Irish waste-to-energy business BHSL has agreed a €1.5 million deal to sell its technology in France for use in converting digestate from an anaerobic digestor into energy.

According to a statement from BHSL, based in Co. Limerick, the deal “opens the door” to a new market for BHSL’s technology, which was originally developed to convert poultry manure into energy.

However, the technology is now being adapted for use in wider applications.

The company is highlighting the innovation as an example of how a product presumed to be of low value or disregarded as waste can instead be used to “create energy and chemical-free fertiliser”.

There are currently 500 anaerobic digester facilities in France and 8,000 in Germany – these countries are two of BHSL-Hydro’s target markets.

In Ireland, there are plans to construct 300 new anaerobic digestor plants as part of the Government’s renewable energy strategy.

The expansion of this industry is aimed at reducing damaging greenhouse gas emissions from methane in agricultural slurry, by converting it into biogas that can be used for power generation.

Growth

Commenting on the deal, executive chairman of BHSL, Denis Brosnan, said: “We’re very pleased to have signed what we hope will be the first of many deals to use our technology in what is a huge potential target market.

We are in active discussions around several further opportunities, and the installed base of anaerobic digesters is forecast to grow considerably.

Concluding, Brosnan explained: “As regulatory standards continue to increase, BHSL stands to benefit as businesses look to manage their waste and emissions to create valuable energy, whilst also meeting their environmental responsibilities.”

Investment

The deal

The company’s “milestone” sale has been agreed with Liger Bioconcept, a new joint venture between bio-energy company Liger, algae specialist and fertiliser manufacturer Olmix and pig processor, Jean Floch.

The 1.4 MW thermal plant at a fertiliser plant in Brittany will burn digestate (or by-product) sourced from an anaerobic digestor located nearby that processes a mixture of food waste, animal manure and waste-water sludge into biogas.

It will produce heat to help power the fertiliser plant, and ash with high phosphorus and potassium content that can be used to make fertiliser pellets.

The deal was formally signed at a pre-St. Patrick’s Day event at the Irish Embassy in Paris last week. It was attended by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Simon Coveney, and representatives from Enterprise Ireland.