Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) yesterday announced that its Bio-Methanisation Plant will be completed and fully operational in three months, and will produce methane gas for firing up their boilers. The announcement was made during a media tour of the plant yesterday at Diamond, East Bank Demerara.
DDL’s Chemical Engineer – Project Manager, Mr. Shaun Caleb, told the media that the plant will capture the distillery waste for storage and conversion to biogas.
He added that the plant, the first of its kind in the English speaking Caribbean, comprises three silos, each 2,000 feet in diameter and 20 feet in height, with a holding pond 95 feet in length and six feet deep.
Mr. Caleb said in addition, the methane produced from this plant will provide energy for  power generation sets.
At the current prices of fuel, the payback for this project is less than three years. Apart from the commercial benefits, the treatment of spent wash and substitution of fossil fuels are in keeping with the company’s drive to seek more environmentally sustainable methods of operating, Mr. Caleb stated.
The project costs about US$5M and methane gas produced will be utilised to power boilers at the distillery operations reducing the current dependence on heavy fuel oil.