DECENTRALISED MICRO ANAEROBIC DIGESTION
Dissemination Event 27th June 2009, Birmingham 10.30am-15.00
To disseminate the outcomes of Phase 1 of the Micro AD project, CCN held a seminar, at the Birmingham and Midland Institute on Saturday 27th June. The main aim was to encourage more members of the CCN to become more familiar with the technology but the event was open to all. Anyone with an interest in AD was very welcome to attend. There will be a second seminar at the end of Phase 2, if you'd like to be added to the list of people we'll notify - please get in touch (CCN members will be notified automatically).
The day before the seminar we had a face to face meeting of the Micro AD steering group to discuss the way forward for Phase Two, this fed directly into the seminar programme.
Programme and downloadable pdf's of presentations:
- Welcome and Introduction, who CCN are - Cath Kibbler, Coordinator
- The decentralised approach - Kealan Gell, Trustee and Project Leader
- Formation and funding of Micro AD project, Cath Kibbler
- First Phase report - describing a suitable system - Iemke Bisschops, LeAF
- Q&A
- Lunch
- Plans for Phase Two - Kealan Gell
- Text Build context overview - Cath Kibbler
- Text Build context specific - Richard Northridge, Cwm Harry Land Trust
- An impromtu presentaton by James Murcott (Methanogen) no slideshow, sorry.
- Programme and booking form: CCN Micro AD Ph1 seminar.doc
- Press Release: CCN Micro AD Ph1 press release.doc
- Phase 1: describing a small scale system for Community Composters in the UK is now complete and more information on this is below
- Phase 2: creating a components guide and operational manual for a robust small scale system
- A test build or builds - capturing empirical learning and testing the manual (and process some food waste)
- Phase 3: to collate all the learning into a training course and create a network of pilot systems across the UK - this of course is reliant on the previous phases being successful - (which of course they will be!).
Other information:
The Project
Context
Since the implementation of the Animal By-Products Regulations, the Community Composting of food waste has been a serious challenge to members of the CCN to the extent that to comply with the legilation, some projects had to stop their activities. A number of members pioneered small scale invessel composting, notably East London Commumunity Recycling Partnership, using Rocket systems. As members had to invest in a system to comply with the Regulations it was felt that small scale Anaerobic Digestion, with it's added benefits was worth serious investigation; but we were up against the received wisdom in the UK that large systems were the only feasible option because of economic constraints, despite the level of investment, planning and long lead time required to build such systems. Taking comfort from the fact that there were millions of small scale units all over the world, especially in China and India we started some constructive thinking.
This resulted first in an intial report exploring the idea of small scale AD in the industrialised world which can be downloaded here: CCN Biogas Gell report.pdf (148KB)
Funding from the WRAP & REalliance partership programme - the Third Sector Capacity Building Programme allowed us to create a project and start:
The project is in 4 parts including at least one test build:
The CCN is has subcontracted expert help from Lettinga Associates Foundation (LeAF) based in the Netherlands at Wageringen University.
Phase One report
The Phase One report is available to download here: CCN Micro AD report (746KB)
The Phase One report, by LeAF, covers the project brief as established by the CCN; followed by the various UK legislation for which compliance is essential. This is followed by a detailed description of the biochemistry behind the anaerobic processes of organic decomposition giving rise to the production of methane, and the way this will occur within a digester. It then discusses the existing micro-biogas producing methods from throughout the world, and their suitability for the UK. Finally it deals with the type of substrate likely to be used by the CCN members and the possible test site scenarios, with reference to a generic decentralized biogas plant with potential associated equipment. A primary aim of this report is to introduce CCN members to the workings of and options for Anaerobic Digestion in a UK context.
