From innovation to commercialisation in Anaerobic Digestion

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Barry Jordan
7 years ago
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1 From innovation to commercialisation in

2 About CPI The Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) is a UK-based technology innovation centre and part of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult. We use applied knowledge in science and engineering combined with state of the art facilities to enable our clients to develop, prove, prototype and scale up the next generation of products and processes. Our open innovation model enables clients to develop products and prove processes with minimal risk. We provide assets and expertise so our customers can demonstrate the process and prove it is feasible before investing substantial amounts of money in capital equipment and training. New products and processes can be proven; on paper, in the lab and in the plant before being manufactured at an industrial scale. The company works in the following technology areas: From innovation to commercialisation in The Development Centre is designed to assess a wide range of waste to energy processes in single or mixed streams. It has a range of pre-treatment, digestion and posttreatment technologies that are rapidly reconfigurable to allow the development of novel and improved anaerobic digestion processes. Industrial Biotechnology The National Industrial Biotechnology Facility is designed to help companies of all sizes develop biotechnology based products and processes quickly and cost-effectively. CPI explores alternatives to traditional chemical processing techniques to create cleaner and more sustainable manufacturing processes. Our facility is equipped to take your process from lab to 10,000 litre. Printable Electronics The Printable Electronics Technology Centre is a design, development and prototyping facility for the emerging Printable Electronics (PE) industry. Our mission is to work with clients to bring new PE products and processes to market quickly and efficiently, by offering facilities and expertise that help reduce the level of R&D risk and capital investment, while speeding up time to market. Thermal Technologies Sustainable Engineering Smart Chemistry A collaboration between CPI and Tata Steel, The Thermal Technologies Centre carries out development and innovation to provide novel sources of fuel and energy, the recovery of raw materials and reductions in wastes produced. CPI s Sustainable Engineering group has unique experience that can be applied to your organisation to help reduce technology risk by examining engineering, science, economics and the whole supply chain. In this way, processes can be improved to become cleaner, greener and more sustainable. The Smart Chemistry facility applies novel technologies to deliver innovative solutions to traditional chemical industry challenges. The extensive combination of equipment at the facility is supported by our team s knowledge of whole process design and a fundamental understanding of continuous processing.

3 The Development Centre The Development Centre is an open access facility that is operated by the Centre for Process Innovation (CPI). It is designed to help organisations of all sizes to develop anaerobic digestion (AD) processes quickly, sustainably and cost effectively. CPI s AD Development Centre combines unique testing and scale-up facilities with practical experience and applied knowledge of science, engineering and economics. The centre can evaluate and develop AD processes for conventional and novel waste streams. CPI assists in the development and deployment of effective and profitable AD processes, fit for generic application and purpose. The facility is supported by CPI s process scientists, engineers and business specialists. This means that concepts can be developed effectively from the initial idea through to full-scale deployment. Clients can de-risk process and product development to determine the most cost-effective combination of feedstocks and technologies, thereby optimising biogas production and maximising profitability. The flexible design of the centre further enhances its ability to provide an effective, low risk route to innovative AD solutions. The AD Development Centre works with clients of all sizes and from a range of sectors. Our client base includes for example: water treatment companies, food processing companies, farm businesses, clean energy consultancies and academic spin-outs that are often unsure how to exploit their by-product streams. AD Development Centre Capabilities: Specific methane potential and comprehensive chemical analysis of feedstocks Optimisation of pre and post digestion processes Assessment of process design and control Evaluation of process economics CPI also operates the National Industrial Biotechnology Facility, working to produce high value chemicals in a sustainable and cost effective manner. Bench scale to 10,000 litre fermenter facilities at the National Industrial Biotechnology Facility provide complementary resources to the AD Development Centre. Collaboration between the two facilities enables joint process intensification and design innovations. Proving the concept The AD Development Centre can be used as a proof of concept facility for novel feedstocks, the assessment of co-digestion and novel pre/post processing technologies. With digestor working volumes of between 1.5 m 3 and 5 m 3, clients can gain valuable information on how a new AD plant should be configured and the operational costs involved. Novel AD technology can be incorporated into the AD Development Centre s reconfigurable infrastructure, allowing tailored solutions to be designed and executed. UK Government incentives for AD mean that increasing numbers of organisations are looking to embrace the technology in order to deal with problematic waste-streams and generate extra income. The AD Development Centre offers organisations an ideal platform to plan, assess and invest in AD technology.

