Food waste recycling company PDMs first UK anaerobic digestion facility was officially opened today (September 9) by the leader of the Labour Party, Ed Miliband MP.
The 12 million facility has been developed by PDM in partnership with German company SARIA Bio-industries under the ReFood brand. SARIA already operates a network of ReFood AD facilities in mainland Europe.
The AD plant will handle 45,000 tonnes-a-year of food waste produced by local retailers, restaurants, food manufacturers and businesses. It will generate 2.8 MW/h of electricity and heat enough to power around 5,000 homes, while the 40,000 tonnes of nutrient-rich fertiliser produced by the plant will be used by farmers across South Yorkshire.
Furthermore, plans are underway to build a network of ReFood plants across the country, which will provide local recycling solutions for local food waste.
Paul Morris, operations director at PDM, commented: Were delighted to have opened our first ReFood plant. This service complements PDMs existing offering to the food chain and means that we can deliver a variety of localised, secure and sustainable solutions for food waste.
We believe that for the UK to eradicate food waste from landfill, we require a nationwide network of AD plants, which handle the food waste produced in a small radius. Therefore, we are now looking at expanding the ReFood network across the UK to help deliver this crucial infrastructure.
PDM says working with SARIA means it has been able to bring a more efficient and industrial-scale AD process to the UK.
Opening ceremony
As the MP for Doncaster North, Mr Miliband was one of several local stakeholders to attend todays opening ceremony. To mark the opening, he tipped the first bin of food waste into the plants depackaging unit.
Mr Miliband said: Its fantastic that Im able to open a state-of-the-art renewable-energy venture right here in Doncaster. The ReFood plant demonstrates the huge potential that exists for turning food and other household waste into renewable energy, which can then be used to heat and power thousands of homes.
Plants like this are important in many ways they provide employment and play a vital role in delivering energy savings for homes and businesses.
Construction
Related links
Work on the AD plant began in September 2010 (see letsrecycle.com story), with the companies involved in developing the facility including Scunthorpe-based civil engineering company Britcon as the main construction contractor, Danish biogas specialist Bigadan, German biogas digester construction firm Form-tec, renewable energy firm Clarke Energy and Doncaster-based architects John Hill and Associates.
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