UK energy mix takes on a new flavour

Don’t feel guilty indulging this summer – the by-product of the ice cream you eat is being turned into biogas for the national grid. The world’s third largest ice cream […]

Don’t feel guilty indulging this summer – the by-product of the ice cream you eat is being turned into biogas for the national grid.

The world’s third largest ice cream manufacturer, R&R Ice Cream, sends waste sugar, fat and protein to an Anaerobic Digestion (AD) facility funded by Iona Capital and Veolia. There it’s converted into biomethane and can be used to power local homes.

Chocolate ice cream is the most efficient flavour of the unusual new fuel, providing 10% more energy than vanilla and 20% more energy than strawberry.

Estelle Brachlianoff, Senior Executive Vice President of Veolia UK & Ireland, said: “This project is a prime example of using creative thinking to turn waste into green energy. It’s innovation like this that is needed to ensure the UK meets the government’s 2020 targets and is something we’re hoping to build on.”

As well as the energy the waste product provides, the by-product left at the end of the AD process is a nutrient rich fertiliser that can be used by farmers.

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