Anaerobic Digestion. A sustainable and cost effective solution for food waste

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1 Anaerobic Digestion A sustainable and cost effective solution for food waste

2 Investing in renewable technology to support sustainable business Every year in the UK, several million tonnes of waste food from households, supermarkets and restaurants is thrown away. As environmental pressures increase and landfill charges rise, we need to find ways to deal with waste that are less expensive and more sustainable. Anaerobic digestion is a way of breaking down organic waste which also generates clean, renewable energy and rich fertiliser. Severn Trent has a wealth of experience in anaerobic digestion technology having run anaerobic digesters on a number of our sewage treatment works for over 60 years. These plants are used to recycle sludge left from the sewage treatment process, and the energy produced is used to run the sewage works. We have also been operating an anaerobic crop digester at one our sites since We re now expanding our capability and have built a food waste anaerobic digestion plant in Coleshill and we plan to build morew plants across the Midlands region. This will provide a network of facilities for food waste producers to dispose of their waste in a cost-effective and environmentally sound way.

3 Who we are... our experience gives you total peace of mind Severn Trent Plc is a FTSE 100 company. We provide and treat water and wastewater in the UK, and internationally, through our two complementary businesses Severn Trent Water and Severn Trent Services. The environment is very important to us and we know it is important to you too. It affects the way we work and where we live, so we want to help to protect it. To make sure we have a more sustainable future, we're continually investing in new developments for renewable energy. We already generate 30 per cent of our energy from renewable sources. This energy is used at many Severn Trent sites and is provided by other companies in the Severn Trent Plc Group. We do this to help protect our customers from future energy price rises. We re working to increase our energy production from renewables. We're currently researching, investigating and working on new projects that use a variety of renewable technologies including anaerobic digestion, solar, wind and hydro power. Why Severn Trent should be the first choice for your business We ll help you to save money on your waste disposal and transport costs by providing an alternative to landfill which is centrally located with good access. We ll support you in achieving your recycling targets and corporate responsibility initiatives by recycling your food waste to produce renewable energy. We re an established business with experts in anaerobic digestion technology which ensures our plants run to maximum efficiency with minimum disruption. Our commitment to sustainability means we are continually investing in renewable technologies and expanding our capability and facilities for the benefit of our customers. Our partnership approach we establish long term relationships with our customers to become a trusted partner.

4 Food waste anaerobic digestion plant in Coleshill Severn Trent has recently opened a food waste anaerobic digestion site at Coleshill Sewage Treatment Plant. The plant takes food waste from local businesses and waste management companies which is then broken down into energy and fertiliser. The capacity of the plant is 48,500 tonnes per year of both packaged and unpackaged food waste and the energy output 2.4mW, which is equivalent to the amount of electricity required to power 4,000 homes for a year. The plant accepts food waste from: Food and drink manufacturers and food processing companies. Hospitality and food service ie pubs, cafes, restaurants and hotels. Local authorities (segregated household collections). Schools, colleges, universities and hospitals. Supermarkets and retail. The site has been designed to offer the most efficient and reliable service to our customers by utilising proven process technologies and the experience gained by Severn Trent staff over many years of running anaerobic digestion plants. Benefits of using the Coleshill plant: Cost-efficient and sustainable way to recycle food waste. Diverts waste from landfill whilst achieving a high level of recycling. Flexible staff and efficient plant design offers a quick vehicle turnaround time. Renewable energy produced in the process offsets carbon emissions.

5 Scunthorpe Mansfield RIVER TRENT Stoke-on-Trent Derby Nottingham Llanfyllin Stafford Burton upon-trent Loughborough Welshpool Shrewsbury Telford Wolverhampton Leicester RIVER SEVERN Llandiloes Birmingham Coventry Ludlow Redditch Warwick Worcester Cheltenham Gloucester Address: Severn Trent Food Waste Anaerobic Digestion Plant, Marconi Way, off Eddison Road, Hams Hall Distribution Park, Coleshill, B46 1DA. Enquiries: Tel:

6 How anaerobic digestion works Anaerobic digestion is a series of biological processes in which microorganisms break down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen. One of the end products is biogas, which is combusted to generate electricity and heat, or it can be further processed into renewable natural gas and transportation fuels. Another by-product of anaerobic digestion is the material left at the end of the process, this is very rich in nutrients and is used as a rich fertiliser or soil conditioner. As all products from the process can be used and there is no waste from the process, it means it is very efficient and sustainable. Food Waste Crops Digester Waste water

7 Heat Gas Biomethane Biogas Fertiliser Electricity

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