UK based Biofuels firm Ensus rids itself of a bad smell

UK based Ensus has set aside £6m to rid itself of a bad smell which caused complaints from residents.

Ensus specializes in bioethanol production from cereal crops. The plant opened at the Wilton Centre in the UK in 2009 produces over 400 million liters of bioethanol a year. Shortly after the plant opened however, residents living near the plant complained about a brewery-like smell from the fermentation step of the process.

In a statement from the Environment Agency:
"Smells from Ensus have been reported to us since March 2010. In September 2010, following enforcement action from the agency, Ensus announced it would be spending £6m ($9.6m) on regenerative thermal oxidisers to minimise smells. Before this can happen, Ensus must apply to the Environment Agency to change its environmental permit. We are giving residents the chance to comment and raise any concerns they have, including noise, effect on air quality and odour."

The company recognizes the issue and say that they are trying to deal with the problem. Concerns over the efficiency, output, impacts on food production and environmental impacts over a process can sometimes push more minor issues like smell and  to the background, but it is still important for biotech companies to consider impacts of their operations on residents. The fact that biotech uses living organisms and degradation of biomass means that it is more susceptible to problems with smell than other technologies. Regulations can be strict depending on jurisdiction regarding the effect that operations have on residents, and is something that may be regulated more harshly as industrial biotech grows and expectations of the technology rise.