Monthly Archives: May 2015

Muntons AD plant to produce bio-fertiliser

Maltster and malted ingredients company Muntons is putting the finishing touches to a £5.4m anaerobic digestion (AD) plant at its Stowmarket site in Suffolk. This will help turn up to 80,000 tonnes of liquid malt waste into a high quality bio-fertiliser while helping reduce Muntons’ CO2 emissions by 1,159 tonnes a year. The bio-fertiliser by-product of the AD process, known as digestate, will be used on local farmland, helping the company’s network of growers to produce some of the 250,000 tonnes of barley needed to make around 180,000 tonnes of Muntons’ malt each year.

Muntons is a company with sustainability at its core. Analysis showed that 60% of the carbon footprint of its supply chain came from the artificial fertiliser used by its barley growers. Unlike many AD projects where digestate is something of an afterthought, for Muntons it would help the firm meet its sustainability criteria. The firm realised that using its liquid malt waste as feedstock for an on-site AD plant would not only produce a high quality digestate for its farmers to use instead of artificial fertiliser, it would also cut 3,000 tanker movements per year and generate 25% of the site’s electricity demand.

Spreading 80,000 tonnes of liquid waste from Muntons’ processing plant to land was resulting in some 3,000 tanker journeys each year. The new treatment plant will remove the need for these journeys, plus it will capture nutrients such as phosphate which was previously lost when treated effluent was discharged to the river. The digestate is high in organic matter and will act as a soil conditioner and improver, and will have a wider application window than the liquid waste previously produced.

The digestate will be pasteurised to meet stringent PAS 110 standards using the HRS Heat Exchangers 3 Tank Batch system. Based on the plant’s feedstock derived from barley or water, pasteurisation ensures that the final fertiliser is free from plant pathogens or other biological contaminants.

As well as a comprehensive proposal, the Muntons’ team was impressed by the HRS system, which can save up to 70% of heat required, as well as its ability to run at a half flow rate, should the volume of digestate stock reduce. Additionally, the equipment’s monitoring feature enables Muntons to track every batch of digestate back to the feedstock from which it was produced. “The fact that the HRS system offers batch reporting was also a big draw; traceability is very important to us and our customers,” remarks Lawrence Howes, Project Engineer at Muntons.

Matt Hale, International Sales Manager at HRS, adds: “For Muntons this whole project has been about maximising efficiency. Although they have an abundance of heat, they still wanted to recapture what they could and our heat exchangers will provide 40% heat regeneration. Our system also allows the tanks to run at half flow rates if necessary. This means that you can still carry on pasteurising to comply with PAS 110 without having to wait to build up a stock of digestate.”

The HRS system works on a three tank principle; while one tank is being filled, the second tank holds the sludge at 70°C at the same time as the third tank is being emptied (each process lasts one hour). Waste cooling water from the CHP engine is used to heat the sludge in corrugated tube-in-tube heat exchangers, which is more efficient than heating an entire tank of digestate. HRS has also incorporated an energy recovery section into the process to make it even more efficient: energy is transferred from the hotter (pasteurised) sludge to the colder (unpasteurised) sludge, reducing energy consumption by up to 70% compared to normal systems and using heat which would otherwise be wasted.

After treatment in the HRS pasteurisation unit the digestate is passed through a centrifuge to remove water, resulting in a product which contains around 35% dry solids. “We expect growers to be able to apply the resulting fertiliser with a muck spreader or similar system,” explains Nigel Davies, Muntons’ Manufacturing and Sustainability Director. “By using waste solely from our manufacturing process we have full control over our feedstock – this ensures that our digestate will be free from plastics and other contaminants.”

The AD plant is currently undergoing commissioning and will become fully operational in late spring. For Muntons, the benefits are clear – better waste management, a reduction in tanker movements, energy generation, and a PAS 110 quality pasteurised digestate. All in all Muntons has significantly reduced its carbon footprint saving 1159 tonnes of CO2 pa (from 27,264 to 26,605) – the emission equivalent of 300 average family cars (approx.).

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First Published at Farming News on 5 March 2015.

Swiss to trial GM potato

The Swiss Federal Office for the Environment has given permission for scientists to carry out crop trials involving genetically modified (GM) potatoes which are resistant to late blight at a site at Reckenholz near Zurich.

The Agroscope research centre will be able to start planting the potatoes from late at the end of April and the field experiments should run until 2019 at the latest.

Initially crops will be planted in a 10m x 20m area, which will be extended next year. The risk that GM pollen may spread is much lower among potatoes than for other species, said scientists at Agroscope. The field will still be protected by security guards, fences and cameras after activists destroyed a GM wheat crop being tested at the Zurich site in 2008.

