disruptive capturing and revalorisation system of AMmonia for BIogas plants ENhancing Circular Economy

Project Information

AMBIENCE

Grant agreement ID: 827586

DOI

10.3030/827586

Project closed

EC signature date 12 July 2018

Start date 1 August 2018

End date 31 January 2019

Funded under

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Innovation In SMEs

Total cost

€ 71 429,00

EU contribution

€ 50 000,00

Coordinated by

INGENIERIA Y DESARROLLOS RENOVABLESSOCIEDAD LIMITADA
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - AMBIENCE (disruptive capturing and revalorisation system of AMmonia for BIogas plants ENhancing Circular Economy)

Reporting period: 2018-08-01 to 2019-01-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

AMBIENCE is directly related with Directive 2001/81/CE of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 of October of 2001. The Directive explicitly requires EU Member States to take measures to reduce ammonia emissions on livestock holdings. Besides, AMBIENCE also has direct impact to EU legislation (Directive 91/676/EEC) concerning the Protection of Waters against Pollution caused by Nitrates from Agricultural Sources. Ammonia presents serious environmental issues: 1) Contamination of underground water, 2) Eutrophication and acidification of ecosystems, 4) Air quality compromising which harms human health, 5) Odour, 6) Land use &habitability. Ammonia at high levels is toxic to animals (including humans)
In this background, the project objective is to carry out a feasibility study for AMBIENCE, a revolutionary solution, that allows effectively capturing ammonia, from the specific residues from farms & biogas plants, transforming it into ammonia sulphate, a valuable product for manufacturing fertilizers or related products based on it.
AMBIENCE delivers a processed ammonia (NH3) turned into Ammonia Sulphate (NH4)2SO4, prepared to be easily treated by fertilizers manufacturers reducing farmers’ operational costs by means of both savings and new incomes achieved (+60%) by applying this innovative revalorisation business model.
AMBIENCE will contribute reducing the amount of ammonia in the air (70-80%), from one of the biggest sources of this contaminant, porcine and poultry installations, as well as the anaerobically co-digested liquid animal waste that comes from the biogas processes, which contains high quantities of ammonia.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The feasibility study has comprised the following activities:
1. Business and financial plan
2. Market feasibility analysis with special focus on validating target market and its size
3. Competitor analysis
4. Customers and willingness to pay analysis.
5. IPR analysis
Market data investigation was conducted from documented sources, different biogas plants experts were interviewed as well as livestock plants. Different workshops were performed with strategic partners from industry and commercial sector (Biogas Association delegate, farming association representatives, biogas plant engineering and promoting partner companies among others) , and also with scientific partners as Universidad de Valladolid, including piloting in a real livestock holding.
As a result of the feasibility study, Inderen is determined to continue the project, the main results derived from the project that support this determination consisting of:
• Confirmed demand, necessity and willingness to pay for AMBIENCE solution in sectors like livestock farming and biogas plants. Opportunity to approach fertilizers market.
• Total Addressable Market of more than 10 billion euros per year only ate European level.
• Identification of technical challenges and defined technical roadmap feasible for an industrial scalable solution.
• Exploitation plan updated with a prospective market of 220 million income in 2025 with a market share lower than 3%.
• Financial needs estimated and financial plan developed for both the technical roadmap and the marketing and commercial activities.
• Dimension plan and strategy of Inderen AMBIENCE area in terms of staff by departments.
• Value Chain identified and potential partners to develop the business plans as stated in the report.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The impacts of ammonia pollution, have a total cost for the EU of between 70 and 320 billion euro per year according to the First European Nitrogen Assessment equivalent to 150–750 €/capita, of which about 75% is related to health damage and air pollution. In addition, according to different investigations, it has been estimated that a decrease of 50% of the emissions of NH3 by means of the use of different technologies, could result in a benefit of $190 millions worldwide per year with respect to the forecasting of human illnesses (RTI, 2003 ).
AMBIENCE provides a revolutionary modular portable treatment plant, that allows farmers not only capturing but also revalorising Ammonia (NH3) extractions, decreasing its environmental effects, increasing exploitation incomes (more than 10%) while enhancing circular economy. AMBIENCE consists of a low-cost close-loop physical system based on a novel and highly efficient technology of permeable membranes that capture the ammonia in between 70% - 80%, from the emissions (liquid and gas) generated by animal waste and pig farms, and biogas plants’ digestants.
AMBIENCE market impact is also stated, the benefits observed by the customer target organizations, livestock holdings and biogas plants are:
• Optimization of waste management costs.
• It is environmental and economically feasible and sustainable.
• It can be easily deployed in the farms as it is portable and compact.
• Allows appropriate treatment of waste, reducing the emissions for legal compliance.
• Drops drastically the costs of dealing with the residues (confirmation of savings of 4 €/m³) since they can treat it in-house and legally disposed.
• Permits the valorisation of their waste obtaining as a final product ammonia sulphate that could be sold to fertilizer manufactures, as a new potential source of income.
And specifically, for Biogas Plants these benefits:
• Provides a scalable solution that allows the massive valorisation of the waste
• Integrate the processing of the digestate in the whole Biogas processes that could benefit global efficiency in their energy production.

AMBIENCE