Ara Ake funding targets gap in New Zealand’s waste-to-energy potential
A bid to increase biogas production in New Zealand is underway, with Ara Ake funding Rotorua-based company Cetogenix to accelerate the scale-up and deployment of its biogas production technology.
The funding will support testing of Cetogenix’s system which has the potential to increase biogas output from existing anaerobic digestion plants without requiring additional feedstock. Their technology can also unlock energy from materials that conventional anaerobic digestion struggles to process.
“Anaerobic digestion is used widely overseas to generate biogas from manure and food waste. However, New Zealand’s pasture-based farming systems make it difficult to collect and utilise manure - our most significant potential biogas feedstock,” says Sophie Braggins, acting Ara Ake chief executive. “That has limited domestic biogas production, even as recent natural gas supply constraints have highlighted the need for local alternatives.”
Cetogenix’s technology, Ceto-Boost™, is designed to address these challenges. When retrofitted to existing anaerobic digestion plants, it can increase biogas production by up to 40 percent. The technology works by further processing digestate, the material left after standard anaerobic digestion, to release additional energy that would otherwise remain unused. Further, recovery of feedstock nutrients offers opportunities to reduce on-farm synthetic fertiliser demand.
“Scaling Cetogenix’s technology could significantly reduce reliance on fossil fuels, provide a substitute for natural gas in the form of biogas and biomethane, as well as position New Zealand as a global leader in waste-to-energy innovation,” says Trevor Stuthridge, Cetogenix chief executive. “This support from Ara Ake will accelerate development of the New Zealand market, benefitting a transition away from fossil fuels.”
The funding will form part of broader project to design, build and deploy a bolt-on Ceto-Boost™ pilot at Ecogas’ anaerobic digestion site in Reporoa, New Zealand’s only commercial scale anaerobic digestion site. While the plant currently processes kerbside food scraps, the pilot will demonstrate how Ceto-Boost™ could be applied to future projects using a wider range of feedstocks.
“This funding builds on Ara Ake support for our earlier pilot work and a feasibility study that identified a clear pathway to deployment. It’s a critical step toward unlocking the full potential of biogas in New Zealand,” says Trevor Stuthridge.