Following the phased placement of our restoration soils across our Knapton site, we are currently in progress with the huge task of planting 15,000 willow trees to be grown and harvested for biomass fuel.
The former landfill site is being progressively restored using our own soil substitute which consists of inert subsoils and CLO and has been specifically formulated to provide the ideal growing conditions for trees. The process represents the final stage of our closed loop recycling process – growing biomass energy crops in a soil substitute created from waste product.
We created a soil profile consisting of subsoils and CLO. The soil depth was used to provide the maximum soil depth for the roots of the willow crops above the engineered landfill cap. We will harvest the willows every 3-4 years and in the first year of planting we will achieve over 6ft of growth.
Finally, the harvested willow will be chipped and used in our biomass boiler to provide heating for our Alne site.