The Role of Anaerobic Digestion Technology in Treating Organic Waste – UK Experience Presentation to GreenCape Networking event, 23 rd August 2016 Andrew Street Director, SLR Consulting astreet@slrconsulting.com 1
PRESENTATION OVERVIEW Setting the scene – technology options and selection The UK journey towards a circular economy and the role of waste treatment technology The role that Anaerobic Digestion is playing in treating organic waste streams South African Case Study Conclusions 2
PRESENTATION OVERVIEW Setting the scene – technology options and selection The role that Anaerobic Digestion is playing in treating organic waste streams The UK journey towards a circular economy and the role of waste treatment technology South African Case Study Conclusions 3
EMERGENCE OF THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY • Historic linear model of ‘take -make-consume and dispose’ assumes resources are abundant, available and cheap to get rid of • The last 10-15 years has seen a dramatic change in the way we view and treat waste. • The ‘Circular Economy’ sees waste as a resource – Materials reclaimed and reused or recycled as secondary raw materials for new products – Organic waste a source of soil nutrients – Energy generated from any residual waste that cannot be recycled • Reduces pressure on natural resources / supply chains • Contributes to sustainable economic growth and employment 4
PRINCIPAL WASTE TREATMENT / CONVERSION TECHNOLOGY OPTIONS • Non-thermal: • Composting [ organic waste ] • Anaerobic Digestion (AD) [ principally organic waste ] • Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT / RDF production ) • Mechanical Heat Treatment – Autoclaving [ residual waste ] (Note that all these technologies are intermediate processes and markets are required for the products) • Thermal: • Incineration with energy recovery [ residual waste / RDF ] • Advanced Thermal Treatment (ATT - gasification / pyrolysis / plasma arc) [ principally RDF / refined RDF ] • Landfill will still be required for final post-treatment residues (but much reduced quantities) 5
TECHNOLOGY SELECTION – CRITICAL ISSUES • National / Provincial / Municipality strategy and policy • Collection strategy (segregated or mixed streams) and impact on composition - and future changes • Seasonal variations in composition (impact on input stream) • Financial drivers : • Availability and cost of landfill • Landfill or incineration levies / taxes (current or future) • Enhanced tariffs for renewable energy generation / use • Status of the technology (fully commercial or otherwise) and ‘bankability’ • Markets for process outputs (demand and commercial context): • Recyclable streams (quality and variability of outputs) • Compost / digestate (quality and variability of outputs) • Compost like output / RDF / biomass (quality of outputs) • Bio-fuels 6
MAIN PITFALLS AND LESSONS FROM THE PAST • Failure to properly understand the waste flows – quality and quantity • Failure to recognise that the waste is variable and will change significantly over time • Failure to match waste feedstock (including variability) with technology • Failure to select technology that is proven - and therefore ‘bankable’ • Failure to understand the character of the process outputs • Failure to have established, sustainable and commercially viable markets for all process outputs • Failure to recognise that market demands can, and will change over time Success comes through a thorough understanding of waste flows, technology and markets for process outputs – and the interfaces 7
PRESENTATION OVERVIEW Setting the scene – technology options and selection The UK journey towards a circular economy and the role of waste treatment technology The role that Anaerobic Digestion is playing in treating organic waste streams South African Case Study Conclusions 8
THE UK JOURNEY TOWARDS A CIRCULAR ECONOMY • In Europe we have EU-wide legislation in place to force biodegradable waste away from landfill to alternatives • Relatively high targets for recycling (50% plus) • Some countries have landfill bans, some have landfill levies • Many have renewable energy incentives (Feed-in Tariffs, etc) • The drivers have therefore been in place over the last 10-15 years to plan and develop new waste collection / treatment and disposal infrastructure • In the last 5-10 years one of the largest waste management markets in the world has been the UK (around R175 * billion spend to 2020) • Many hundreds of new facilities have been built, are under construction, or are planned – of all types • The knowledge gained of every type of treatment / management technology is therefore extensive – we’ve learned how to make choices! * NOTE – Current (August 2016) exchange rate R / £ of 17.5 9
