An installation combining grass refining with anaerobic digestion has opened at the Shinagh Estates Demonstration Farm near Bandon in West Cork. According to the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU), it is the first Irish installation to bring these techniques together on a demonstration-scale farm. The project aims to determine whether grass can be utilized not only as animal feed but also for proteins and materials, while residual streams are used for energy and fertilizers. It is also investigating whether this offers farmers new earning opportunities.
Fresh grass cuttings are first mechanically separated into a fiber-rich press cake and grass juice. The fiber fraction can be used as animal feed, but is also being investigated within the project for application in materials. Proteins and other valuable components can be recovered from the liquid fraction. Potential application of these components in food products still requires further development and approval in accordance with applicable regulations.
Process streams remaining after the extraction of these products can be sent to a digester. This generates biogas for the production of renewable energy. Digestate also remains, which can be used as a bio-based fertilizer under the applicable conditions.
Practical test on a farm
The new facility cost approximately 3 million euros and was financed by the Irish Ministry of Agriculture, Food Supply and Maritime Affairs. The infrastructure is used as an Irish demonstration site for the European project Rural BioReFarmeries.
Within that project, research is being conducted into whether small-scale and regional biorefining is economically and technically feasible for farmers and agricultural cooperatives. In doing so, the researchers are examining not only the operation of the installations, but also product quality, logistics, environmental impacts, and potential revenue models.
The combination of various applications is central. The grass is first used for products with a higher potential value, such as proteins and materials. Remaining streams are subsequently utilized for energy production and nutrient recovery. This so-called cascading aims to extract more value from the same amount of biomass.
Project coordinator James Gaffey of Munster Technological University emphasizes that the installation makes it possible to go beyond pilot-scale trials. The results should clarify whether the concept is viable under normal operating conditions and what farmers and cooperatives need to implement it.
Dutch partners involved
Rural BioReFarmeries runs from December 2024 through November 2028. CBE JU is contributing nearly 7,35 million euros to the project. The consortium consists of nineteen organizations from eight European countries and is led by Munster Technological University.
Three Dutch organizations are also involved in the project: PaperFoam from Barneveld, Alganed from Bilthoven, and the Wageningen Research Foundation. The project ultimately investigates how the refining model can be adapted and applied in various European grassland regions.
The plant in Cork must first provide data on technical performance, product quality, and economic feasibility. Therefore, commercial application is not yet a possibility. The results should later clarify whether decentralized grass refining can actually offer farmers new income while simultaneously contributing to the European production of proteins, materials, and renewable energy.
Sources: Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking and project information Rural BioReFarmeries.
Photo: Aart Beijeman, Pixabay
