Name:
Biogas Digestate Treatment (AlgeBioGas)

Developed by:
AlgEn (SLOVENIA)
Private company

Country(ies) involved:
Slovenia

Funding sources:
Private and EU

General idea:
Contribution to development of blue economy: Using biogas digestate for growing microalgae.

Description:
Algal treatment of biogas digestate is an innovative approach for biogas plants in search of improved quality of digestate liquid fraction, energetic substrates (feedstock), recycling CO2 emissions, effectively use of excess heat and reduction of odour. Nutrients from digestate can be recovered and cycled on site.
By algal treatment of biogas digestate, quality of digestate liquid fraction (liquor) can be improved, produce algae which can be used as an energetic substrate or processed in bio refinery, recycle CO2 emissions, effectively use excess heat and reduce odour of digestate. Nutrients can be recovered and cycled on-site. Algae hold great potential for energy use because of their growth rate, easy production and better utilization of sunlight compared to conventional plants, shorter lifecycles and independence from fertile agricultural land. Biogas plants are rich sources of mineral nutrients, CO2 and heat.
Aim: alternative usage of biogas digestate.
Challenges/needs addressed: pollution, energy consumption and increased amount of sub-products (heat and biogas digestate) of biogas and electricity.
Impact and usefulness: substantial economic savings.
Contribution to innovations: new approach to the treatment of biogas digestate. Traditionally, biogas digestate is used as a fertilizer or treated mechanically or chemically. In the process will be made algae biomass, which might be used for development of other products, like high value products (pigments), feed for animals or bio-fertilizers.
Stakeholders: Biogas plants.
More information: https://algen.eu/node/109

TRL:
7. System prototype demonstration in operational environment

Sources:
Document/literature review