Low carbon crisps

Ever thought about the carbon cost of a packet of crisps?

At CCm Technologies they think of little else. Their revolutionary fertiliser offers a big step to carbon-free snacking. Waste from crisp factories or from sewage treatment works can be routed and treated to form the basic building blocks of new fertilisers that can be spread on the ground to grow a new harvest of potatoes - or any other crop we need. The system avoids waste and takes a big cut out of the carbon emissions of traditional fertiliser production.

In this episode, Tom Heap tours the CCm fertiliser plant on the outskirts of Birmingham and discusses the carbon benefits with Society Fellow Dr Tamsin Edwards of King's College London.

Listen now on BBC Radio 4

 

What our experts say

We asked Society Fellow Dr Kate Schofield from the University of Plymouth to offer some observations on the potential of fertiliser produced from waste products in reducing carbon emissions. Their points take some of the themes of the programme a step further. 

 

Soil fertility and land productivity are significant and yet often overlooked issues. The CCm fertiliser is not a silver bullet solution, however, the application of the CCm fertiliser product in combination with other important adaptations and improvements to land management practices has the potential for significant benefit.

 

What are the limiting factors?

Feedstock suitability and availability: the nature of waste materials is that they commonly vary in both characteristics and availability. Thus, the following questions/limitations may need consideration: 

• What are the criteria for a suitable feedstock?  

• Is it possible to ensure consistency between batches? One might assume that differences in the feedstock result in differences in the product. This may have implications at the point of use regarding required application rate. 

• Will there by screening processes for different feedstocks to ensure that they produce suitable (safe) fertilisers and to ensure optimal operating conditions?   

• Does the biodigestion process remove all potentially toxic elements or contaminants, in particular any veterinary antibiotics (as antimicrobial resistance is an increasingly looming issue)? 

Social acceptability and local regulations may be a factor that requires consideration with regard to global roll-out of the technology, although regulation largely appears to view such applications in a favourable light.