Ellers Farm Distillery, based in North Yorkshire, makes vodka from British apples. As a business focused on sustainability, we are always looking for ways to eliminate waste and make linear processes circular.
To make vodka, we first convert the sugars in the apple juice to alcohol, creating a 10%+ alcohol by volume cider, concentrate the alcohol content to "low wine" strength, and finally distil to 96.5% alcohol by volume. The end result is spirit that can be adjusted to vodka strength as well as a large quantity of sugarless, alcohol-free, stewed apple juice which we refer to as distillate. The distillate is currently treated as a by-product of the process, and transported off-site by a third party for treatment and discharge.
We have carried out analysis that shows the distillate has valuable fertiliser components; namely nitrogen, phosporous, and potassium (NPK) as well as micronutrients valuable for plant growth such as boron, copper, and zinc). Currently, the liquid is collected in tankers and transported for treatment and discharge by a third party, which costs the business significant amounts of money.
The purpose of this project is to create a revenue stream from our waste which will contribute to the circularity of the business as well as benefit farmers and growers with a natural fertiliser source. The project aims to:
\*Devise a method to extract the NPK from the distillate, creating a source of concentrated fertiliser nutrients and leftover water containing some micronutrients
\*Carry out an elemental analysis of the extracted material and the leftover water
\*Conduct plant growth trials with the extracted NPK fertiliser and the leftover water
Our key objectives are to determine the methods and costs required to extract fertiliser nutrients from our waste, and to determine the efficacy of the extracted nutrients and leftover water for use in commercial agricultural systems. If the project is successful, we would scale the extraction process to create another revenue stream for the business, as well as close the loop on a process which currently creates waste.