ENVIRONMENTAL Consultancy Aqua Enviro has been given a £100,000 government grant for r&d which could help businesses cut waste costs and generate renewable energy.
The Yorkshire based company, a specialist in water, wastewater treatment and organic waste, has been coordinating trials with the York Biorenewables Development Centre (BDC) and has now received funding from the Technology Strategy Board. The company says it has identified a new process, microwave hydrolysis, which has the potential to significantly boost the efficiency of AD systems.
The research appears to show that AD can be boosted dramatically using the new technology, making more efficient use of biofuel energy. Paul Lavender at Aqua Enviro, said: “We believe this technology can bring significant benefits to the Anaerobic Digestion process [ compared to the typical configurations used currently ] and to the wider environmental industry in the UK by creating renewable energy and potentially helping businesses make significant savings and cut waste costs.”
Charlotte Morten of the Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association (ADBA), a trade association body which supported the bid, said: “By increasing biogas yields and making new feedstock available, the process developed in this project could improve the viability and sustainability of AD projects, while helping to cut greenhouse gas emissions, boost UK energy security and improve the profitability and sustainability of farming operations.”
