Published this month by WRAP and the National Non-Food Crops Centre (NNFCC), ‘Anaerobic digestion infrastructure in the UK: September 2011’ is intended to establish a baseline of the UK’s anaerobic digestion infrastructure to help map future growth. The study follows research carried out by WRAP and the NNFCC, the UK’s National Centre for BioRenewable Fuel, Energy and Materials, in response to the government’s AD strategy and action plan published in June 2011.
In September 2011 the UK had a total of 214 AD plants, including 146 sewage treatment AD plants in the waste water sector, with an overall capacity to process more than 5 million tonnes of material per annum, and a total installed generating capacity of over 170MW of electricity. 44 of the 68 new plants are waste fed with a total processing capacity of 3.7 million tonnes per annum - 24 are farm fed, 13 are industrial fed and 31 non-industrial fed.
The baseline infrastructure covers the whole of the UK AD industry, including the water industry and sites accepting food waste and farm-based waste processors. The 214 plants accept a variety of feedstock types, including food waste, farm wastes, purpose grown crops and waste water & sewage.
Only two of the plants currently inject biogas directly into the gas grid – one of which is at Didcot sewage works, which became operational in October 2010 and the other is a waste-fed AD plant at Adnans brewery in Suffolk.
The water industry has used AD as a sewage treatment method for many years. However, biomethane injection into the gas grid is not widespread at present in the UK. The Didcot sewage works scheme is a joint project between British Gas, Thames Water, and Scotia Gas, which injects the gas directly into the grid. The site processes waste from 33,000 homes and is also able to provide gas to up to 200 homes.
More AD plants are now in the pipeline for the UK – as at September 2011 27 farm fed plants and 78 waste fed plants had received planning consent, while a further 80 plants were in the planning system awaiting the outcome of their application.
If all the proposed plants become operational this would more than double the UK ‘s existing AD infrastructure.
However the report counsels caution approach in interpreting the figures as there is “uncertainty about the number of plants progressing from planning through to operation”.
The baseline will be updated on an ongoing basis as and when new plants come online.
for use in chlorine monitoring equipment after similar pumps were found less reliable. 
Welsh Water’s challenge to upgrade the sewage infrastructure within the £multi-million brownfield Swansea Waterfront re-development was facilitated with an innovative Hydro Vortex Drop™ shaft solution from Hydro International.
north-east of Kiev, the Ukrainian capital. The Berson UV systems disinfect effluent prior to its discharge into the Desna River. 
