PlanET Biogas UK Ltd. has been contracted as technology provider for a 500 kWel AD plant in Shropshire, set for completion in September.

Having already constructed four AD plants across the border in Herefordshire, work on Bitterley Biogas AD plant began in June, and the 500 kWel installation is set to come online in September, using predominantly cattle manure from surrounding farms as a feedstock.

Excavation and concrete works for the digester have already been completed at the site near Ludlow. When complete, the state of the art AD plant will process 9000 tonnes of manure and 4000 tons of crop based feedstock.

James Wheeler of Bitterley Biogas AD Ltd, is particularly impressed with the quick response of PlanET Biogas UK. He said, “This must be a record. It took just 2.5 months from our first contact with PlanET in late April until tank construction”.

The future operator of the facility, Mark Gatehouse, explained the company’s motivation for moving into AD, adding “At full capacity the combined heat and power plant will supply clean and renewable energy for about 1000 households in the area. Beside this aspect, I am really pleased to improve our farm’s fertiliser management by digesting existing agricultural residues and recycling nutrients”.

Efficiency and CO2 savings

The AD plant consists of a solid feeding container with advanced maceration technology to pre-treat longer straw fibres. The concrete digester is equipped with a gas-tight membrane air supported roof and adjustable mixers. After separation of solids a pump will re-circulate liquids into the digester so that no additional water will be necessary. In future the excess heat of the CHP (combined heat & power) will be used for drying digestate. The product will be sold or applied to fields as fertiliser, which the manufacturers say will result in savings of fuel and CO2.