H2020 Anaergy Project: Ultra-efficient multi-phase sequential wastewater treatment technology
- Type Project
- Status Filled
- Execution 2018 -2018
- Assigned Budget 50.000,00 €
- Scope Europeo
- Main source of financing H2020
- Project website Anaergy
ANAERGY's facility for the treatment of agri-food wastewater effluents will reduce water management costs and the end-user's environmental footprint. By improving current wastewater treatment technology, ANAERGY will reduce water pollution at source, increase water reuse, and strengthen the use of renewable energy (improving biogas production). Together, these actions generate social, environmental, and economic benefits for society as a whole, contributing to general well-being and health, water and food security, and sustainable development (SDG 6 on clean water and sanitation).
Technical improvements have been defined and planned, including reengineering works and a valuable industrialization assessment. The marketing strategy has been confirmed based on the urgent needs of the agri-food industry, the upward trend in the markets involved, and the absence of direct competitors and intellectual property rights conflicts.
We conducted a risk assessment to ensure the most significant risks were identified and established a contingency plan. We also assessed trade shows and demonstration activities as a business opportunity to attract our clients and establish more commercial agreements. Taking into account the cost review and the business plan, a price estimate of between €150,000 and €1,500,000 was reached, depending on the size of the plant. Its deployment in international markets will unlock a business opportunity with cumulative revenues of €67.6 million, an ROI of 10.2%, and profit margins of 25% to 45%.
Improving wastewater treatment technologies is a key EU objective for achieving a sustainable and circular economy. Environmental concerns, cost savings, and strict regulatory requirements are pushing the agri-food industry to adopt affordable and efficient solutions for treating its effluents.
In this context, Ingeobras and Proycon have developed ANAERGY, an innovative and ultra-efficient sequential wastewater treatment system that integrates anaerobic, aerobic, and advanced oxidation stages for the first time. ANAERGY's development has currently reached TRL6.
To ensure a successful market launch of TRL9, the completion of Phase 1 aims to analyze: (i) the improvement of the anaerobic digester design, manufacturing of a mobile unit, prototype testing and industrialization assessment, (ii) commercial objectives, including market forecasts, FTO analysis and risk assessment, and (iii) financial objectives, such as cost review and revenue/profit estimates.
The agri-food industry is required to treat large quantities of wastewater (20,000 l/kg of product) rich in organic matter (30 kg of Chemical Oxygen Demand – COD – per m3 of wastewater). Anaerobic digesters treat wastewater with high COD content and produce biogas, which is used as a renewable energy source.
However, even the most advanced high-rate systems present significant technical and economic limitations: 1) Post-treatment (usually aerobic) is still required for wastewater discharge into surface waters (COD removal rates are in the range of 60-80% for current technologies), 2) Investment costs in digesters are high (€300,000 for the smallest reactors), 3) Biogas production efficiency is low (35-50%). The above confirms that the industry demands low-cost digesters and high-efficiency biogas production solutions that increase COD removal rates.
Through the launch of ANAERGY, the Ingeobras and Proycon consortium aims to respond to these demands by introducing a patented multiphase sequential anaerobic digester, the first proven solution capable of combining anaerobic, aerobic, and photocatalysis processes in a single digester. Our current prototype was built in-house and has been tested under relevant industrial conditions in four pilot plants, delivering very high COD removal rates (up to 99.8%), enabling direct discharge to land and a 60% increase in biogas production efficiency.
At a reduced price (€150,000) and with very low operating costs, we offer an extremely efficient solution for the agri-food industry to treat water without the need for post-treatment (a 60% reduction in operating costs). Furthermore, biogas production will cover up to 80% of the industry's energy needs, enabling a return on investment of 12 to 20 months. Our target is commercialization in the first quarter of 2021, starting with 26 units sold and reaching 80 by 2024, and expecting to achieve cumulative profits of more than €17.9 million in the first four years.
The agri-food industry generates enormous quantities of wastewater relative to the final product. The extremely high content of organic matter (chemical oxygen demand or COD) in wastewater must be treated for safe discharge into surface waters. Currently, even the most technologically advanced treatment systems face significant limitations that impact the industry and the environment.
A team of EU-funded researchers working on the Anaergy project has developed a compact and highly efficient treatment "machine." Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) struggle to be competitive. SMEs represent 99% of companies in the agri-food industry, and their high waste-to-product ratio impacts profitability.
Currently, the most advanced anaerobic digesters only remove 60–80% of organic matter. Furthermore, their biogas generation, which could be used to fuel wastewater treatment, is only 35–50% efficient. The high COD content after anaerobic digestion makes post-treatment a requirement. However, adding another process adds uncertainty to the outcome, requires more factory space for equipment, and, of course, an additional cost for SMEs. Many SMEs cannot afford the investment, resulting in fees and fines. According to project coordinator Joaquín Murria Martín, "most of the contaminated discharges end up in rivers or urban wastewater treatment plants. The latter are not designed for this type of wastewater, which is 30 times more polluted than urban wastewater."
Therefore, urban wastewater treatment plants are overloaded and operate inefficiently, consuming additional energy and chemicals. Treating water at the point of discharge is 25 times cheaper than treating it once it is mixed with the rest of the pollutants." Anaergy paves the way for profitable agri-food SMEs Anaergy has delivered a patented multiphase sequential digester, the first to combine anaerobic and aerobic digestion with photocatalysts in a compact system. According to Murria Martín, "We wanted it to become... a machine rather than a process." It boasts automated control and impressive overall efficiency that exploits efficiency improvements at each step of the sequential process. In other words, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The key to success is the trademarked PUREMUST anaerobic technology, a specialized nitrate removal system developed within the Anaergy project.
The prototype has been tested in four pilot plants. It achieved up to 99.8% COD removal, facilitating direct discharge to land. The elimination of the need for post-treatment also reduces operating costs by 60%. Anaergy's technology costs €150,000, much less than conventional digesters, and increases biogas production efficiency by up to 60%. The reduction in investment, operation, and maintenance costs, combined with the use of the produced biogas to fuel the plant, allows for a return on investment within 12 to 20 months.
The consortium aims for commercialization by the first quarter of 2021 and a profit exceeding €17.9 million in the first four years. Clearly, Anaergy's results will significantly improve the profitability and environmental friendliness of SMEs in the agri-food industry. By minimizing the discharge of pollutants into rivers and the excessive use of energy and chemicals associated with urban wastewater treatment, Anaergy's results will also have significant benefits for the environment.
- INGENIERIA DE OBRAS ZARAGOZA SL (INGEOBRAS)
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