KEY DRIVER – LANDFILL LEVY EVOLUTION Escalator set at R140/tonne; Levy has now reached R1,500tonne (and increasing with inflation) Initially set at R140/tonne 10
• Existing plants ORGANICS: ANAEROBIC • Prospective plants DIGESTION • The latest map of UK AD facilities (opposite) shows a significant number of existing plants, and a proliferation of prospective sites. • Please note that this map includes ADs with feedstock including segregated food waste, food processing wastes, agricultural wastes and energy crops (but excludes sewage treatment works). 11
ANAEROBIC DIGESTION (continued ...) • The UK has seen recent rapid growth in AD capacity • This has led to concerns over the over provision of AD capacity 12
AD FACILITIES (continued ...) Top 20 largest AD facilities (focussing on those which are operational or in construction): Throughput Operator Facility name Status Area (ktpa) ReFood Dagenham AD In construction 160 Dagenham Updated Earthly Energy In construction 129 North Yorkshire Lake District Biogas Ltd Lake District Biogas AD In construction 126 Wigton Biffa Biffa - Cannock (Poplars) Operational 120 Cannock PDM ReFood Operational 115 Doncaster BioConstruct NewEnergy Imperial Park AD In construction 110 Middlesborough Ltd Rockscape Energy Ltd Operational 101 North Moor Farm Shanks Cumbernauld / Orgworld Operational 100 Glasgow BRITISH SUGAR PLC Bury St Edmunds In construction 97 Bury St Edmunds Roseisle Speyside Whisky Roseisle Speyside Whisky Roseisle Operational 90 Distillery Distillery PDM ReFood Operational 90 Widnes Diageo Ltd Glenfiddich Distillery Operational 88 Keith AC Shropshire Ltd Green Lodge Farm Operational 86 Leicester Corsock Farm Corsock Farm Operational 80 Dalbeattie JFS Clapham Lodge Clapham Lodge In construction 80 Northallerton Biogas Ltd Tamar / Fred Walter & Operational 76 Sutton Grange Sons Ltd 13
UK INCENTIVES TO SUPPORT DEVELOPMENT OF AD • Feed-in Tariffs( generation tariff and export tariff) Facility Size Pence / kWh Rand / kWh Total installed capacity of 250kWe or less 7.39 1.293 Total installed capacity between 250kWe and 500kWe 6.82 1.194 Total installed capacity in excess of 500kWe 7.03 1.230 • Renewable Obligation Certificates – currently set at 1.8 ROCs/MWh. The value of ROCs varies as they are traded. Replaced by Contracts for Difference (CfD) for larger generators of 5MWe and above. • Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), provides a fixed income (per kWh) to generators of renewable heat, and producers of renewable biogas and bio-methane. Current rates: Facility Size Pence / kWh Rand / kWh Small biogas combustion (less than 200 kWth) 7.5 1.312 Medium biogas combustion (between 200 and 600 kWth) 5.9 1.032 Large biogas combustion (greater than 600 kWth) 2.2 0.385 Bio-methane injection (all scales) 7.5 1.312 14
• Established RESIDUAL WASTE: • Newly developed PRE-TREATMENT FACILITIES • Prospective • Existing and prospective pre- treatment facilities (shown opposite) outnumber thermal processing plants 15
PRE-TREATMENT FACILITIES (continued ...) • Existing – 50 facilities operational or in construction (6 Mtpa capacity). • Prospective – facilities with planning granted / proposed would double capacity to 12 Mtpa (though again many will not be realised). 16
• Established THERMAL FACILITIES • Newly developed • The map opposite illustrates • Prospective locations of UK conventional thermal facilities. • Plants shown include: • ‘Established’ plants – operational in, or before, 2008. ‘Newly developed’ plants • – operational post 2008, or in construction. • ‘Prospective’ plants – which have planning permission granted, or are at the proposal stage. 17
THERMAL FACILITIES (continued ...) • Existing – 41 facilities operational or in construction (over 10 Mtpa capacity) • Prospective – the same amount of capacity again with planning granted / proposed (though many of these will not be realised). 18
ADVANCED THERMAL TREATMENT FACILITIES • Existing ATT facilities (mapped opposite) are currently much less numerous than incineration. • ... however a large number of prospective facilities have been put forward. • Existing plants • Prospective plants 19
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