Second NI company to convert waste dung into a resource

A second company has been awarded £4m to further develop a project to tackle excess phosphorus coming from slurry.

It is part of a programme that aims to tackle phosphorus in water, helping to control blue-green algae in Lough Neagh.

The Centre for Competitiveness (C for C) will lead a project in Mid-Ulster called LUCERNE – sLurry Utilisation for the Creation and Exploitation of Recoverable Nutrients and Energy.

The project links farms with local businesses that are high users of energy, to generate biofuel and reduce emissions.

Mobile slurry separators will be used to extract nutrients from slurry and provide feedstock for anaerobic digestion.

The funding is part of the Sustainable Utilisation of Livestock Slurry (SULS) programme, launched by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera) in 2023.

The programme forms part of the Lough Neagh Action Plan, which aims to change how nutrients like phosphorus are managed on farm.

High levels of phosphorus in the water are one of the main causes of algal blooms in Lough Neagh.

Reducing the nutrient level going into the lough should help control algal levels.

An initiative is underway to find ways to tackle blue-green algae without damaging the Lough or its associated waterways.

C for C technical lead Dr. James Morrow said the project would “ensure the business resilience” of farms while helping them become more sustainable.

But scientists have warned that phosphorus already in the lough will take 40 years to be naturally dispersed.

Another company, in Dundonald, was awarded funding under the same initiative last month.

Daera Minister Andrew Muir said he was “delighted” to see another award under the scheme and said it was an “excellent example of Green Growth in action: reducing emissions, environmental improvements, and producing green jobs”.

The Green Growth strategy, launched in 2021, aims to help northern Ireland move towards a low-carbon-emission future.