Home Compentence Areas Bioconversion & Biogas Systems Scope of Services

Bioconversion & Biogas Systems

Scope of Services AREA 3:

Biogas technology

  • Chemical characterization of different substrates for biogas processes (dry matter, organic dry matter, COD/chemical oxygen demand, total nitrogen, NH4 nitrogen, etc.)
  • Determination of biomethane yields using batch tests
  • Feasibility studies for biogas projects
  • Optimization of the digestion process in continuous biogas experiments
  • Bioavailability of trace elements
  • Digestion of challenging substrates (slaughterhouse waste, lignocellulosic residues)
  • Measurement and reduction of methane emissions from biogas plants

Recycling of industrial and agricultural residues

  • Evaluation of the composition and amount of residues
  • Biotechnological valorization of residues (to energy carriers, bioplastics, basic chemicals, biofertilizers, etc.)
  • Pretreatment and digestion of residues
  • Scale-up of innovative processes to pilot scale to provide reliable data for process evaluation
  • Monitoring and optimization of industrial plants
  • Cost-benefit analysis
  • Process integration and energy management in companies

Microalgae biotechnology

  • Screening of microalgae and cyanobacteria strains
  • Testing and comparison of different cultivation systems (tubular, flat panel, flat bed, stirred tank photobioreactor)
  • Optimization of the cultivation process (process water recycling and processing)
  • Process scale-up from lab scale to pilot scale
  • Heterotrophic cultivation
  • Processing of residues for the cultivation of microalgae and cyanobacteria
  • Downstream processing (harvesting, biomass processing, extraction of valuable substances, etc.)
  • Supply of algal biomass
  • Further development of algae biorefinery processes

Gas fermentation

  • Biomethanation and biological upgrading of biogas to biomethane
  • Biological conversion of hydrogen and carbon dioxide to acetic acid
  • Process optimization at lab and pilot scale (0.5 m³ automated trickle bed reactor) Wastewater engineering and biofertilizer production
  • Closing of nutrient cycles
  • Treatment of industrial wastewater
  • Process engineering for processing residue/wastewater to biofertilizers (sieving, centrifugation, use of flocculants, membranes, etc.)
  • Further development of nutrient recovery processes (ammonia, phosphate, sulfur, microelements)