Waste-to-Energy CHP Projects

Innovative Biomass District Heating projects completed in association with BHSL from Limerick. The integration of the district heating system with biomass boilers that burned chicken litter was a core challenge. The heat generated from the litter was used to firstly generate electricity with biomass CHP technologies such as steam expanders and ORC (Organic Rankine Cycle) plant where applicable, with the remaining heat used to heat the poultry sheds.

The improved heating and environmental conditions in the poultry houses leads to better yields with less food consumed. The chicken litter is usually spread on the land, potentially becoming a contaminant that pollutes streams and inland waterways. The dense ash from the burned litter is high in Phosphorous and Potassium (P&K) making it a desirable raw ingredient for the fertiliser industry.

The first project, in Maryland USA, was a research project in an area with concerns about the contamination caused by the litter, and utilised a medium temperature boiler and ORC plant. In the UK, where supports for Biomass and CHP could assist with a convincing business case, work was carried out with BHSL across several sites with primary heating from low temperature to steam and ORC plant in medium and high temperature applications.