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NNFCC
Anaerobic Digestion
This information is taken from two in-depth studies on anaerobic digestion (AD); A Detailed Economic Assessment of Anaerobic Digestion Technology and
its Suitability to UK Farming and Waste Systems, NNFCC 10-010, written by The Andersons Centre for the NNFCC, and Farm-Scale Anaerobic Digestion
Plant Efficiency, NNFCC 11-015, written by the NNFCC for the UK Government Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC). These reports and an
accompanying AD Cost Calculator can be downloaded from the NNFCC website at www.nnfcc.co.uk
AD is the process where plant and animal material (biomass) is converted into
useful products by micro-organisms in the absence of air. This biomass can be
unwanted wastes, such as slurry or leftover food, or crops grown specifically for
feeding the digester. The outputs from the digestion process are;
Biogas: A mixture of 60% methane, 40% carbon dioxide and traces of other
Digestate: An inert and sterile wet product containing valuable plant nutrients
and organic humus. This product can be separated into liquor and fibre for
application to land or secondary processing.
Landfill Tax
agronomic benefits.
Technical Data
Heat
consumer
Power
Heat
Electricity
grid/local
use
Digestate
output to
land
Equivalent value
( per tonne)
Cattle slurry
15 25
4.00 6.00
Pig slurry
15 25
4.00 6.80
Poultry
30 100
8.10 27.00
Maize silage
200 220
54.40 60.00
Grass silage
160 200
43.50 54.40
50.00 60.00
Crude glycerine
580 1,000
155.00 270.00
Rapemeal
600 650
160.00 170.00
23 MJ
2.5 kWh
slu
Feedstock
Digestate
storage
Digester
rr y
Cattle sheds
Reception
unit + mixer
Silage
clamp
CHP unit
biogas
Summary
Useful Links
Additional
feedstock
e.g. food waste
Economics
Economics can be variable, depending on feedstock mix, scale and
technology. High capital costs are often quoted, but generally these assume
no infrastructure already exists. If, for example, you already have good access
and good slurry storage & handling facilities the costs can be significantly lower.
Our AD Cost Calculator will give you an idea of the level of investment required.
Generally, given the right mix of feedstock, scale and technology, payback can
be as quick as 5 7 years.