The recently patented “Hardferm” plant concept is now ready to be launched. The first Hardferm plant will be built in Western Finland and will strengthen the growth of Jepuan Biokaasu Oy.
– The Hardferm concept, developed and patented by Doranova, enables biogas operators to process more challenging substrates in the future. Especially in developing markets, the majority of the municipal solid waste (MSW) available for biogas processes is not source-separated and therefore contains significant amounts of impurities, says Antti Myllärinen, the CEO of Doranova.
– This new concept is also needed in Nordic markets. Even though MSW in Scandinavia is mostly source-separated, the waste ending up in incineration plants still contains roughly 30% of organic substrates which only yield limited amount of energy when burned.
– In the future the Hardferm concept enables us to utilize the energy and fertilizer potential of these substrates as well, Myllärinen continues.
The efficiency of the Hardferm concept is a result of continuous material flows. A continuous hygienization system combined with pre-heating the substrate enables the best possible heat efficiency. Reactor mixing conducted with heated double-shaft agitators ensures both seamless material flow and steady reactor temperature, even in thermophilic conditions.
The largest biogas plant in Finland invests in Hardferm technology
The biogas plant of Jepuan Biokaasu Oy was deployed in 2013 and it is still the largest biogas plant in Finland in terms of annual capacity. The target of Jepuan Biokaasu is to increase the annual capacity from the current 90,000 tons to 150,000 tons. The environmental permit for the expansion is expected to be granted in spring 2018.
– Over the years we have actively been looking for a solution to process challenging substrates such as fox manure and side streams of egg productions, tells Kurt Stenvall, the CEO of Jepuan Biokaasu Oy. – The recently developed Hardferm concept is so far the only one on the market that can continuously process these substrates, Stenvall states.
– We at Doranova are extremely proud of this new concept. However, significant inventions like this cannot be created without the help of others. Therefore, it has been extremely productive to work closely together with the staff of Jepuan Biokaasu and in this way combine the theoretical know-how with the top-notch practical experience, Myllärinen summarises.
Please contact Antti Myllärinen for further information: antti.myllarinen@doranova.fi , +358 40 549 1341
