The UK’s reliance on imported carbon dioxide is set to deepen unless new domestic sources emerge, as bioethanol producers—the traditional backbone of CO₂ supply—struggle to remain viable. Into this gap, Bio Capital is moving to commercialize food-grade CO₂ production at two of its anaerobic digestion (AD) plants, positioning itself as a critical alternative supplier.
The company expects production to begin within months at Granville Eco Park in Northern Ireland and before year-end at its Corbiere site in Norfolk. Together, the two facilities will generate around 15,000 tonnes of CO₂ annually, covering an estimated 2% to 4% of national demand. For a market dependent on CO₂ in packaging, beverage carbonation, and livestock slaughtering, the entry of a waste-to-energy operator marks both a diversification of supply and a test of whether AD can scale beyond its niche contribution. Currently, only about 10% of UK CO₂ output originates from AD, with imports filling roughly 60% of the market.
The timing of Bio Capital’s move is notable. In August, Associated British Foods shuttered its Vivergo plant in Hull after bailout negotiations collapsed, citing structural pressures from the government’s decision to lift tariffs on 1.4 billion liters of US ethanol under a transatlantic trade deal. German-owned Ensus, which supplies roughly 30% of the UK’s CO₂, remains in precarious negotiations over its Teesside facility, warning of “imminent closure.” If Ensus exits, a significant portion of domestic CO₂ capacity could disappear, tightening a market already prone to shortfalls.
For Bio Capital, the opportunity lies in leveraging technology that redefines the economics of AD. Conventional AD operations yield a gas mixture of 50%–70% methane and 30%–50% CO₂. The methane is already used to generate renewable electricity, inject green gas into the grid, and fuel vehicles. What distinguishes Bio Capital’s investment is the installation of CO₂ recovery systems to capture and repurpose the carbon fraction, a step that both reduces emissions and monetizes an otherwise wasted byproduct.
Granville Eco Park, with its 90,000-tonne annual food waste capacity, provides the operational backbone for this venture. As the largest facility of its kind in Northern Ireland, running continuously at scale, it offers the consistency needed to supply food-grade CO₂ to downstream industries that require reliability as much as sustainability. Interim CEO David McKee described the project as “the circular economy in action,” highlighting the alignment of environmental policy goals with market needs during a period of acute domestic supply risk.
