New plant converts food waste to energy
Researchers at Campden & Chorleywood Food Research Association (CCFRA) have installed a pilot plant that is capable of transforming hundreds of kilos of food waste into bioethanol using a novel production process.
The technology has been developed by second generation biofuel specialist Biocaldol. The key to it is the use of patented micro-organisms that grow at high temperatures and can rapidly convert a wide range of celluosic material into bioethanol in high yields.
This was much more cost- effective than 'first generation' bioethanol, derived by yeast fermentation from cereal crops like corn, wheat or sugar, said CCFRA higher research officer Dr Andrew Green. "You can also convert organic material into methane using anaerobic digestion, but it's very slow, and methane is hard to store. Our method only takes a day."
