Developing a suite of novel land conditioners and plant fertilisers from the waste streams of biomass energy generation

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The use of different forms of biomass is becoming more important in the production of sustainable forms of energy; important examples include gasification and anaerobic digestion (AD)AD alone has the potential to deliver over 40TWh of renewable energy, equivalent to over 10% of the UK's domestic gas demand. As such, waste from energy generation, including ashes and digestate, are being produced in large volumes and this is likely to grow. The dominant disposal route for ash from gasification plants is to ash lagoons and landfill; whilst digestates, derived from anaerobic digestion, are typically disposed of to land at no cost. However, in the face of rising pressures on environmental resources, rising landfill taxes and accompanying waste-minimisation legislation, alternative options for waste reuse are increasingly being sought.Previous studies have demonstrated that biomass-ash and digestate can be useful nutrient sources for crop plants in nutrient limited conditions. Although virtually nitrogen free, ash is rich in many micro- and macro-nutrients. Whilst, anaerobic digestate is a rich source of trace metals and nitrogen, as well as relatively stable forms of C, which may improve soil structure and enhance C-sequestration within soil. Therefore, if combined, it is hypothesised that the mixtures of ash and digestate may be regarded as comprehensive nutrient providers and soil conditioners.This project seeks to develop a suite of novel soil conditioners and plant fertilisers from ash and digestate waste streams originating from biomass energy generation. Commercial scale energy generation from biomass, using anaerobic digestion and gasification technology is a rapidly growing sector and is forecast to generate 15% of the UK's energy demand by 2020. This proposal supports a radical change in the way that biomass energy producers can support a circular economy and facilitates new ways to mesh commercial ideas with positive environmental benefits. It would support a scopingstudy that would define an integrated pathway for multi-stakeholder research that underpins effective implementation and uptake of a new waste stream for soil conditioning.