An updated PAS 110 specification has been launched for anaerobic digestion plants.
Those that operate anaerobic digestion facilities that meet the criteria in PAS 110 can use and trade ‘biofertiliser’ under the Renewable Energy Assurance Limited (REAL) Biofertiliser Certification Scheme (BCS).
Key changes to the PAS 110 include:
- Changing the digestate criteria, so instead of reflecting equivalence to cow slurry, it instead reflects equivalence to other organic materials commonly spread to land, such as pig slurry. This will enable a greater number of anaerobic digestion operators to achieve BCS certification without any negative impact on quality or safety.
- Tightening up the limits on physical contaminants (such as plastics) to increase the standards for quality and safety.
REAL chief executive Virginia Graham said: “Everyone involved in anaerobic digestion has learned a lot about digestate as the industry has developed. Working closely with industry, we have used these lessons to improve the PAS 110 for producers, end-users and the environment.
“The changes announced today mean that more anaerobic digestion operators will be able to use or trade their digestate as certified biofertiliser, while environmental protections will be stronger than before.”
REAL is part of the Renewable Energy Association.
