A new digestate treatment system under trial in the UK could play a role in producing organic biofertiliser in Ireland.

This week, Irish renewables company Local Power announced the launch of an expert project team to support the development of a biomethane and biofertiliser industry in Ireland. The group, which consists of international partners, recently began a pilot project on an anaerobic digestion (AD) plant in the UK to treat and upgrade digestate, a byproduct of AD. The system, developed by the French company Nereus, removes and cleans water from digestate using nano-filtration technology, producing a nutrient-rich biofertiliser. The group says the technology will also contribute to addressing nitrate and phosphate management issues and support the agri-food sector in meeting its carbon reduction targets.