JJ Power: Silage additive boosts feedstock

For on-farm biogas plants using crop-based feedstocks, the quality of the harvesting and ensiling processes can be the difference between success and failure.

Having experienced issues with bought-in silage feedstock, Nick Cowie of Gloucestershire-based JJ Power now uses a silage additive from FM BioEnergy to ensure that the quality of his feedstock - and the performance of his digester – remains high. 

Challenge

JJ Power operates a 435 kW biogas plant within a larger 700 ha farming operation. The feedstock is a mixture of chicken manure and maize silage, together with some liquid waste from the animal feed industry.

However, when Plant Manager Nick Cowie bought in external silage feedstock from an unfamiliar source, the plant soon hit problems; the digester biology became upset, resulting in a drop in gas output.

Solution

Already a customer of specialist AD consultancy FM BioEnergy, Nick learned about their product, Silasil Energy XD; a biological additive which contains bacteria that help preserve the crop during storage and reduces aerobic losses. It also reduces losses when removing material from the open front of the clamp by preventing re-heating, increasing the amount of gas produced per tonne of crop harvested.

Tested and certified by the German Agricultural Society (DLG), it is specifically formulated for use on crops destined for anaerobic digestion, boosting the population of beneficial bacteria and supressing the multiplication of problematic species. This means that fermentation occurs more rapidly (clamps made from treated silage can be opened after just two weeks) and also provides an insurance against issues such as poor fermentation or moulds, which can have severe effects on digester biology.