The most exciting innovations in anaerobic digestion (AD) were celebrated in style last night at the AD and Biogas Industry Awards Ceremony 2018.

The black-tie ceremony took place at end of the first day of the world’s largest biogas tradeshow.

A total of 16 awards were presented for to the companies and individuals who have made the greatest contribution to delivering the benefits of AD and biogas across the UK and around the world.

The ceremony was jointly organised by the UK Anaerobic Digestion & Bioresources Association (ADBA) and the World Biogas Association (WBA) and was held at the end of the first day of UK AD & World Biogas Expo 2018, the world’s largest tradeshow dedicated solely to AD and biogas.

‘Winners travelling from all corners of the globe’

ADBA chief executive Charlotte Morton said: “This ceremony was a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the very best in AD and biogas in the UK and beyond.

“The UK AD industry has had a difficult few years but there are now some very bright lights at the end of the tunnel, so this was a perfect moment to celebrate a triumph in the face of adversity.

“We look forward to an exciting new future for what is such an important industry for meeting the UK’s climate targets and improving food and energy security.”

WBA president David Newman said: “It was great to see people travel from all four corners of the globe to recognise excellence in the development of biogas technologies worldwide.

There’s a huge amount we can learn from each other in terms of innovation and best practice, and the AD & Biogas Industry Awards gave us all the chance to hear about the most exciting projects in this growing global industry.

AD converts organic wastes and energy crops into renewable heat and power, clean transport fuel, and nutrient-rich fertiliser.

It’s claimed the sector has the potential to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by around 20% as well as helping to meet nine of the 17 United Nations sustainable development goals.

The winners

The full list of winners from the ceremony is as follows:

  • Best Food Waste Supply Chain Project – FareShare, ‘No Good Food Should Go To Waste’;
  • Best Process Optimisation in AD – Xergi/Stream Bioenergy, Tully Biogas Plant, Ballymena;
  • Making the Most of Digestate – Veenhuis Machines B.V., Veenhuis Nutri-flow and the Rotomax;
  • Making the Most of Biogas – Cryo Pur, Greenville Bio-LNG plant;
  • AD Hero of the Year – Thomas Minter, Malaby Biogas;
  • AD Team of the Year – Edina;
  • Best AD Support (Technical) – Uniflare Group, Oscar Bio-energy Hong Kong;
  • Best AD Support (Legal, Accounting, Consulting) – Aardvark EM Limited, AD Benchmarking and Improvement Team;
  • Research Project Award – Exergyn Limited, The Exergyn Drive;
  • Best Innovation in Biomethane – SGN, Portsdown Hill: The Remote Grid Entry Hub;
  • AD Rising Star – Alex Todhunter, Iona Capital;
  • Best Methane or Ammonia Emissions Management Project – HoSt, Recovering Minerals from Manure and Reducing Ammonia Emissions;
  • UK AD Plant Manager of the Year – Shane Doherty, Granville Ecopark;
  • Best UK On-Farm AD Plant – BioG UK, Agrogen, Staffordshire;
  • Best UK Food Waste AD Plant – Agrivert Ltd, Agrivert North London AD Facility;
  • Best International Agricultural Plant – SIAT, First Large-Scale AD & Biogas Plants in West Africa: A Hope for the Palm Oil Sector.