THREE CHEERS FOR BEER-BASED BIOFUEL

Suffolk County, England

One of this historic county's leading brewers has started generating the nation's first renewable gas from brewery and local food waste at its innovative anaerobic digestion plant near the seaside resort of Southwold. Adnams Bio Energy is owned by Cambridge-based Bio Group, a renewable energy company to which the Adnams brewery has licensed its name. The new company has formed a partnership with British Gas and National Grid, a UK-based electric and gas company. The goal is to produce sufficient renewable energy to run both the brewery and its fleet of [rucks, with the surpius output - projected around 60 percent - going to National Grid customers after required conditioning. The projected amount of gas to be generated approaches 4.8 million kilowatts per year. The plant, which cost just under $4.5 million, consists of three anaerobic digesters with the capacity to break down 12.500 tons of organic waste annually. The first business signed up to supply organics to the digestion plant is Waitrose supermarkets, part of the John Lewis Partnership, which will send food waste from seven regional grocery stores and one John Lewis department store. The arrangement supports that company's goal to shrink its carbon footprint and divert 95 percent of all waste from landfilling by 2013.

"We are delighted that Adnams Bio Energy is located on the site of our eco distribution center," said Adnams CEO Andy Wood. "For a number of years now, Adnams has been investing in ways to reduce its impact on the environment. The reality of being able to convert our own brewing waste and local food waste to power our brewery and vehicles, as well as the wider community, is very exciting." Liquid by-products from the digesters will be used to grow barley for Adnams beer.