We generate massive amounts of organic wastes from food residues to faecal waste. Anaerobic digestion is a sustainable technology to treat these organic wastes and generate biogas. Biogas, which contains ~50% methane, can be used as fuel to generate heat and electricity (bioenergy).
Despite its popularity, with over 15,000 anaerobic digesters installed in Europe alone (European Biogas Association), we have feedback from over 100 'customers' indicating a common challenge: limited net energy production. This main issue with anaerobic digesters stems from two factors. Firstly, operators often run digesters at low waste/feedstock loading rates to avoid instability and system failure which are common issues with higher feeding rates. Secondly, a significant portion of the energy produced on-site is diverted to regulatory pasteurisation of waste/feedstocks. Consequently, economic sustainability is greatly impacted, making the industry reliant on government subsidies.
To address this challenge of limited net energy production from anaerobic digesters, we have developed - a) additive technology and b) sanitisation technology. Our innovative bespoke/tailored additive and application technology facilitates stable operation of bio-digesters at ~10-times higher organic/waste load, in turn resulting in 10-times higher biogas (bioenergy) productivity compared to ''conventionally'' operated systems. In addition, the additive technology has proven able to recover catastrophically failed digesters. Secondly, our ultra-low energy, waste sanitisation technology is an energy efficient alternative to conventional energy intensive pasteurisation technology, achieving 99.999999% kill of marker pathogens. Both the technologies, independently, allow significantly enhancing the net energy output from anaerobic digesters.
In this project, ADTechOptima, a spinout from Lancaster University, will undertake technical and commercial activities which include scaling their additive technology by conducting pilot-scale trials, early adopter studies, establishing strategic partnerships, business development and fundraising, enabling ADTechOptima to ultimately commercialise the much-needed technology. With a strong team of academics, business, and industry experts, building on one of the key inputs from customers (during ICURe Explore market exploration programme), ADTechOptima will de-risk the technology through demonstrations at pilot-scale and early adopter studies.
Commercialising our technologies, will deliver a wider benefit to the public and the UK government by directly supporting production of affordable and clean energy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reliance on fossil fuels for energy, thus combating climate change. Our plans to scale the business internationally, aligns with UK government's commitment to net zero and "Global Goals for Sustainable Development- at home and around the world".