Anaerobic Digestion (AD) as a renewable power source for the Lime Industry
The lime production and supply company Singleton Birch Ltd. is the owner and operator of the Anaerobic Digestion (AD) facility Melton Ross in North Lincolnshire (UK). The facility was established in 2014 with the goal of fulfilling one of the company’s general business strategies. This particular strategy being the consistent reduction of energy costs and the investment in gas and electricity projects.
Being one of the biggest European lime works operating four lime kilns, two hydrators and multiple mills and crushers with an annual natural gas usage equating to £ 6 m and annual electricity costs of £ 2.5 m, the decision to build an AD plant was made in 2013. “Quarrying is a hugely energy intensive sector. We spend on average £10 m a year on energy. In order to reduce these costs and limit our environmental impact, we considered various options for generating our own energy. However, we were looking for something we could control, and given our location in a largely agricultural area, using...
