Biomass Waste EFW

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The generation of energy from Biomass covers a broad range of input materials and technologies for recovering the energy - from Combustion and ERF of waste based Biomass such as Wood Waste to Combustion of dedicated crops and virgin materials such as wood, and the indirect recovery of energy from Anaerobic Digestion of food and crops. Indeed Residual Waste EFW does itself have an element of Biomass as it contains small amounts of biogenic material i.e. food, paper, cardboard and wood etc.

Steven's Croft Biomass Facility - a facility that handles both virgin wood and waste wood biomass
Steven's Croft Biomass Facility - a facility that handles both virgin wood and waste wood biomass


Overview

Different Biomass can be used as a feedstock for Energy from Waste processes. The table below summarizes the types of Biomass used in 2017 to generate energy (excluding the Biomass content of Residual Waste) in Residual Waste EFW [1]. EfW plants that operate using Biomass as a feedstock can be considered as producing Renewable Energy[2]. Biomass can be considered a renewable fuel because the growth of Biomass removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and stores it in components of Biomass such as soil, plants and trees, acting as temporary carbon storage[3]. Biomass does release CO2 when it is burned but considerably less than fossil fuels.[4] Biomass is the largest source of renewable energy in the UK[3].

Biomass Waste EFW plants, similar to Energy from Waste facilities, can be used to generate base load power as they produce a steady, reliable amount of energy but generally cannot be adjusted to meet peak demands[5].

Biomass Overview Tonnage (mt) '16-'17 Power Generated (GWh) '16-'17
Wood Waste There were 23 Wood Waste facilities operating in the UK with another 3 taking a combination of Wood Waste and Virgin Wood and one a mixture of Wood Waste and MBM; 7 facilities were under construction 1.63 (2.1 '23[6]) 1273
Meat and Bone Meal (MBM) There were only two main facilities treating this waste stream with a third due on line 0.18 145
Agricultural Waste There were four plants in operation treating in the region of 1.0Mtpa with the dominant material being straw (animal bedding/feed) taking up around 80% of supply. Poultry Litter went to three large scale facilities with remaining tonnage sent to AD facilities and used in agriculture as a fertilizer. 1.37 1225
Sewage Sludge Managed exclusively in the UK as part of waste water integrated treatment process by the Sewerage Undertakers (two plants were operated by Thames Water and a third by United Utilities). The trend in the sector is increasingly to use advanced AD to extract energy from the Biogas generated. 0.10 23
Process Residues By-products from processing all forms of biomass that have significant energy potential and include kernels, shavings, sawdust, chaff) etc 0.09 45
Liquid Biomass Also known as Biofuel and is any kind of liquid produced from solid matter NA NA
Virgin Wood & Energy Crops There were 15 biomass facilities in operation taking Virgin Wood with another four taking a combination of Wood Waste and Virgin Wood (these figures exclude Drax Power Station); two were under construction 2.36 1516
Total 5.73 4226

The Biomass capacity of UK EfW plants is generally increasing, and from 2016 to 2017 the amount of Biomass being processed by UK facilities increased by 6.9%[1]. Analysis undertaken as part of compiling the operational capacity for the year 2018 for WikiWaste showed that 2,047,904 tonnes of Wood Waste went to the listed plants (with some plants not reporting tonnage), and just under 20,000 tonnes went to other facilities (primarily Tunstead Cement Kiln). However, several plants were operating at under design capacity, and if the capacity was considered (including co-firing plants at current rates and dedicated capacity for Wood Waste at design/plated capacity) then the overall capacity is 3,430,537 tonnes. This represents a significant proportion of the total Wood Waste market and it is questionable if all the operational sites that follow will be sustainable with the current availability of Wood Waste in the market.

Operational Biomass EFW

The following table summarizes the number of plants that follow in the second, longer list, which captures all 91 Biomass sites that were operational as of January 2022, (this list includes both virgin Biomass (dedicated) and waste related Biomass EFW). More detailed information can be found on a site/plant by clicking through to the site-specific page (at this stage WikiWaste has focused on the detailed pages for waste-related sites/plants only, including Wood Waste (highlighted green on the map), MBM, Sewage Sludge and Agricultural Waste including poultry litter and straw:

Material Type No. of Plants in List
Wood Waste 32
MBM 5
Sewage Sludge 2
Agricultural Waste 7
Non-Waste Biomass 45
Locations of Operational Biomass EfWs in the UK
Locations of Operational Biomass EfWs in the UK
ID Site Name Feedstock Capacity (MW)

