Green Vegetables Gas Up
reason why he is pleased with the plant
layout is that his company advocates the
determined protection
of resources.
WELTEC BIOPOWER Builds 500-kW before the two 2,625-m³ stainless-steel
In line with the goal to constantly
Biogas Plant for Vegetable Producer
digesters; a 6,000-m³ tank is planned for improve the ecological footprint, the
In January 2015, WELTEC BIOPOWER gas-tight
decision-makers decided to supply their
started building an anaerobic digestion
digestate storage. In addition to vegetable own energy: About 40 percent of the
plant in Loughgall,
waste, cattle manure, chicken litter as
power generated by the 500-kW CHP
Northern Ireland. The customer and
well as whole crop, grass and maize
plant can be utilised in the company‘s
operator of the 500-kW plant is the
silage will be used.
own production process. In the near
vegetable producer Gilfresh
Especially in view of the different
future, the efficiency will increase even
Produce. The enterprise produces
properties of the substances to be
more due to the upcoming expansion of
numerous field-grown products and
used, the investors were impressed
the cold storage. The excess power is fed
processes them into food.
by the WELTEC solution for
into the public grid,
„For WELTEC, this is the third plant in uninterrupted entry of the input
and the process heat is made use of for
Northern Ireland and thus the eleventh in material: The robust MULTIMix system heating the company buildings and for
the UK“, says Kevin
guarantees continuous utilisation and
the production processes.
Monson, sales manager of WELTEC
homogenisation of the substrates and
BIOPOWER UK Ltd., in Stoneleigh,
stable plant operation. In combination
Warwickshire.
with an 80-m³ solid matter dosing feeder,
Thanks to Northern Ireland‘s mild Gulf the WELTEC system ensures optimum
Stream climate, the products of Gilfresh shredding
grow well on an agricultural
and intensive mixing of the vegetable
area of 1,000 ha. The product portfolio
waste and long-fibre silage. The efficient
of the growth-oriented family enterprise pre-processing of the substances ensures,
includes root vegetables,
not only biological decomposition and
salad crops and numerous cabbage
efficient gas yield, but also low energy
varieties. The company – which was
consumption of the plant.
established more than 50 years ago and „The biogas plant will enable us to
has almost 130 employees – also grows pursue our growth course on the one hand
trend products like pak choi.
and our ecological goals on the other
Gilfresh used to deliver the vegetable
hand“, explains Thomas Gilpin, founder
waste that accumulates in the sorting,
of Gilfresh. „WELTEC has designed
washing and packaging processes to
the plant precisely for our specific
farmers as cattle feed. From July 2015,
production conditions. What ultimately
the waste and the vegetable washing
conviced us was the fact that WELTEC
water will be loaded into the bioreactor. was able to offer this flexible design with
To maintain an optimum stock level, an high-quality technologies at excellent
underground pre-storage tank is located conditions“, says Thomas. Another
Such projects are necessary to enable the
UK to provide 15 percent of their energy
demand from renewable
energy sources by 2020. Furthermore,
carbon emissions are to be reduced by
about three quarters by then, compared
to 1990. The UK have understood that
besides wind and solar energy, another
renewable source needs to be established
in order to ensure reliable supply, and
have subsidised bioenergy by means
of measures such as attractive feedin tariffs for regional power. „If other
entrepreneurs follow the example of
Gilfresh Produce, the United Kingdom
will be able to reach the defined climate
goals“,
says Kevin Monson.