaweed as a supplementary feedstock to improve biogas yields from food waste
• UK Government funding of AD research – Innovate UK, ADNet/ BBSRC

Together these areas can have a real impact on improving the profitability of the sector and helping operators survive in tough times.

Hearing Amina Stokes talk about their tests undertaken at Lower Reule Farm (Day 1, 2.30) and Thames Water (Day 2, 2pm) will be of particular interest because publishing research on operational plants, and sharing best practice, is of real value to the sector. 

With one of the sector's leading operators today warning that “The next two years could be a bit of a bloodbath as companies cannot keep losing money”, it is clear that the kind of research being undertaken needs to be commercialised to support the industry.

We will be holding the same informal approach to this section of UK AD & Biogas as last year. We ask the researchers to stand on a podium and speak with no power point slides. We find this helps the speakers simplify their message so that everyone can understand. This informal approach also invites the audience to ask questions, which is what made the Hub succeed last year and why we want to maintain that at this year's show.

For the full programme see here.