Second Agrivert AD plant achieves PAS 110 status

The 10 million facility, which has been operational since January, was officially opened by resource minister Lord de Mauley in May (see letsrecycle.com story).

It is the last of six organic waste facilities built by the firm under a 20-year contract to provide food waste treatment for Oxfordshire county council. Oxfordshires food waste is also treated at Agriverts Cassington AD plant in nearby Witney and four of the firms composting sites.

The 50,000 tonnes per annum capacity facility is Agriverts second plant alongside the Cassington AD facility to achieve the PAS 110 standard, which, according to the firm, makes it the first operator with two PAS 110 accredited plants in the UK.

The PAS 110 certification, first published in February 2010, sets the parameters on input materials and the management system for the AD process. The aim of the specification is remove barriers to the development of AD by assuring end users of digestate that the product is of a consistent quality, according to the standards agency BSI.

Landmark

Commenting on the announcement, Harry Waters, Agriverts commercial director, said: Agrivert considers PAS 110 to be an essential hallmark that we and our many stakeholders automatically associate with best practice. PAS 110 is not easily achieved and less than 20% of the AD operators in the UK have been able to achieve this standard so we are naturally delighted be awarded PAS 110 on a second plant.

Agrivert has always been a strong supporter of the PAS standards. We were the first company to hold PAS 100 at an ABPR composting site back in 2005 and are now the only company in the UK to hold both PAS 100 and PAS 110.

The AD process at Wallingford produces 2.3MW of electricity enough to power 4,000 households and a PAS 110-certified digestate fertiliser for spreading on more than 2,500 acres of local farmland.

The facility treats municipal food waste, as well as other types of solid and liquid organic wastes from Oxfordshire as well as waste secured as part of the companys 25-year waste treatment contract with the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead (see letsrecycle.com story).