Environmental NGO Greenpeace has publicly criticised the project, saying, “Every centime invested in the development of GM food is a badly invested centime.”

Anti-GM group Coordination Stop OGM added, “Limited research funds shouldn’t be invested in trials that offer no solution for Switzerland.”

The scientists aim to develop potatoes that are resistant to blight, and Dutch researchers have already successfully tested similar potatoes.

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New chair for Leafy Salads Association

After Graham Clarkson of Vitacress stepped down as Chairman of the British Leafy Salads Association in March, the Industry body that represents UK growers and packers of salads has appointed Valefresco Ltd’s Technical Manager, Jackie Harris, as its new Chairman.

Jackie brings with her more than 25 years of experience in fresh produce, in particular salads and herbs, having worked for some of the biggest names in the sector, including Organic Farm Foods, Lighthorne Herbs, Vitacress, VHB Herbs and Lincolnshire Herbs.

The Association hopes to benefit from Jackie’s in-depth knowledge and expertise in outdoor, protected and baby leaf crops. In her current role at Valefresco, Jackie manages the technical aspects of over 1000 acres of outdoor salads and more than 45 acres of protected cropping.

Commenting on her appointment, Jackie said, “I am delighted to have been elected as Chair. Since starting out in the business at the tender age of fourteen, working for a local market gardener, my passion for fresh produce has gone from strength to strength. Leafy salads is a vibrant industry and I’m looking forward to working alongside BLSA members and other organisations to further raise its profile to promote British salads and produce at every opportunity.”

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New teaching modules in organic farming & horticulture

The Soil Association and Bridgwater College’s Cannington Centre have teamed up to offer new modules in organic farming and horticulture within the college’s range of undergraduate qualifications.

Cannington’s Head of Land based provision, Jeremy Kerswell, said, “We have seen a growth in the demand for new sustainable farming practices from producers and growers, across our engagement with employers in agriculture and horticultural industries. This exciting partnership is vital to ensuring that the future needs of the industry are met.”

From September 2015, students on the Higher National Certificate in Horticulture will study organic principles and practices as a core module. The college will offer tailored intermediate and advanced level apprenticeships in organic agriculture and horticulture. The college is also developing a new module within the BSc Hons. in Agriculture focusing on organic principles and practices, to run from September 2016.

Both modules will feature speakers from the Soil Association as well as expert organic farmers and growers. The modules will also be available as stand-alone courses for people wanting to develop their knowledge of organic horticulture and agriculture.

Liz Bowles Head of Farming at the Soil Association added, “We are delighted to be working with Cannington to support the introduction of these new modules and qualifications in organic farming. These new qualifications will enable more young people to find out about organic farming practices and how they might apply them within their careers in the land based sector.”

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Early UK tomato season

Retailer Waitrose hailed the start of the English tomato season on 21 April, saying that thanks to the ‘spring heatwave’ its first English tomatoes of the year are available and in larger quantities than usual at the start of the season.

The English-grown tomatoes included the varieties Jack Hawkins which are large, sweet and juicy tomatoes — perfect for slicing, Red Choice better known as the connoisseur’s tomato with its luxurious aroma and Baby Plum, the tiny sweet and juicy variety.

The tomatoes are grown in greenhouses by Waitrose growers up and down the country and are hand-picked to ensure they reach shopper’s plates in perfect condition.

Peter Cooke, Waitrose Vegetable Buyer comments; “Our customers can choose from a wide variety of home grown tomatoes and in bigger quantities than this time last year.  Tomatoes are so versatile but the best way to enjoy this early season crop is to serve simply in a salad with a drizzle of olive oil. There is no better way to make the most of this fantastic spring weather.”

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New Chief Executive for Soil Association Certification

The UK’s largest organic certification body, Soil Association Certification, has appointed Martin Sawyer as its new chief executive to the organisation through the next phase of its development.

Martin has previously worked in management roles for Premier Foods, Bomfords Ltd, Oscar Mayer and Bakkavor, operating in corporate and private business environments in the UK and on mainland Europe.

Speaking about the new role, Martin Sawyer said; “I am looking forward to leading Soil Association Certification through the next phase – continuing to work hard to make organic accessible for everyone and growing our certification business in all areas across food, textiles, health and beauty and forestry products.

“I believe that everyone should have access to local, seasonal, affordable, healthy and organic food.  I’m looking forward to working with an organisation that shares this vision. Soil Association schemes like the Catering Mark already show great success in providing over one million meals each day, making good food the norm in schools, hospitals, care homes and workplaces – all places where people have little food choice.”

Soil Association Certification is responsible for certifying over 70% of all organic products sold in the UK. It also certifies other schemes including the Food for Life Catering Mark and FSC and PEFC forestry standards.

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