Harnessing the Power of Biogas and Biomethane from Food Waste

Every year, an astonishing amount of food is wasted globally, contributing to environmental problems and economic losses:

• The United States discards a staggering 60.3 million tonnes of food annually
• The European Union isn’t far behind with an estimated 59 million tonnes of wasted food
• In Ireland approximately 800,000 tonnes of food waste is generated in Ireland each year

To combat this issue, jurisdictions worldwide are taking steps to ban organic materials from landfills and encourage their collection through green bin programmers.

Most EU member countries have already implemented food waste diversion plans, and by 2024, all members will be required to introduce separate collection programmes for green and kitchen wastes.

Rising Biogas Facilities

European markets for food waste digestion including the United Kingdom with has 87 sites, Spain with 53 sites, Italy with 47 sites and Germany with 218 sites and in Ireland there are less than 20 Anaerobic Digestion plants with only two that are gas-to-grid producing biomethane, which is a more complex but more sustainable end point and the remaining 18 are only gas-to-power, they make biogas but then put it through a CHP for electricity. There are currently plans in place in Ireland to build 130 anaerobic digestion biomethane plants in rural Ireland by 2030.

In Ireland the EPA recently launched a new Food Waste Charter, calling on all businesses and State Agencies operating across the food supply chain in Ireland to sign up and commit to reducing food waste. Building on the success of the first charter – which launched in 2017 and focused on the grocery retail sector—this new, more ambitious Charter, expands the call to action to every organisation in Ireland’s food supply chain.

Businesses signing up to the Food Waste Charter voluntarily commit to measure their food waste, set targets and take action to reduce food waste, and to report annually on progress, With almost 800,000 tonnes of food waste generated in Ireland annually, meeting Ireland’s commitment to halve food waste by 2030 is very challenging,

The potential for harnessing biogas and biomethane from food waste is enormous, with a growing number of initiatives and projects aimed at reducing food waste and promoting sustainable energy production. As these efforts continue to expand globally, the biogas and biomethane market is expected to thrive, contributing to a more sustainable and environmentally friendly  future.

If you would like to know more about Biomethane for your buisness contact marketfes@flogas.ie.