Through the fermentation of organic materials in biogas plants, residues accumulate which, due to their high nutrient content, are often used as plant fertilizers. In order to facilitate the production of high-quality fertilizer, the University of Applied Sciences (Hochschule) of Osnabrück and the company A3 Water  Solutions GmbH are currently testing an energy-efficient processing method: the fermentation residues are completely processed through membrane filtration into high-quality, highly-concentrated products. The goal of this multiphase separation procedure is the production – through the use of solid/liquid separation, ultrafiltration, and reverse osmosis – of the separate fraction elements

• solid fertilizer,
• liquid fertilizer,
• and process- and industrial water.

Notable characteristic: energy efficiency 

A particular focus within this project involves the ultrafiltration step, which normally requires large amounts of energy. It is a goal of the project that these energy needs for ultrafiltration may be cut in half through thermal and mechanical preprocessing of the fermentation residues.

It is expected that the new processing method via multiphase membrane filtration can be market-ready within two years. As the number and total output of biogas plants have risen steadily in recent years, the demand is already quite large.

Project implementation:
A3 Water Solutions GmbH
Boschstr. 2
48369 Saerbeck
Telefon: 0209/9 80 99-809
info@a3-gmbh.com
www.a3-gmbh.com

Cooperation partner:
Hochschule Osnabrück, Osnabrück
Laborbereich Verfahrenstechnik
www.ecs.hs-osnabrueck.de/vt-labor.html

AZ 31276