What is anaerobic digestion (AD) and how does it fit with the INEOS Bio process?
AD and the INEOS process can be viewed as complementary technologies. AD is a biological process using bacteria in the absence of oxygen to break down organic waste into biogas, containing methane and carbon dioxide, which is combusted to generate renewable power. AD is an accepted solution for treating relatively small quantities of wet wastes such as animal slurries and source separated food waste. AD is not suitable for woody wastes as it cannot break down lignin, which can contain up to half of the calories of woody biomass. Note; ‘wet’ AD processes treat biomass wastes containing 10-15% dry solids and ‘dry’ AD processes treat wastes containing 30-45% dry solids. The INEOS Bio process is most suited to wastes, which have more than 50% dry solids content. The wastes can be dried in an energy-efficient manner using low grade waste heat from the INEOS Bio process.