AD equipment to be tested by avalanche of food waste from panic-buying
31 Mar 2020
AD and biogas operators should brace themselves for an avalanche of food waste that will test their equipment performance to optimum levels, warns a leading pumps company.
Panic buying from those scared by Coronavirus is going to see vast volumes of unused food products heading to AD/biogas plants according to Landia’s Howard Burton.
“The industry needs feedstock but as panic buyers begin to regret overloading their supermarket trolleys with too many perishables, the sudden rush of food waste may arrive at AD plants at an even bigger rate than the post-Christmas wave of unwanted goods”.
Burton pointed out that experienced industry operators were geared up for the huge variances of food waste, but others who perhaps have not invested in top quality pumps could see an adverse effect on their process.
He warned that equipment could become blocked or later in the process digesters could get weighed down with so much packaging waste grit and plastic. This would mean that biogas yields would be adversely affected.
Landia is among the companies that specialise in heavy duty chopper pumps for breaking down waste. Burton said the sudden upsurge would increase focus on pumps’ durability and resilience.
“It’s a tough industry where the learning never stops but at this extremely testing time for the world, some AD/Biogas operators who use food waste as feedstock are going to find it very difficult to keep everything as balanced as possible to manage their processes. The torrent of food waste from panic buying isn’t far away,” he predicted.
He added: “Lesser pumps, which aren’t really suited to the industry may not be able to cope with what’s ahead soon”.