Key benefits of the AD Development Centre CPI provides the facilities and expertise to enable both the CPI s state of the art plug and play Development Centre Digestate Storage public and private

4 Key benefits of the AD Development Centre CPI provides the facilities and expertise to enable both the CPI s state of the art plug and play Development Centre Digestate Storage public and private sector to: 2 x Vertical Digestors (Sequence or Parallel Operation) Centrifuge Reduce cost, reduce waste Develop robust anaerobic digestion biogas processes and Gas Holder Horizontal Digestor (Sequence or Parallel Operation) compliant digestate by-products to reduce waste and produce goods more sustainably and cost effectively. Pasteurizer 2 x Buffer Tanks Be first to market Use CPI s facilities and expertise to fast-track anaerobic digestion processes and products into novel, full-scale production capabilities. Raw Feed with Macerator and Shredder Reduce risk Test and refine anaerobic digestion technology and develop the business case before making significant investment in plant and equipment. Liquor Storage Access services under one roof Take advantage of CPI s comprehensive suite of services from a single location. Develop and test novel AD technology Core Equipment Pre-treatment Digestion Post-treatment Shredder/macerator system Pasteurisation (1hr, 70oC; Cat 3 waste compliance) Feed prepartion vessels Innovate AD technology by incorporating it into the AD Development Centre s flexible configuration. Technology can then be tested, refined and perfected, before being released to the market. Vertical (1.5m3) Horizontal (5m3) Plug Flow Mesophillic and thermophillic processes Membrane gas holder Combined heat and power engine Digestate storage Centrifuge Membrane water treatment The above configuration is highly flexible and can be tailored to the specific needs of a project. All features can be removed, adjusted or multiplied, allowing a bespoke solution to be designed, as required.

5 AD Support Laboratory The AD Support Laboratory provides comparative anaerobic evaluation of organic matter at a small scale. Co-substrate digestion can also be examined at this scale to optimise biogas yields. Biogas Potential Assays Biogas Potential Assays use a laboratory-based anaerobic treatment protocol. The assays provide comprehensive feedstock characterisation and determine the anaerobic biodegradability and biogas recovery potential of a given substrate or substrates. In this way, CPI s clients can build confidence, before moving onto pilot scale testing or investing in AD plant development. Lab scale feedstock comparisons for anaerobic digestion potential Core Activities Maceration, milling and pasteurisation facilities Anaerobic microbiology culture techniques Batch and continuous culture capabilities Investigation of novel fermentations Up-stream and down stream processing Dedicated gas chromatography (GC) analysis including: CH 4, CO 2, N 2, H 2 S Determinations of: ph Alkalinity Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) Volatile Fatty Acids (VFA) Total Solids (TS) Volatile Solids (VS) Ammonia (NH 4 -N) Total Inorganic Carbon/Volatile Organic Acids (TIC/VOA) Total Nitrogen (N) Total Phosphorus (P) Total Suspended Solids (TSS) Total Volatile Suspended Solids (TVSS) Biogas Production Rate AD with Oscillatory Baffle Reactor (OBR) Technology OBR technology is acknowledged as a process intensification methodology with enhanced mixing characteristics. The methodology is designed for continuous processing and can be deployed using a plug-flow configuration. This enables efficient processing with reduced process footprint and the opportunity for enhanced process control. The Centre for Process Innovation Wilton Centre, Wilton, Redcar, Cleveland, United Kingdom, TS10 4RF T: +44 (0) F: +44 (0) E: info@uk-cpi.com W: The application of OBR technology to the field of AD is novel and its potential for continuous, efficient biogas production at reduced plant size, and improved energy efficiency is significant. The concept is still at the R&D stage, but CPI is keen to maintain progress towards this third generation AD technology becoming a commercial reality. The Development Centre is supported by:

Biogas as transportation fuel

Biogas as transportation fuel Summary Biogas is used as transportation fuel in a number of countries, but in Europe it has only reached a major breakthrough in Sweden. All of the biogas plants in Sweden