The future of AD

The Composting Association and the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management recently teamed up to conduct a seminar on the future of anaerobic digestion in the UK.

Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a process through which microorganisms break down biodegradable material without oxygen. It is widely used to treat sewage and organic wastes as it greatly reduces the amount of waste that would otherwise be sent to landfills or incinerators. The process also produces two potentially useful by-products: biogas, which can be used to generate electricity and fuel cars, and digestate, which can be made into a high-quality soil conditioner.

The seminar highlighted ways in which AD can help waste managers. Speakers from both the commercial and not-for-profit sectors discussed issues concerning the different stages of AD including initial waste collection, processing methods for collected materials and ways to develop a market for digestate.

Jeremy Jacobs, Development Director at the Composting Association, considered the seminar a success, claiming: "Thanks to the Waste Strategy for England and Wales, anaerobic digestion is the hot topic of the day. Everybody wants to know what it means for them and how they can get involved. Hopefully, the delegates who attended this event will have come away with the tools they need to make informed and intelligent decisions about the suitability of anaerobic digestion for their organisation."