Economic Viability

The economic viability of a farm biogas plant is very dependent on the type and quantity of feedstock, and the utilisation of the by-products, biogas and bio-fertiliser.  

Not just simply slurry!

There is no question that slurry is a very good feedstock for a healthy anaerobic digestion system, however it is not the best producer of biogas, because the animal has already digested the readily available material resulting in the production of its own biogas!   To get the best return from a digester, even on large slurry based systems, additional feedstocks must be considered.   This could be the addition of wet energy crops, such as grass silage, wholecrop cereals, or maize.   Glycerine, a by-product of biodiesel production, is a very valuable feedstock and is currently widely available from bio-diesel producers.