Transforming UK Waste Into Biofuel

A company is hoping to start tackling the UK’s urban waste and fossil-fuel dependence with one very simple solution: instead of discarding waste in landfill sites or incinerating it, they will use innovative technology to transform trash into biofuel for vehicles that run on gas or hydrogen.

Biofuel company Advanced Biofuel Solutions Ltd (ABSL) has joined forces with renewables company Greenergy. They will introduce waste conversion plants to five major cities, starting with a site at Ellesmere Port near Liverpool, where they expect commercial production to commence in 2025.

Thanks to technology, the companies expect the five plants to manufacture enough biofuel to replace millions of litres of fossil fuel-based petrol and diesel - the equivalent needed to power 5,000HGVs.

This level of production could cut carbon dioxide emissions by 800,000 tonnes per year.

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"We are continuing to progress innovative waste-based fuel projects that divert waste from landfill or incineration and create low carbon fuels for the transport sector at scale,” said Greenergy’s CEO Christian Flach.

The five biofuel plants will add to Greenergy’s three already existing biofuel plants across Europe. With help from ABSL, the company could significantly expand its waste conversion facilities.

“The partnership brings together cutting-edge technology with the experience of large-scale fuel production and distribution to produce low carbon fuels for transport critical to achieving Net Zero," suggested the executive chairman of ABSL, Nathan Burkey.

The UK’s 55 incinerators released a combined total of about 14 million tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2020 alone.

To help end incineration across the UK support one of the campaign groups that make up the UK Without Incineration Network at ukwin.org.uk.