Since opening in 2007 the £350m bioethanol plant at Saltend has generated some impressive statistics. One of Europe's biggest bioethanol producers, the company is not only the single biggest customer for wheat in the UK; it is also UK's largest single-source supplier of animal feed.
Started in autumn 2012 on a 26-acre site, at full capacity the plant uses 1.1 million tonnes of locally sourced feed grade wheat each year.
The wheat is traditionally milled then mixed with water to form a slurry before being cooked with steam, then enzymes are added to convert the starch into sugar before brewing.
Once fermentation is complete each tonne of slurry produces 350kg of ethanol and 350kg of protein. The remainder is CO2. The alcohol is removed and the slurry then moves to a centrifuge.
Here the remaining fibre and protein from the wheat is reduced from 10 to 35 per cent solids before being dried and reduced again to achieve 90 per cent dry matter. This is then pelleted for animal feed. A syrup by-product (38 per cent dry matter) is supplied to the pig industry.
Vivergo produces 500,000 tonnes of animal feed every year. This equates to the daily protein requirements of 340,000 dairy cows as part of their total dietary requirements. This is roughly 20 per cent of the UK dairy herd.
Meanwhile the alcohol is sent to the distillery where it is dried to achieve 99.7 per cent alcohol. After distillation, the product becomes bioethanol which is shipped to Wales where it is blended.
Brett Askew, Regional crops board chairman said: “Vivergo is a superb example of what modern agriculture can deliver: a green future taking the equivalent of 180,000 cars off the road and providing a quality pelleted feed to reduce the need for imports.
“Vivergo and nearby Ensus offer a ‘win win’ proposal for farmers, providing a near market for surplus soft wheat and helping reduce costs for regional livestock producers.
“The NFU will continue to push for a higher blending rate to provide the incentive for further investment in the UK biofuels industry.”