Six Northern Irish companies have been awarded £100,000 each to develop their Sustainable Utilisation of Livestock Slurry projects.
The Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) competition was jointly funded by the Department for the Economy (DfE) and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA).
The aim of Sustainable Utilisation of Livestock Slurry projects is to reduce surplus phosphorus within the Northern Irish agriculture system, and to ensure efficient recycling of organic nutrients.
The six successful companies were asked to propose innovative solutions and were awarded the funding to produce “practical and technical feasible solutions” applicable to Northern Ireland, DAERA said.
The companies chosen for funding are:
- B9 Solutions Limited, Larne, in collaboration with ReCon Waste Management, Portadown;
- Renewables United, Banbridge;
- The Centre for Competitiveness/LUCERNE, which is a Mid Ulster collaboration between Dale Farm, CEMCOR, Tobermore Concrete and the RSC Group;
- Blakiston Houston Estate Company, Dundonald;
- Carbon Technologies Group, Newtownabbey;
- Natural World Products, Belfast.
Projects
DAERA said the projects developed practical and economic models where livestock slurry can be separated, with minimal nitrogen and methane losses, to produce feedstock for renewable energy, in a “bio secure” manner.
This feedstock can then be used for biogas or biomethane production via anaerobic digestion, to decarbonise the electricity and gas networks in Northern Ireland.
Research was also focused on technologies to extract nutrients from the process to produce replacements for chemical fertilisers, or to produce compost for use in NI or for export.
“Each supplier delivered comprehensive final reports and presentations of their findings to DAERA officials,” DAERA said.
“At a Project Closing event, suppliers presented their key findings and proposed next steps to senior officials from DAERA, DfE, NI Water, SIB and Invest NI.
“The outcome of Phase 1 has been a very positive one, with all six companies outlining practical and innovative technological solutions for sustainable utilisation of livestock slurry in NI and proposed next steps to move this from feasibility to reality.”