1. Aberthaw Power Station Biomass Biomass 35
2. ABP Ellesmere Abbatoir MBM 1.1
3. Acharn Forest Killin Biomass Plant Biomass 5.6
4. Alscot Biomass 1.6
5. Thetford Power Station Virgin/Poultry Litter 44.2
6. Balcas Northen Ireland Virgin 3
7. Balcas Scotland Virgin 9.6
8. Balderton Biomass 20.3
9. Barnsley 1.5 Biomass 9
10. Barry Dock – Biomass No 2 Waste Wood 10
11. Beckton Gas Pressure Reduction Station Biomass 19
12. Beckton Sludge Powered Generator Sewage 11.4
13. Bentwaters CHP Biomass 4.6
14. Birmingham Bio Power Waste Wood 10.3
15. Blackburn Meadows Renewable Energy Plant Waste Wood 30
16. Brigg REP Straw/Virgin 40
17. BSW Timber Waste Wood 3.2
18. Buslingthorpe Power Station (Leeds North) Biomass 2
19. Caledonian CHP Virgin 28
20. Chilton Power Station Waste Wood 17.45
21. CoRDe Virgin 8.6
22. Cowie Biomass Facility Biomass 15
24. Cramlington Virgin 27
25. Crossness STW Sewage 3.5
26. Plymouth Timber Resource Recovery Plant Waste Wood 3.5
27. Daventry Biomass 1
28. Derriford Hospital Biomass 1.5
29. Diageo Biomass Energy Project Biomass 5.5
31. Drax Power Station Virgin/Straw/Oat Pellets 645
32. Eccleshall Biomass Virgin/Energy Crop 2.8
33. Eco Composting Biomass 3.2
34. Ely Straw 43.3
35. Eye Power Station Waste Wood/Poultry Litter 16.5
36. Girvan Virgin 2.5
37. Glanford Power Station MBM 13.5
38. Goosey Lodge Power Plant MBM/Other 16
39. Heathrow Energy Center Virgin 1.8
40. Holbrook Community REC Waste Wood 6.3
41. Iggesund Virgin 50
42. Ridham Biomass Power Plant Waste Wood 25.42
43. Ince Biomass Power Plant Waste Wood 22
44. Ipswich Hospital Energy Centre Biomass 2.6
45. Kent Renewable Energy Plant Virgin/Waste Wood 27
46. King George Dock Biomass 9
47. King's Yard Biomass 3
48. Lancing Biomass Plant Waste Wood 5.1
49. Liberty Steel Dalzell Biomass 17
50. Liberty Steel Power Station Biomass 9
51. Lisahally Power Station Waste Wood 15.8
52. Loicher Lane Biomass 8
53. Lynemouth Power Station Virgin Wood 420
54. Macphie of Glenbervie Biomass 1.2
55. Magram Green Enegry Plant Waste Wood 40
56. Markinch Biomass CHP Plant Waste Wood/Virgin 61.6
57. Markley Group Biomass Waste Wood 2.1
59. Newark MBM 12
60. Newbridge Energy CHP Virgin 3
61. North West Biomass Virgin 6.2
62. Northampton General Hospital Biomass 1.9
63. Pulteney Distillery Biomass 3.5
64. Rampton Hospital Energy Centre Biomass 1.2
65. Rothes Bio-Plant Biomass 8.32
66. Safran Landing Systems Service Biomass 3.6
67. SAICA Paper Mill Biomass 41.6
68. Widermerpool Biomass Power Plant Waste Wood 6.7
69. UPM Shotton Boiler 7 Waste Wood/Other 24.8
70. Sleaford REP Straw/Virgin 38
71. Slough Heat & Power Waste Wood 21
72. Snetterton Renewable Energy Plant Straw/Virgin 49.5
73. South View Farm Biomass 2
74. Spalding Biomass 14.5
75. Speyside Virgin 15
76. Stevens Croft Waste Wood/Virgin 44
77. Widnes Biomass Facility Waste Wood 22.8
78. Sustainable Power and Research Campus Biomass 6.5
79. Tansterne Waste Wood 22
80. Templeborough Biomass Power Plant Waste Wood 40.1
81. Thornton Power Station Biomass 9
82. Tilbury Green Power Waste Wood 40
83. Trackwork Waste and Thermal Treatment Facility Waste Wood 3
84. Troon Waste Wood 2.6
85. Twinwoods Heat & Power CHP Waste Wood 3.6
86. Tyrone Energy Waste Wood 2.6
88. Volac Renewabnle Energy Plant Virgin 3
89. Welland Bio Power Waste Wood 10.6
90. Western Wood Energy Plant Waste Wood/Virgin 16.4
91. Westfield Biomass Plant Waste Wood/Poultry Litter 12.5
92. Whitemoor Biomass 18
93. Widnes MBM 11.3
94. Wilton 10 Waste Wood/Virgin 35.2

Under Construction Biomass EFW

The following list summarizes all Biomass sites that were under construction as of January 2020, and includes both waste and non-waste biomass facilities. Limited summary information is in the table, and more detailed information can be found by clicking through to the site-specific page (at this stage WikiWaste has focused on the detailed pages for waste-related sites only, which in this case are 3 Wood Waste facilities only which are highlighted green on the map):

