€3m for integrated AD and green biorefining demonstration initiative
The development of an integrated anaerobic digestion and green biorefining demonstration facility offers the opportunity for the project to demonstrate climate action.
The Department of Agriculture has announced a €3m investment in an integrated anaerobic digestion and green biorefining demonstration initiative.
The funding has been jointly awarded to University College Dublin (UCD) and Munster Technological University (MTU) for the further development of climate-neutral farming as part of the Farm Zero C research project currently being undertaken on the Shinagh Estates Demonstration Farm in West Cork.
Speaking about this, Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue said that farmers will "continue to play a lead role in meeting our commitments under the Climate Action Plan with the plan helping to identify new income streams for them".
The Climate Action Plan 2023 outlines the need to support the transition to alternative land uses through diversification options.
"The targets are challenging but deliverable, with anaerobic digestion identified as one of the key areas for development," Mr McConalogue continued.
The funding will be used to create an integrated anaerobic digestion and grass biorefinery unit, which will "demonstrate the potential to produce local sources of feed and bio-based fertiliser with enhanced environmental benefits".
"This will also show the ability of such technologies to displace emissions from imported feed and fertiliser and offer diversification opportunities for farmers and the agri-food sector," Mr McConalogue added.
Minister of State Martin Heydon added that the investment announced will facilitate "tangible research, demonstration, and knowledge exchange around the important technologies of anaerobic digestion and green biorefining".
The Farm Zero C project, which will oversee the initiative, was the winner of the Science Foundation Ireland Zero Emissions Challenge in 2021.
The project co-led by BiOrbic, Ireland's national bioeconomy research centre, and the Carbery Group, a co-operative based in West Cork, aims to create an economically viable, climate-neutral dairy farm.
The development of an integrated anaerobic digestion and green biorefining demonstration facility offers the opportunity for the project to demonstrate climate action and diversification opportunities, according to the department.
This is done through the development of renewable energy sources and the displacement of off-farm emissions associated with a dairy farm through the production of local sources of protein and bio-based fertiliser.
Kevin O’Connor, BiOrbic director and project co-lead said that Irish farmers produce high-quality food, "and this can be complemented with other revenue streams from anaerobic digestion and biorefining such as renewable energy, bio-based materials, and bio-actives".
Meanwhile, on behalf of the industry partner Carbery, Enda Buckley, director of sustainability said that as part of a circular model, Carbery has had anaerobic digestion onsite in its plant in Ballineen for more than 40 years.
"With grass biorefining and AD, we are excited, with the support of the department, to bring that concept of valorisation, or adding value, into the farming model," Mr Buckley added.
