First Milk cheese plant completes first stage of AD

The first stage in a large sustainability project at one of the UK's largest cheese creameries operated by First Milk has been completed by anaerobic digestion (AD) treatment specialist Clearfleau.

Once fully operational, the plant will feed bio-methane into the gas grid the first dairy processing site in Europe to do so.

Lake District Biogas, a company set up to manage the project for First Milk, has commissioned Clearfleau to design, build and operate the bio-energy plant. When operational at the cheese creamery in Aspatria, Cumbria, the AD technology will reduce residual sludge management costs, while generating renewable energy for use on site. The project will benefit from government subsidies for renewable energy technologies.

The integrated on-site AD plant at Aspatria will take over from the existing aerobic plant in early 2016 and will treat the creamery’s wastewater output as well as its whey permeate.

Contact: Clearfleau