Profile: Micro H2AD – Small-scale fast anaerobic digestion
It has been some time
since I published the last post on small-scale biorefining even
though I intend to devote particular attention to this topic. It is not always
easy to find good contents but I will try it even more energetically in the
future. For the moment, I am going to add two new references to the list and
issue monographic posts with their profiles.
Today, the first
one, Micro
H2AD, a novel micro-scale technology
for the rapid and safe disposal of organic effluent based on a fast anaerobic
digestion (AD) developed by Lindhurst Innovation
Engineering (LIE). I expect to publish the post about the second one next
week.
Characteristics of the concept
- Modular and scalable.
It is micro in scale and fully housed in 20 ft (6,1 m) shipping containers. The
scalable system may be employed by the smallest SME and the largest
multinational.
- Fast. It enables a
10x reduction in the time required to decrease the organic content of waste.
- Low cost. Lower CAPEX
compared to traditional AD. A barrier to recycle waste generating renewable
energy and reducing carbon emissions in developing countries and indeed for
SMEs in developed countries is the cost of technology. Micro H2AD
intends to overcome this barrier.
- It supports the circular
economy business model by treating and valorizating wastes. Biogas, grey
water and biofertilisers can be obtained during the process.
- Improvements achieved in
liquid wastes: reduction of the chemical oxygen demand (COD); removal of total suspended
solids (TSS); decreasing of the content in nitrogen, phosphorous and phosphates;
reduction of the levels of nitrates, nitrites and ammonia.
- Targeted sectors: food and
drink, agriculture and process industry.
Technology
Unlike traditional anaerobic
digestion plants which require vast storage space and a minimum of 20 days to
process the waste, Micro H2AD’s modular system uses a
semi-continuous flow process that combines microbial fuel cells (MFC) and
conventional AD (see Figure 1). This means material stops in the tank for no
longer than 72 hours and low temperature is needed to treat waste and convert
organic compounds into methane ten times faster than conventional AD processes.
Micro H2AD is based on a patented bioreactor and electrode
architecture.
Figure 1. Basic scheme of the Micro
H2AD technology (extracted from the web page of the company)
Work methodology
Its systematic approach can be
summarized as follows:
1. Audit
Micro H2AD assesses
the waste effluent status via a comprehensive audit. Such audit includes
analysis of effluent samples to understand standard composition and the
potential biogas generation. A preliminary assessment of the potential business
case is made.
2. Trial
If the preliminary assessment
is positive, a trial is undertaken employing a Micro H2AD trial
unit. The trial may run for 3 months or until such a time that a firm business
case is established.
3.
Sale/Lease
With the business case
confirmed, a Micro H2AD system optimised in terms of volume is
sold/leased to the customer. The Micro H2AD engineering team
manufacture and install the system including all pre and post treatment
equipment.
4.
Maintenance
Once the Micro H2AD
has been commissioned, outputs optimised and training of the plant operatives
is complete, the plant is transferred to the customer. Micro H2AD
remain on hand to carry out maintenance programs.
Current status
With funding from the Horizon
2020 program (Project: H2AD-aFDPI; Call for proposals: H2020-SMEINST-2-2015; From
2015-11-01 to 2017-10-31), LIE is undertaking the experimental development and
field trials required to confirm predicted Micro H2AD performance
and payback for several feedstocks of the agri-food and drink processing
industry.
Figure 2. Micro H2AD
units in process of building (extracted from CORDIS)
The field trials are being carried out within a
strong collaborative framework in Spain (ainia), Denmark (Aarhus University / Arla),
Ireland (IrBEA – Irish Biogas Energy Association) and UK (Castle Rock -
Oakfield Farm). The tests allow to refine the LIE business model for initial
market capture and medium to long-term strategies for widespread uptake and
market replication.
