Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SUSTAINABLEFARM (Manure-to-energy and organic fertilizers solution: smart eco-technology for efficient and sustainable farming, through valorisation of manure)
Período documentado: 2020-10-04 hasta 2022-10-03
The project was sponsored by the European Commission H2020 SME Innovation Associate Project and focused on the integration of two EcoNomad proprietary technologies, known as PSPP (Passive Solar Pump and Pasteuriser), and BioNomad™ respectively. PSPP is highly innovative, patented technology which uses thermal power, in contrast to conventional photovoltaics, provided by the sun or other heat sources to pasteurise and transport digestate from point “A” to “B” in the farming fields. The BioNomad™ is a waste-to-energy technology, capable of providing bioenergy in the form of biogas and nutrients within the digestate to farmers from their organic solid wastes. The coupling of this with PSPP aims to increase efficiency and cost-benefit by adding low-cost pasteurisation and pumping, among other benefits, while increasing the off-grid capabilities of the BioNomad™.
What is the problem/issue being addressed? This integration will increase the sustainability of EcoNomad´s products and therefore optimal environmental services.
Why is it important for society? Using passive and optimal energy solutions to reduce the environmental impact of farming activities will contribute to reducing global warming and achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
What are the overall objectives? The research was focused on the optimization of BioNomad™ from a biological and design point of view, including integrating the hardware and methods to follow up the process, along with the advancement of the passive solar pump development, construction and evaluation, as well as the creation of a viable resource recovery model.
What is the problem/issue being addressed? This integration will increase the sustainability of EcoNomad´s products and therefore optimal environmental services.
Why is it important for society? Using passive and optimal energy solutions to reduce the environmental impact of farming activities will contribute to reducing global warming and achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
What are the overall objectives? The research was focused on the optimization of BioNomad™ from a biological and design point of view, including integrating the hardware and methods to follow up the process, along with the advancement of the passive solar pump development, construction and evaluation, as well as the creation of a viable resource recovery model.
Planned courses were taken as part of the training, e.g. Innovation and business management core program from the EY business school, but also others with focus on the optimizations and intensification of the anaerobic process. The PSPP prototype was constructed and tested under different conditions; which resulted in new optimised designs, although some of the work could not be completed on time due to supply issues and other experimental constraints. Such designs aim to take advantage of sunlight in a more optimal way and to develop and handle higher pressure performance, which allows an increase in the range of applications of the product. In addition, a model to simulate the performance of the BioNomad™ was developed and optimised; the outputs of the model are used to estimate the volumes of digestate that can be used during the operation of the PSPP. Several follow on grant applications were submitted, including proposals aimed at optimising and integrating these innovations with other sustainable technologies for business development. Throughout the year, patent licenses were filed in the USA, China and Europe for the PSPP concept, as well as a new patent application in the UK related to the BioNomad™. Reports from University student projects, driving dissertations at undergraduate and graduate level, were also supported as part of the present project, involving advances in various aspects of small-scale biogas technology and optimisation.
Sales of the BioNomad™ system started in 2022 and most recently, the waste-to-energy platform was highly commended by The Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association (ADBA) and World Biogas Association at AD & Biogas Industry Awards 2022 in category Anaerobic Digestion Pacesetter: Micro Anaerobic Digestion.
Sales of the BioNomad™ system started in 2022 and most recently, the waste-to-energy platform was highly commended by The Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association (ADBA) and World Biogas Association at AD & Biogas Industry Awards 2022 in category Anaerobic Digestion Pacesetter: Micro Anaerobic Digestion.
A fully functional model to simulate the performance of the BioNomad™, an integrated PSPP operation unit as well as improved PSPP designs, were some of the main results achievable for the end of the project. While the BioNomad™ aims to dissolve organic solid wastes and makes nutrients available in the form of digestate, the development of energy efficient technologies as the PSPP will allow the use of such fertilizer by farmers on-site and distribute it along their fields in a cost-effective way. This technology replaces the use of fossil fuels, in line with net zero performance targets and the UN sustainable development goals. Farms and communities adopting these technologies will contribute to decrease the environmental impact of their activities and reduce global warming. EcoNomad has been also awarded with the support of the iTeams grant, from the Cambridge-based Centre for Global Equality, collaborates with Bahir Dar University in Ethiopia, to further advance the project.