Granville Ecopark: Turning waste into a resource
Granville Ecopark Ltd in Dungannon is making waves in the area of energy from waste, utilising locally collected food waste and garden waste as a resource to contribute 4.8 MW of renewable energy into the Northern Irish electricity grid.
What sets E
copark apart is its ability to process packaged food, recycling the packaging, and using anaerobic digestion to convert the food to produce biogas fuel which powers renewable energy and in the process creates nutrient rich digestate which can be used as fertiliser.
The Ecopark also provides consultancy services to companies to assist in waste disposal. Services include bio-waste audits and logistical recommendations, helping companies meet their environmental obligations. The Ecopark is a great asset to Northern Ireland. It is the largest anaerobic digestion facility in Ireland and the plant was the first to be certified under the new Anaerobic Digestion Certification Scheme - a scheme established to define operational excellence in the sector and outline best practices.
The plant is a great example of a sustainable waste solution, with a plethora of secondary benefits arising such as:
- energy security by moving away from fossil fuel based energy generation
- reduced methane emissions from avoided decomposition of organic materials in landfill
- reduced need to apply chemical fertilisers and pesticides due to the nutrient rich digestate byproduct
- improved manure management, reducing methane emissions from manure storage.
Grenville Ecopark has recently expanded allowing them to now convert surplus biogas into biomethane, which is used to power Combined Heat and Power (CHP) engines to create renewable heat and electricity for its customers. Granville has pledged to continue to excel in environmental energy production and in 2017 agreed a partnership with Northern Ireland Environment Agency to develop innovative solutions to maximise energy production from waste and work with the local community to deliver environmental initiatives.
For more information on Granville Ecopark Ltd click here
For more information on the Digestion Certification Scheme click here