From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
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Minister for Agriculture, Food, and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, and Minister of State with special responsibility for research and innovation, Martin Heydon, today announced a €3 million investment in an integrated anaerobic digestion and green biorefining demonstration initiative.
The funding has been jointly awarded to University College Dublin (UCD) and Munster Technological University (MTU) for the further development of climate neutral farming as part of the Farm Zero Carbon research project currently being undertaken on the Shinagh Estates Demonstration Farm in West Cork.
Minister McConalogue said:
“Farmers will continue to play a lead role in meeting our commitments under the Climate Action Plan with the plan helping to identify new income streams for them. The targets are challenging but deliverable, with Anaerobic Digestion identified as one of the key areas for development. The funding I am announcing today demonstrates government support for the development and demonstration of such technology. It will be used to create an integrated anaerobic digestion and grass biorefinery unit, which will demonstrate the potential to produce local sources of feed and biobased fertiliser with enhanced environmental benefits. This will also show the ability of such technologies to displace emissions from imported feed and fertiliser and offer diversification opportunities for farmers and the agri-food sector."
Minister Heydon said:
“We are investing significantly in research and innovation in the agriculture sector through a wide range of national, European and international initiatives. The investment being announced today will facilitate tangible research, demonstration, and knowledge exchange around the important technologies of anaerobic digestion and green biorefining."
The Farm Zero C project which will oversee the initiative was the winner of the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Zero Emissions Challenge in 2021. The project co-led by BiOrbic, Ireland's national bioeconomy research centre, and the Carbery Group, a cooperative based in West Cork, aims to create an economically viable, climate neutral dairy farm. The development of an integrated anaerobic digestion and green biorefining demonstration facility offers the opportunity for the project to demonstrate climate action and diversification opportunities. This is done through the development of renewable energy sources and the displacement of off-farm emissions associated with a dairy farm through production of local sources of protein and biobased fertiliser.
Kevin O’Connor, BiOrbic Director and project co-lead said:
“The Farm Zero C project hosted by BiOrbic, Bioeconomy SFI Research Centre is delighted to receive funding from DAFM to deploy on-farm grass biorefining and anaerobic digestion facilities at Shinagh. Irish farmers produce high quality food, and this can be complemented with other revenue streams from anaerobic digestion and biorefining such as renewable energy, biobased materials, and bio-actives."
On behalf of the industry partners Carbery, Enda Buckley, Director of Sustainability said:
“Carbery has had a focus since our foundation on creating a circular economy, and we are known for using every part of the milk that we process. As part of that circular model, we have had Anaerobic Digestion (AD) onsite in our plant in Ballineen for more than 40 years. With grass biorefining and AD, we are excited, with the support of the department, to bring that concept of valorisation, or adding value, into the farming model.”
Munster Technological University (MTU) have played a key role in research carried out in grass biorefineries to date. James Gaffey, Co-Director of the MTU ‘CircBio’ Research Group, welcomed this development in this area:
“Munster Technological University and the CircBio Research Group are delighted to be part of this important announcement. We have been leading research on grass biorefinery in close collaboration with UCD, Carbery and other partners over several years, and this work has shown enormous potential to improve the sustainability and value of grass. Given Ireland’s abundance of grassland, the grass biorefinery model represents a replicable model for bioeconomy development, improving feed and energy resilience while bringing new sustainable high-value products to the market."
As outlined in the Budget 2023 document - The Use of Carbon Tax Funds 2023, the funding for this initiative comes from carbon tax funds supporting a biomethane demonstration and test bed facility with biorefinery capabilities.
The outputs from this project will enhance the knowledge and skills base around the complementarity of biomethane production and biorefinery activities.
The Climate Action Plan 2023 outlines the need to support the transition to alternative land uses through diversification options.
The diversification options identified include agri-centric biomethane production utilising the development of an anaerobic digestion sector.
Increasing the volume of home-grown proteins to support our livestock sector is also a key objective.
The Farm Zero C project is hosted on Shinagh Estates Dairy Farm, which was set up in 2011 as part of the Teagasc & Carbery joint programme in conjunction with the 4 West Cork Co-ops, Bandon, Barryroe, Drinagh and Lisavaird. The farm is located outside the town of Bandon in West Cork and operated by Shinagh Estates in conjunction with Teagasc. The purpose of the farm was to demonstrate best practise in dairy farming while maximising profitability and efficiency. The focus has now pivoted to sustainable farming as part of the Farm Zero C project which received funding as part of the SFI Zero Emissions Challenge.
Anaerobic digestion is a process in which organic matter is broken down by microorganisms in the absence of oxygen. This process produces a biogas, which is a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide, and a digestate, which is a nutrient-rich liquid that can be used as a fertiliser. Anaerobic digestion has several environmental benefits. First, it reduces the amount of organic waste that needs to be disposed of in landfills, where it can produce methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Second, the biogas produced during anaerobic digestion can be used as a renewable energy source, reducing our reliance on fossil fuels. Third, the digestate produced during the process can be used as a fertiliser, reducing the need for synthetic fertilisers, and improving soil health. Overall, anaerobic digestion can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve waste management, and support sustainable agriculture.
The green biorefinery approach converts freshly harvested grass into a range of products, including an optimised cattle feed fibre, a non-GMO protein concentrate feed for monogastrics and a grass whey for fertiliser or bioenergy applications.
In the time since the Farm Zero C project has started measuring Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and making interventions to reduce them, on-farm emissions at Shinagh have been cut by more than 17%. Measures such as on renewable energy, clover, multi species swards and protected urea have contributed significantly to this reduction. Grass biorefining and anaerobic digestion will further contribute to the projects journey towards climate neutrality.