Assessing the potential for the uptake of on-farm anaerobic digestion for energy production in England

Tranter, Richard; Swinbank, Alan; Jones, Philip; Banks, C.J.; Salter, Andrew M.

doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2011.01.065

Cited by 42 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 17 publications

(21 reference statements)

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“…Anaerobic digestion is currently a well-established technology in Europe with large-scale systems developed primarily in countries such as Germany and Denmark [1][2][3]. Nevertheless, studies need to be initiated to improve current technologies and encourage the use of biogas [4][5][6][7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Anaerobic co-digestion of swine manure with energy crop residues

Cuetos

Fernández-Llamas

Gómez

et al. 2011

Biotechnol Bioproc E

123

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Anaerobic co-digestion involves the treatment of different substrates with the aim of improving the production of biogas and the stability of the process. In this research, co-digestion of swine manure (SM) and energy crop residues (ECRs) was studied. The mixtures evaluated contained SM combined with maize (Mz), rapeseed (Rs) or sunflower (Sf) residues. Batch and semi-continuous experiments were performed to determine methane (CH 4 ) yields and the behavior of reactors while co-digesting agricultural wastes. Three different proportions of ECRs were tested in batch experiments for co-digestion with SM: 25, 50, and 75% volatile solids (VS). On the basis of the results obtained from batch tests, a mixture with a 50% ECR content was selected for the second stage of the study. Mesophilic reactors with a 3 L working volume were used for semicontinuous experiments. The hydraulic retention time (HRT) was set at 30 days and the reactors were kept under these operational conditions over four HRTs. The addition of ECR to the co-digestion system resulted in a major increase in the amount of biogas produced daily. The highest biogas yield was obtained when co-digesting Rs (3.5 L/day), although no improvement was observed in specific gas production from the addition of the co-substrate.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Anaerobic co-digestion of swine manure with energy crop residues

Cuetos

Fernández-Llamas

Gómez

et al. 2011

Biotechnol Bioproc E

123

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“…This problem of cost is also well established in the minds of farmers as a recent study conducted by Tranter et al (2011) on the adoption of AD in England revealed that 93.4% of survey respondents considered the cost of establishing an AD plant as being too high. It is estimated that the capital cost for an average AD plant of up to 300 kW is over £700,000 (Yeatman 2006), and this clearly shows that the technology is far beyond the financial capacity of most famers within the UK.…”

Section: Ad Technology In the Ukmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The need for AD technologies in our society today is further justified by the enormous amounts of biodegradable wastes produced from agricultural systems; mainly livestock systems and the risk posed to the environment if such wastes are not well managed (Alburquerque et al 2012a). Although AD technology has long been identified as a method of energy production in the form of biogas (Banks et al 2008;Meester et al 2012;Guercini et al 2014) its promotion and adoption has often been linked to environmental protection targets and objectives at international and national levels (Zglobiz et al 2010;Tranter et al 2011;Guercini et al 2014). For instance, the European Union is committed to a 20% decrease in greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2020 and renewable energy technologies remain instrumental in achieving such goals.…”

Section: Ad Technology In the Ukmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Anaerobic Digestion in Achieving Soil Conservation and Sustainable Agricultural Development in the UK

Duruiheoma

Burek²,

Bonwick³

et al. 2015

JEE

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Anaerobic digestion represents one form of renewable energy technology but has many wider benefits. This paper reviews the processes involved in anaerobic digestion, the type of systems in place and the use of digestate to improve soil quality. A case is made for the technology in the UK in the context of soil conservation and sustainable agricultural production. Its broader contribution to sustainable development in the United Kingdom is also considered. Low levels of awareness of the benefits of anaerobic digestion, poor access to funds, inadequate incentives, an unfavourable legislative and policy framework for the technology, limited application of digestate for agricultural purposes and the need for further research on digestate use are identified as key factors hindering uptake of the technology. Anaerobic digestion is presented as a technology that can support soil conservation and sustainable agricultural development while also generating both energy and income, enhancing waste and nutrient recycling and promoting environmental protection.

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“…A study by Tranter et al [10] found that most UK farmers consider maximising profits as their primary focus, prior to reducing pollution or carbon footprint. The study showed that farmers defined the adoption barriers for AD, in decreasing importance, to be: high capital cost; low return on investment; difficulty in obtaining planning permission; and a lack of adequate information for decision-making.…”

Section: State Of Application Of Anaerobic Digestionin British Farmsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In most cases, the capital cost of establishing just the anaerobic digester represents approximately 35%-40% of the total capital cost of the plant including the electricity generation facility [11]. The electricity generation facility requiring a CHP unit, may lead to significant extra capital and maintenance costs, and additional engineering system complexity compared to plant producing only heat [12].From the surveys carried out by Tranter et al [10], it is apparent that farmers understand the benefits of an anaerobic digester in terms of biogas and bio-fertiliser production, but have difficulties in appreciating the economics of establishing and operating a combined AD and CHP system.…”

Section: Uk Government Incentives For Anaerobic Digestionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of Renewable Energy Policies on the Adoption of Anaerobic Digesters with Farm-Fed Wastes in Great Britain

Gowreesunker

Tassou

2016

Energies

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This paper explores the effects of the feed-in tariff (FiT) and renewable heat incentive (RHI) schemes on the adoption of anaerobic digesters (AD), and the potential energy generation from farm-fed wastes in Great Britain. This paper adopts a linear programming model, developed in the International Energy Agency (IEA) TIMES platform, aiming to quantify the degree of adoption of AD and the type of energy generation technologies that can be driven by digester biogas to reduce farm energy costs. The results show that the adoption of AD is cost-beneficial for all farms, but different rates of the FiT and RHI schemes will influence the competitiveness between the implementation of combined heat and power (CHP) systems and the utilisation of biogas to only generate heat. The choice of technology is further dependent on the electricity/heat use ratio of the farms and the energy content of the feedstock. The results show that pig farms will more readily adopt CHP, because of its relatively higher electricity-to-heat use ratio, compared to other types of farms, which will favour biogas boilers.

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Assessing the potential for the uptake of on-farm anaerobic digestion for energy production in England

Cited by 42 publications

References 17 publications

Anaerobic co-digestion of swine manure with energy crop residues

Anaerobic co-digestion of swine manure with energy crop residues

The Role of Anaerobic Digestion in Achieving Soil Conservation and Sustainable Agricultural Development in the UK

The Impact of Renewable Energy Policies on the Adoption of Anaerobic Digesters with Farm-Fed Wastes in Great Britain

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