Locations of Under Construction Biomass EfWs in the UK
Locations of Under Construction Biomass EfWs in the UK
ID Site Name Main Feedstock Capacity (MW)

95. Gameslack Farm (resubmission) Biomass 17.5
97. Merevale & Blyth Estate (Biomass Plant) Biomass 2.5
98. Port Clarence Biomass Plant Waste WoodRDF 40
100. Tees REP Virgin 299
105. Boston Energy Production Facility Waste Wood/RDF 11.7
125. Hull Energy Production Facility Waste Wood/RDF 10


Planning Biomass EFW

The following list summarizes all Biomass sites that were in planning as of January 2020, and not just waste related Biomass EFW. Limited summary information is in the table, and more detailed information can be found by clicking through to the site-specific page (at this stage WikiWaste has focused on the detailed pages for waste-related sites only, which in this case are 4 Wood Waste facilities only which are highlighted green on the map)):

Locations of Planning Biomass EfWs in the UK
Locations of Planning Biomass EfWs in the UK
ID Site Name Main Feedstock Capacity (MW)

101. Anglesey Biomass Power Station Biomass 299
102. Barton CHP Plant Waste Wood 0
103. Billingham Biomass Power Station Biomass 49.8
104. Bloomfield Recycling Site Biomass 1
106. Cardiff Biomass Plant Biomass 9.5
107. Decoy Farm Biomass 1.5
108. Drumbare Road Biomass 2
109. Gibson Lane South biomass plant Biomass 3
110. Grangemouth Renewable Energy Plant Biomass 85
111. Hams Hall Energy Centre Biomass 14
112. Kingspan Biomass 10
113. Land at Bryn Lane Biomass 5.4
114. Llynfi Biomass Power Waste Wood 25
115. Meriden Biomass Plant Waste Wood 23
116. Old Brick Works (Station Road, Warboys) Biomass 1.5
117. Reality Energy Centre (Hull) Biomass 49.9
118. Rosyth Biomass 120
119. Rover Way Biomass 9.5
120. Ryburn Multifuel Plant (CHP) Green Waste 0
121. St Albans Biomass Plant Appspond Lane Waste Wood 6
122. Thurrock Biomass CHP Facility Biomass 9
123. Trecwn Biomass Plant Biomass 25
124. Warboys Landfill Biomass Plant Biomass 1.5
126. Avonmouth BioEnergy Facility Biomass 11
127. Clay Cross ERF Biomass 12
128. Plot Q Kiln Lane Biomass 50
129. Small Heath Bio Power Biomass 35
130. New Greenham Park Virgin 0


Biomass in Residual Waste EFW

Energy from Waste plants that use Waste Derived Fuel (WDF) but do not exclusively accept Biomass will still have a portion of Biomass in their feedstock. Often this is quantified as the amount of the C-14 isotope in the fuel compared to total carbon in the feedstock. This is an important parameter as the heat/electricity produced from an EfW plant that can be classified as renewable (and therefore eligible for subsidies e.g. ROC, RHI) is derived from the biogenic portion of the feedstock. This quantity of biomass in the feedstock also forms the basis of the Renewable Qualifying Multiplier (RQM) to calculate the quantity of payments made to a generator in line with the Contract for Difference (CfD) scheme[7].

The non-biomass portion of waste feedstock (e.g. plastics) produce a similar product gas to biomass-derived gas. Additionally, they both have similar fuel characteristics, like high volatile matter content and low fixed carbon content. Subsequently, this enables similar processing conditions and gas cleaning techniques to be used in waste and biomass EfW facilities. However, significant differences do still exist between these two feedstocks, for example, generally higher ash content and higher content of other contaminants in a mixed waste feedstock and these warrant specific changes in the EfW process[8] and lead to more stringent control systems to ensure compliance with the Industrial Emissions Directive.


References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Tolvik Consulting Ltd, 2017. UK Dedicated Biomass Statistics - 2017. [online] [Accessed 13 Nov. 2019].
  2. Defra, 2014 in proportion to the amount of Biomass used in line with the ROC and CFD regimes.Energy from waste A guide to the debate February 2014 (revised edition). London.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Office for National Statistics, 2019. A burning issue: biomass is the biggest source of renewable energy consumed in the UK - Office for National Statistics. [online] Office for National Statistics. [Accessed 14 Nov. 2019].
  4. Energy Savings Trust
  5. Defra, 2014. Energy from Waste: A guide to the debate February 2014 (revised edition). London.
  6. [1] The Wood Recycling Association Annual Statistics reported in July 2023 that this figure was 2.1mt in 2022
  7. LCCC, 2019. Contracts for Difference Generator Guide. Low Carbon Contracts Company. London.
  8. Waldheim, 2018. Gasification of waste for energy carriers. A review. IEA Bioenergy, [online] ISBN 978-1-910154-56-4. p.16. [Accessed 14 Nov. 2019].