Alder BioInsights News Review: Bioenergy Issue 158, May 2025

Foreword

This month, we examine recent advancements in waste-to-energy technologies for renewable power generation within the United Kingdom and internationally.

The UK’s capacity for producing electricity from waste is expanding, thanks to ongoing trials and established partnerships. Newcastle City Council’s pioneering food waste trial has reached a 300-tonne milestone, converting food waste into 750,000 kWh of renewable electricity, enough to power 281 homes or heat 67 homes for an entire year. This initiative, utilizing anaerobic digestion (AD) to produce biogas for electricity, heat, and nutrient-rich liquid fertilizer, sets a precedent for upcoming national mandates for food waste collections by March 2026. Complementing these efforts, Veolia’s partnership with J D Wetherspoon demonstrates how the hospitality sector can achieve zero waste to landfill. By treating over 9,500 tonnes of food waste annually through AD, this collaboration generates renewable electricity for approximately 1,000 homes and has avoided over 16,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions.

Furthermore, a new Energy Recovery Facility planned for Hanford, Staffordshire, could provide both heat and electricity to the Royal Stoke University Hospital by the end of the decade, replacing the current waste incinerator. This initiative, currently in the form of a proposal, is the product of a collaboration between University Hospitals of North Midlands (UHNM), Stoke-on-Trent City Council, and SSE Energy Solutions Ltd. The plans aim to ‘shield’ the hospital from volatile energy prices and reduce its carbon emissions…