World premiere of Exelys technology at Billund BioRefinery
Waste water treatment processes are called upon
to converge with biorefining technologies. In some cases, those processes will
be incorporated in a particular biorefinery model to treat their effluent
efficiently and economically, minimise their net water consumption and obtain
high valuable by-products. In other cases, waste water treatment facilities
will be converted into real biorefineries. Billund BioRefinery, that is often
called the Waste Water Treatment Plant of the Future, is an example of this second
situation.
It is a joint project between Krüger A/S (Veolia Water Technologies
subsidiary), the municipality of Billund and its utility company Billund Vand
A/S. The plant has been designed to be a model of complementary waste water and
biomass treatment technologies working in synergy. It will convert waste water
sludge and organic waste into biogas for local consumption, organic soil
improvers for agriculture and bioplastics. The dual feed plant will treat 4,200
tons of waste per year (a total capacity of 70,000 population equivalent) from
both households and industries in the Billund area.
Video: World Premiere for Exelys technology at Billund BioRefinery
The execution of the project advances successfully.
Proof of this that the heart of Billund BioRefinery, the Exelys™ unit, was put
into operation on 29th August by Anni Matthiesen, Member of the
Danish Parliament and Spokeswoman on Nature. She performed the official
inauguration of the plant whose technology celebrated its world premiere. Exelys™
is an innovative and complete sludge reduction solution that works in
continuous mode, combining thermal hydrolysis and anaerobic digestion. The
facility is the first full-scale demonstration of this state of the art process.
Compact and robust, it reduces sludge cake through improved digestion and
dewatering, while boosting gas production by 20 to 40 percent. Exelys™ handles
all kinds of organic, industrial or municipal sludge and can also treat grease.
