Watch: Inside Ireland’s first on-farm grass biorefinery and AD plant

The country’s first on-farm integrated grass biorefinery and anaerobic digestion (AD) demonstration plant is aiming to unlock the full income potential of our grasslands.

The €3 million facility is part of the Farm Zero C project at Shinagh Estate’s demonstration farm in Co. Cork.

The plant will process fresh grass to produce high-protein animal feed, a grass fibre fraction that can be used for applications in packaging and livestock feed, bioenergy, and biofertiliser.

There is also potential for new human food ingredients to be developed in time.

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon, who officially opened the new facility today (Tuesday, September 1), said it was “another significant milestone for the Irish bioeconomy”.

“Instead of just using grass for one purpose, animal feed, this facility will show at a pre-commercial level how we can make further use of our grass and open up new business models and income streams for our grassland farmers.

“Ireland produces some of the highest yields of grass in the world, supported by a temperate climate, good quality soils and expert grassland-management.

“Currently, grass has one primary use – as a feed for livestock.

“However, research and innovation have developed technologies for green biorefining that allows grass to be processed into a range of new, high-value products, without adversely affecting its primary use as an animal feed source,” he said.

Kevin O’Connor, Farm Zero C/BiOrbic; James Gaffey, MTU CircBio Research Group; Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon; Jason Hawkins, CEO, Carbery; and John O’Brien, chair, Carbery. Source: Michael O’Sullivan / OSM PHOTO

‘Green biorefining’ involves separating fresh grass into a ‘fibre-rich press cake’ for livestock feed, and a ‘green juice’ from which protein and other bio-based ingredients can be sourced.

Leftover residues from the process are then directed into AD to produce renewable energy and nutrient-rich material that can potentially be used as bio-based fertiliser.

The collaborative project brings together Carbery Group , Shinagh Estates, Munster Technological University (MTU), University College Dublin (UCD), BiOrbic Research Ireland Centre for Bioeconomy and University of Galway.

The plant will act as a “testing and learning platform” to validate the feed and biobased products and business models, support farmer and industry engagement, and reduce the risk involved in potential wider deployment.

The facility will also be used by Rural BioReFarmeries, a project coordinated by MTU and supported with €7.35 million in EU funding, to assess the model’s potential for replication across European grassland regions.

Green biorefinery

James Gaffey, of the Circular Bioeconomy Research Group at MTU, the state-of-the-art plant is “one of the largest facilities of its kind in the world”.

“This places Ireland firmly as a leading player in this emerging innovation space.

“These facilities will help us to unlock the full potential of our grasslands bringing significant national and regional benefits,” he said.

The plant will have the capability to process up to 5t of grass per hour.

Jason Hawkins, chief executive of Carbery Group, said today’s launch “represents an important next step in Farm Zero C’s mission to demonstrate that climate ambition and commercial viability can progress together”.

“As a farmer-owned business, we are focused on solutions that work in practice and can create lasting value for farm families.

“Crucially, this is a demonstration facility. It will enable the partners to assess performance, product quality, environmental and climate impacts, costs, regulatory requirements and viable business models under real farming conditions.

“That evidence will be essential before wider investment and deployment,” he said.

James Gaffey, MTU CircBio Research Group; Kevin O’Connor, Farm Zero C / BiOrbic; John O’Brien, chair, Carbery; Virginia Puzzulo, head of program