MTU Green Biorefinery — Kerry Campus & Farm Zero C, Bandon

Ireland's First Green Biorefinery: A Partnership at the Frontier of Circular Agriculture

Premier Green Energy is proud to be a named industry partner in one of Ireland's most ambitious sustainable agriculture initiatives — the MTU Green Biorefinery programme, led by Munster Technological University's Circular Bioeconomy Research Group (CircBio).

Ireland holds a unique position in the European bioeconomy. As the only country in Europe with more than 50% grassland coverage, Ireland's fields represent an enormous, largely untapped opportunity for circular value creation. The MTU Green Biorefinery project is designed to realise that opportunity at commercial scale.

What Is the Challenge?

Ireland currently imports approximately 3 million tonnes of animal feed concentrates every year — including close to 1 million tonnes of soybean meal, most of which originates from South America. Production in that region has been directly linked to Amazon deforestation and carries a heavy long-distance transport emissions burden. At the same time, Irish farmers have seen agricultural input costs — feed, fertiliser, energy — rise by around 75% over the past seven years.

Reducing dependence on imported feed while lowering on-farm emissions is one of the defining challenges of Irish agriculture in the decade ahead.

The Solution: Green Biorefinery Technology

The green biorefinery process converts freshly harvested grass into a cascade of high-value outputs:

• Optimised cattle feed fibre (press cake)
• Non-GMO protein concentrate for pigs and poultry (up to 5x lower climate impact than soybean meal)
• Human-grade protein and prebiotics
• Grass whey for fertiliser or bioenergy applications
• Biomethane via integrated anaerobic digestion

MTU's research — backed by over €14 million in combined EU and national funding — has already demonstrated these outputs at pilot scale at the Kerry Campus facility, which launched in January 2026. The next step is a demonstration-scale biorefinery and anaerobic digestion plant at Farm Zero C, Shinagh Farm, Bandon, Co. Cork, due to launch in 2026 in partnership with University College Dublin and Carbery Group.

Premier Green Energy's Role

Premier Green Energy is a named industry partner in this programme, working alongside UCD, Carbery Group, Barryroe Cooperative, BiOrbic, and Carhue Piggeries. PGE contributes expertise in waste-to-energy system design and biorefinery integration, supporting the translation of MTU's research into deployable, commercially viable installations.

Results & Impact

• On-farm GHG emissions at Shinagh reduced by more than 17% since the Farm Zero C project began
• Grass protein concentrate demonstrated to have up to 5x lower climate impact than soybean meal
• €8.7 million EU CBE-JU Rural BioReFarmeries project coordinated by MTU
• €6.1 million Horizon Europe EMBEDED project in collaboration with UCD and Carbery
• Enterprise Ireland and DAFM investment totalling over €3 million for Farm Zero C AD and biorefinery facilities

What This Means for Irish Agriculture

If your farming enterprise or agri-food business is looking to reduce imported feed costs, cut Scope 3 emissions, and unlock new revenue streams from on-farm biomass, the grass biorefinery model is a proven, replicable solution. PGE can work with you to assess the feasibility of integrating biorefinery and anaerobic digestion technology into your operation.

About Premier Green Energy

Premier Green Energy (PGE) is an Irish waste-to-energy company specialising in the design, build, and operation of pyrolysis and biorefinery systems. PGE's patented PRIMA 3000 system converts industrial and commercial waste into syngas, carbon char, and recovered heat — creating circular economy value for clients across manufacturing, healthcare, and agri-food sectors.