Digestate processing and use — economic aspects
Biogas plants are traditionally associated primarily with energy companies that produce biogas for the production of electricity and heat. At the same time, monetized environmental and agro-technical effects, and sometimes direct income from the sale of digestate products, are also considered as potential sources of additional income.
Recently, more and more attention has been paid to the economic evaluation of digestate as a fertilizer in Ukraine, especially in terms of permanent deterioration of arable land.
A new article by UABIO expert Petro Kucheruk about economic aspects of digestate processing and use have been already published on the SAF platform.
In short:
The economic efficiency of production and use of digestate products is determined by 2 main factors, namely:
- total content in 1 ton, availability for plants and market value of individual components in the product (organic carbon, NPK complex, other macro-and micronutrients, individual organic compounds);
- reduced costs for production, storage, transportation, and application of 1 ton of product to the soil.
The feasibility of the digestate processing using different technologies arises under certain conditions and therefore is specific to each specific biogas project.
Learn how to account this feasibility by following the link to the full material.
An example of estimating the market value of digestate from the main types of raw materials used for biogas production is given in the table.
Important:
A necessary prerequisite for the successful commercialization of digestate products may be the involvement of specialized fertilizer manufacturers in the creation of added value of humic substances, as well as a complex of macro-and micronutrients contained in the digestate. Organic carbon as a component of humic substances is an indispensable source of replenishment of humus in depleted soils, and therefore its content in the digestate should significantly complement its market value. The same applies to another important macro- and microelements, which are usually contained in the digestate in a balanced composition.
What has to be done at first at the state level:
- launch a full market for digestate fertilizers;
- Ensure legislative regulation;
- Provide possible mechanisms of financial incentives for producers and consumers of such fertilizers.
The Bioenergy Association of Ukraine since 2019 is a partner of the platform of sustainable agribusiness SAF Ukraine.
