Yorkshire Water is set to begin demolition work this month on a sewage sludge incinerator in Brighouse, West Yorkshire, ahead of the construction of a £40m energy and recycling centre.
The state-of-the-art facility will use anaerobic digestion to convert human waste into electricity.
The electricity produced through the ‘poo power’ technology will power Brighouse’s sewage treatment plant and feed into the national grid to power homes in the surrounding areas.
The new facility at Brighouse will improve the quality of the sludge that is produced, meaning less of it will end up in landfill. The new technology will also reduce nitric oxide emissions from the site and help to improve the air quality.
The demolition of the old incinerator is expected to take four months to complete.
Increasing use of anaerobic digestion has helped Yorkshire Water reduce its carbon footprint. Eighteen of its major sewage treatment works now generate electricity in this way.
Mark Allsop, communications advisor at Yorkshire Water said: “This scheme supports our commitment to invest in renewable energy and benefit the environment as we look at ways of reducing carbon emissions.
“Anaerobic digestion is a fantastic technology, heating up sludge to produce a bio-gas which is used to generate electricity. The new facility is expected to be ready to open by mid-2021.”