December 14, 2020

HKScan in cooperation to use pig, cattle manure for biogas production

HKScan is working with Gasum on plans to switch to manure-based feedstock at a  biogas plant in Huittinen, Finland.

The plant would use mainly local pig and cattle manure to produce biogas. As one of HKScan's contract partners, contract pig meat producer Emomylly Oy has also committed to the project.

Gasum and HKScan are together planning to convert Gasum's existing biogas plant in Huittinen to an industrial-scale manure plant. The proposed plant would be Finland's first industrial scale biogas plant using manure as its main feedstock. The plant would utilise 60,000 tonnes of various feedstock of which 50,000 tonnes would consist of various manures and agricultural side streams. Basic planning of the plant will be completed at the turn of the year, and the plant would be ready to receive manure-based feedstocks in autumn 2021.

In the regional circular economy project, Gasum will be responsible for the investment in and operation of the Huittinen plant while HKScan is involved in planning the availability of manure-based feedstocks with its contract farms.

When completed, the biogas plant will produce renewable biogas and local organic recycled fertiliser for agriculture in the region.

"Our biogas plant project is an important regional circular economy project and aims at improving the regional nutrient balance and reducing nutrient runoff into the Baltic Sea. With a properly targeted supply of fertiliser, agriculture can reduce the use of mineral and fossil fertilisers. The investment decision can be made once the basic planning has been completed. Cooperation with HKScan and regional operator is important," said Ari Suomilammi, Gasum's director of circular economy (Finland).

"The biogas plant project is a concrete example of the circular economy and protection of the Baltic Sea and will enable the valuable nutrients in pig manure to be recovered and supplied to crop farms with nutrient deficiency. Manure processing at the biogas plant will directly reduce the carbon footprint of pig meat production by more than 12%. We want to be part of developing future solutions in meat production. It's great to continue planning work on our manure pilot with Gasum," said Ulf Jahnsson, vice-president of strategic development production at HKScan.

"It's good that planning work on our large-scale manure pilot continues with Gasum and HKScan and that together, we can further promote the more efficient recycling of nutrients. The project will help us, among other things, to find out whether it is economically sustainable to take recycled nutrients from a livestock intensive area to a crop farming intensive one. This is a concrete example of work to protect the Baltic Sea. We want to address minimising the environmental impacts of pig meat production and to also be part of developing future solutions going forward," said Heikki Sampolahti of Emomylly.

- HKScan