RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES

1. Development of technologies for the preparation of substrates used in methane co-fermentation by disintegration methods (DEZMETAN)

The goal of the project is to develop and implement a complete technological line for the conditioning of substrates from agri-food processing using hydrodynamic and low-temperature disintegration in an innovative hybrid system. So far, these processes have been separately used to treat excess sludge generated in sewage treatment plants. The proposed technology is dedicated to both implementation in agricultural biogas plants and sewage treatment plants (municipal biogas plants). Increasing the bioavailability of methane co-fermentation substrates will increase biogas production, improve the rheological properties of digestate, improve the efficiency of sludge dewatering, and reduce the amount of digestate that requires further development. Improvement of energy balance and profitability of biogas plants will be achieved through the use of disintegration technology. Disintegration of substrates also has an impact on the quality of the sludge liquid formed in the dewatering process, which affects the approach associated with its further treatment. The issue of digestate leachate purification and nitrogen and phosphorus recovery in the form of struvite supplements the knowledge necessary for the user of the proposed technology. Disintegration, fermentation and leachate purification studies will be carried out on a laboratory scale, and then verified on a full scale in a prototype system. Ultimately, the mobile disintegration node can be used as a test product in large facilities or as a product for direct installation in smaller facilities. At each stage, the system will be comprehensively analyzed and optimized using a computer model, and the choice of solutions will be determined by meeting the technological, energy and economic criteria. The simulation model supplemented with environmental analysis will create an advanced assessment tool that is new in both agricultural and municipal biogas plants. The project was co-financed by NCBIR under the SUB-MEASURE 4.1.2 "Regional scientific and research agendas" competition. The project will be implemented by a consortium: Gdańsk University of Technology, Warsaw University of Technology, Institute of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology, BIOPOLINEX Sp. z o.o.

2. Zero-energy technology for the production of biologically safe organic fertilizer based on sewage sludge

This project is a response to the need to develop a modern method for managing the emerging municipal sewage sludge. These sludges, previously treated primarily as a potential source of chemical and biological contamination being a real threat to the natural environment, are at the same time a rich resource of various substances that can be reused.New paradigms in the technology of treatment of municipal sewage and sewage sludge constitute that water is a valuable product food (commodity) and sewage treatment plants are installations for obtaining energy and other resources. Transferring this way of seeing the problem to the industrial practice of municipal wastewater treatment plants requires the development of innovative breakthrough technologies and high competitive potential. The R&D works planned in the project are to lead to the creation of such a solution by using a patented high-efficiency biogas method in a single technological process sewage sludge and grass silage as well as an innovative method of hygienization of the resulting digestate by means of a fast electron beam, which will ensure the effectiveness in combating biological hazards enabling the digestate to be processed into organic fertilizer. The proper selection of the efficiency of the biogas module will ensure energy self-sufficiency of the developed technological line and the entire sewage treatment plant. The solutions applied will significantly reduce the costs incurred by the treatment plants. Thanks to this, the zero-energy technology of producing organic fertilizer based on sewage sludge, developed as part of the project and tested on prototype devices, ready for implementation, will have great competitive potential. The applicant plans to implement the result of the project in their own business in Poland. The project is in the phase of seeking funding.

3. Biogas enrichment by the membrane method

Biopolinex, under an agreement with the Institute of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology, conducts activities related to the implementation of the results of the project carried out by ICHTJ "Mobile membrane installation for biogas enrichment in methane". The basic element of the Mobile Membrane Installation (MMI) is the membrane separator. It separates the gas mixture on a semi-permeable membrane, which is formed by porous capillaries with a solid film made on their outer surface, made of a composite of several polyimides. Enriching biogas with methane to 89 - 92% is necessary for its introduction into the municipal network as an addition to natural gas and preparing it as a biofuel for supplying transport means. Project in implementation phase.

4. Research on exhaust gas purification in large diesel engines

The project is implemented by the Institute of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology as part of the TANGO competition. The aim of the project is to develop a method for removing large diesel SOx and NOx concentrations from exhaust gases by means of an electron beam coupled with a water scrubber. BIOPOLINEX Sp. z o.o. declared its willingness to cooperate with ICHTJ in carrying out tasks related to the construction and testing of the prototype installation.