Anaerobic Digester visit – 24th June 2025
SHARE members and friends were well impressed by the latest technology and innovation now installed at the Cheese Farm at Upton Cross. Ben Stansfield owner of Cornish Cheese Co and Eoin Sharkey, founder and CEO of BioFactory, who designed the system gave our group a full tour and answers all our questions. We are so grateful for this opportunity and insight into the future, this system being the 1st in Cornwall and only the 2nd in the country… exciting times for both companies.
Eoin told us how he was originally looking at tackling the sanitation problems in refugee camps abroad, but because Covid meant they couldn’t travel to install the IBC system he turned his attention to farm slurry on a scale that is affordable and ideal for dairy farms with around 100 – 200 cows, the modular system is easily replicated for larger herds.
By processing slurry in the reactor by AD, the resulting enriched material is spread on the fields, plus the system captures biogas, converting it to renewable energy and heat/hot water used directly in the Cheese factory, all helping to reduce costs.
POWER FROM POO. 4/5 cubic meters of slurry can be converted into 10 kilowatts of electricity per day. The AD takes around 13 days to process the contents of the tank housed in the shipping container, now it is set up, it never needs to stop unless it runs out of slurry. The system can be controlled with an app on your phone!
Ben explained their journey to a sustainable future to date and goals to net-zero emissions. Future plans to cover the slurry pit and divert waste from the cheese processing through the AD were very much in the pipe line and not a pipe dream.
Local to Knowle Farm, Upton Cross, check out their shop for fresh milk, pate, chutneys and cheeses of course…. Bring CASH !
FOLLOW ON FB > https://www.facebook.com/cornishcheese
Read their story here > Cheese Company Our Story ..and https://biofactory.energy/
If you’d like to join us on future visits and support our renewable energy group, you can be a SHARE member for £1 as an Associate Member or £2 for a Full Member. EMail SHARE@south-hill.co.uk
