Anaerobic biorefinery for resource recovery from waste feedstock

About this project

<p>WasteValue will focus on circular economy and resource recovery challenge by deploying integrated bioprocessing to recover the organic fraction and nutrients from organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW), food waste and fish sludge in order to make maximal use of these waste and residues. These fractions will be used to formulate a substitute for A-1 jet fuel, natural gas and agriculture fertilizer. We will aim at reaching strong impact with respect to the indicated co-products. The primary objective of WasteValue is to explore and develop an innovative biorefinery scheme for the production of high-performance biofuels and a high-quality fertilizer variety of waste streams, thereby offering novel, research-based means of mitigating climate change and supporting the transition to a future sustainable bioeconomy. The primary objective is achieved through the following secondary objectives: (1) optimizing the low-temperature pretreatment along with enzymatic hydrolysis of organic waste; (2) maximizing OFMSW and food waste conversion to C6-C8 carboxylic acids; (3) developing a cost-effective method for C6-C8 recovery and upgrading them to biojet fuels; (4) developing an optimized system for obtaining enriched biogas through biomethanation; (5) enriching the biorefinery’s effluent to achieve a highly valuable fertilizer; (6) integration and evaluation of the integrated biorefinery in terms of cost-efficiency; and (7) performing an environmental sustainability analysis. WasteValue will present the best possible solutions for effective organic waste management with regard to the environmental, social and economic aspects. The important aspect of emerging contaminants presence and fate, including microplastics, in the related processes will be also assessed. The technology will contribute to resource recovery and savings, improvement of economic aspects of waste management and multi- and interdisciplinary training and education of biorefinery aspects.</p>

Bilateral cooperation results

The bilateral partnership in the WasteValue project, involving Norwegian partner – Aquateam COWI, significantly enriched the project's scope and outcomes. The collaboration was based on Aquateam COWI's advanced expertise in wastewater management and renewable energy technologies, which was instrumental in refining the methodologies and enhancing the technological frameworks in the project. Aquateam COWI contributed significantly to the development of the enhanced anaerobic digestion processes and the integration of microplastic determination and henceforth the mitigation strategies of microplastics content in biofertilizers. Their expertise in handling organic waste streams and in-depth knowledge of biogas production provided a robust basis for optimizing the biochemical methane potential (BMP). The shared results included the successful demonstration of increased biomethane production through the innovative use of fish sludge, a by-product from Norway's significant aquaculture industry. This not only enhanced the project’s sustainability goals but also demonstrated a practical application of circular economy principles, resonating well with both European and Norwegian policies on waste and resource management. The cooperation resulted also in exchange of stuff: a researcher from Poznan University of Technology and a researcher from Gdansk University of Technology visited Aquateam COWI for a short term research stay. Moreover, some of the research conducted by Aquateam COWI was conducted at Gdansk University of Technology and Silesian University of Technology. Plans to continue the bilateral collaboration with Norwegian partners are in place. So far, it resulted in preparation of 3 projects proposals and more are foreseen in a future. The continuation of this partnership is expected to yield more innovative solutions in environmental and waste management sectors.

Project partners

• Aquateam COWI AS Donor project partner· Norway
• Gdańsk University of Technology Project partner· Poland
• Silesian University of Technology Project partner· Poland
• A&A Biotechnology Project partner· Poland
• Prochimia Surfaces Ltd. Project partner· Poland