Biogas plants for the food and beverage industry
Turn food and beverage waste into on-site renewable energy
Breweries, dairies, and food processors pay to dispose of organic waste and face tightening rules on where it can go. A biogas plant for the food and beverage industry converts those streams into renewable energy at the point they arise, replacing part of the site’s gas or electricity demand and cutting waste treatment costs. HoSt Bioenergy Systems has delivered more than 450 renewable energy projects worldwide and builds each plant around the specific waste a producer generates. Food and beverage references range from breweries such as Grolsch to a sugar-processing plant in Belgium that digests up to 200 tonnes of beet residues a day during the campaign and feeds the biogas straight back into sugar production. For the underlying technology, see our organic waste biogas plants and anaerobic digestion pages.
Which food and beverage waste streams suit anaerobic digestion
What a food and beverage biogas plant produces
- Biomethane for process heat and grid injection
Raw biogas can drive on-site heat and power or be upgraded to biomethane, a direct substitute for the natural gas that heat-intensive food processing already runs on. - Food-grade bio-CO2 back into your production
Upgrading separates a biogenic CO2 stream. HoSt can capture, purify and liquefy it to food-grade quality, so a beverage producer can return its own CO2 to carbonation or processing rather than buying it in. - Digestate as biofertiliser
Depending on composition and regulations, digestate is valorised as an organic biofertiliser, closing the nutrient cycle.
Biogas from sugar beet waste
At Fontenoy, Belgium, this HoSt biogas plant turns beet residues such as beet tops into renewable energy. It is the second plant HoSt built for the client, following a first success for Iscal, and it processes up to 200 tonnes of waste a day during the sugar-beet campaign. After pretreatment, the biogas feeds directly into Isera & Scaldis’ sugar production, matching the waste stream to the factory’s heat demand and reducing its reliance on fossil natural gas.
Frequently asked questions
Which of our waste streams are suitable for a biogas plant?
Most food and beverage residues digest well, including brewery spent grains, dairy and cheese residues, rejected product, wash water, and fats, oils and greases. Energy-dense streams such as fats and oils give a high gas yield per tonne, while wetter streams add volume and stability. A feedstock assessment shows what your specific mix can deliver. More information.
What happens to the digestate?
Digestion leaves a nutrient-rich residue called digestate that can be applied as a biofertiliser, returning nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium to farmland and displacing synthetic fertiliser. Treatment options let you separate or concentrate it to match local rules and logistics. More information.
What can we produce from our waste?
Your residues become renewable energy plus saleable products: biogas for heat and power, biomethane for the grid or transport, and a nutrient-rich biofertiliser. The biogenic CO2 released during upgrading can be captured as a food-grade product, which is attractive for beverage producers who also buy in CO2. More information.
Can we combine several production residues in one plant?
Yes, and it is usually the smart route. Co-digestion balances a rich stream such as fats against a dilute one such as wash water, which stabilises the process and lifts yield. The plant is configured around the specific combination your site produces. More information.
Can we produce food-grade CO2 from our own residues?
Yes. The CO2 separated during biogas upgrading is biogenic and can be recovered and purified to food-grade quality for carbonation, packaging and other uses. All HoSt CO2 technology is food-grade compliant; selling it as certified food-grade requires a CO2 gas analyser to validate the quality. More information.