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  • Offer Profile
  • Biogas Plants

    OWS has developed innovative and patented designs for biogas plants, with a pretreatment, digester concept and post-treatment adapted to each type of feedstock. Find out about our 30 years of experience and our 30 references!

Product Portfolio
  • Biogas Plants

  • The introduction of anaerobic digestion into the treatment of municipal solid waste (MSW) and source separated organics (biowaste) is one of the most successful and innovative technology developments observed during the last two decades in the waste management field. Household waste organics contain energy, and Organic Waste Systems is determined to get it out!
      • Household waste

      • The introduction of anaerobic digestion into the treatment of municipal solid waste (MSW) and source separated organics (biowaste) is one of the most successful and innovative technology developments observed during the last two decades in the waste management field. Household waste organics contain energy, and Organic Waste Systems is determined to get it out!
          • DRANCO

          • The DRANCO (DRy ANaerobic COmposting) process is an advanced biotechnological process for an environmentally friendly and cost-effective treatment of organics derived from municipal solid waste. With its long experience and its extended reference list, the DRANCO process is a well-known and reliable anaerobic digestion technology. The DRANCO technology is marketed throughout the world by Organic Waste Systems or by means of its exclusive license partners.

            Technology
            The patented DRANCO process is an unique process because of the vertical design, high-solids concentration and the absence of mixing inside the digester. These three principles combined with more than 25 years of experience, make the DRANCO process the most efficient way to digest solid and semisolid feedstocks.
            Due to its origin, the DRANCO digestion technology has often been applied for the treatment of mixed or residual household waste, which were commonly landfilled. These plants operate at a dry matter content in the digester of up to 40 %. However, DRANCO is a widely applicable technology that can treat different kinds of waste streams. In other DRANCO plants, source separated organics and yard / food waste is being treated at a dry matter content of 20 to 35%.
            The biogas can be used for the production of electricity and/or heat or, after upgrading, as biomethane.

            DRANCO process characteristics
            • vertical fermenter: feeding at the top and extraction through a conical outlet at the bottom
            • single-phase digestion with intensive recycling of the digestate
            • thermophilic or mesophilic operation
            • compact, well-insulated digesters with minimal heating requirements
            • high-rate dry digestion (very high loading rates and biogas productivities can be achieved)
          • SORDISEP

          • OWS has developed the SORDISEP (SORting, DIgestion and SEParation) process for the treatment of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) to recover a maximum amount of recyclable components and a high quality compost. The SORDISEP process includes dry sorting, anaerobic digestion by means of the DRANCO process, and wet separation of the digestate.
            SORDISEP is not a digestion technology, but a post-digestion mechanical treatment for mixed waste (not for source separated ‘biowaste’)

            Technology

            Wet separation technology for maximum recycling and high quality compost of MSW
            The wet separation process is positioned after the DRANCO digester in order to treat a digestate free from sticky organic components which are converted into biogas in the digester, facilitating wet separation and optimal removal of inerts and sand. Inerts, sand and organic fraction can be recovered and cleaned in order to produce marketable end-products. This increases landfill diversion, organic diversion and recovery of materials.
            Organic Waste Systems (OWS) has developed the SORDISEP process for the treatment of municipal solid waste to recover a maximum amount of recyclable components and a high quality compost. The Sordisep process is applied in the DRANCO installation in Bourg-en-Bresse, France, treating 66.000 tons of MSW per year and producing high quality compost according to the standards.

            Advantages of the SORDISEP process
            • higher material recycling and landfill diversion rates
            • optimal separation after anaerobic digestion
            • high quality compost of MSW
        • Organic Feedstock

        • In contrast to many other biofuels or forms of bio-energy, biogas can be produced from many types of feedstock, with limited feedstock preparation and (to a great extent) regardless of the composition and the moisture content. Moreover, biogas can be produced from by-products from both biodiesel and bio-ethanol production.
            • DRANCO-FARM

            • OWS has developed the DRANCO-FARM dry digestion technology to produce renewable energy out of organic substrates such as energy crops, crop residues, agro-industrial by-products etc.
              The degradation of organic matter takes place under anaerobic conditions in a vertical digester. The degradable fraction is converted into biogas. The biogas can be used for the production of electricity and/or heat or, after upgrading, as biomethane.
              The non-degradable fraction forms a residue, having a total solids content depending on the feedstock. It can be stored and spread back out on the field or it can be treated further (drying/dewatering/…) for the production of high quality soil conditioner.
              This dry anaerobic digestion technique is ideal to digest maize, sunflowers, grass, etc. and it is also well-suited to digest pure industrial by-products such as glycerine, rapeseed presscake, dried distiller grains, etc.

              Technology
              The DRANCO-FARM technology is based on the DRANCO technology and operates at a total solids content of ≥ 15% and is therefore a ‘dry’ digestion technology. DRANCO-FARM is a continuous process (↔ batch digestion). Continuous dry digestion plants have been used in the municipal solid waste sector for more than 20 years in Europe. The high concentration of total solids, the thermophilic temperature and the continuous mode allow the digester to reach very high loading rates (> 16 kg of volatile solids per m³ of reactor per day) and biogas productivities (> 10 normalized m³ of biogas per m³ of reactor per day).

              DRANCO-FARM process characteristics
              • vertical fermenter: feeding at the top and extraction through a conical outlet at the bottom
              • single-phase digestion with intensive recycling of the digestate
              • thermophilic or mesophilic operation
              • compact, well-insulated digesters with minimal heating requirements
              • high-rate dry digestion (very high loading rates and biogas productivities can be achieved)
              • plug-flow digestion (first-in, first-out)
            • BES-CSTR

            • OWS offers the design and construction of wet completely mixed digesters. These digesters work at a low total solids-content and can be used as main digesters, or as post-digesters (e.g. following a DRANCO-FARM or BES-Plugflow digester).

              Technology
              OWS uses this type of technology for clean and wet organic feedstocks such as energy crops, agro-industrial residues or food waste. The BES-CSTR is a continuously stirred tank-reactor with a gas storage on top.

              BES-CSTR characteristics
              • round digester in concrete
              • total solids content between 2 and 12% in the digester
              • mesophilic or thermophilic operating temperature
              • easy replacable stirrers
              • modular concept

              Advantages

              The BES-CSTR process has some significant advantages:

              • simple design
              • short construction period
              • optimal heat- and material distribution inside the digester
              • limited height
              • efficient degassing inside the digester
              • large digester volumes possible
                 
               
          • Lab & Consulting Services

          • The Lab & Consulting department offers services in biodegradability, compostability and ecotoxicity testing, consultancy and support in anaerobic digestion, auditing, controlling and sorting of different waste streams and sustainable development.
              • Biodegradability, Compostability & Ecotoxicity (BCE)

              • General
                OWS does not only offer testing for certification purposes, but provides assistance throughout the entire process of product development: preliminary research, research and development, certification, finished products from the market, products from competitors,….

                In case of certification, testing is performed strictly conform the standard(s) and provides the full documentation needed. In case of (early) research however, more simplified (and hence cheaper) screening tests can be offered, providing a good idea on the chances for success for the ultimate test(s) for certification. In either case, the test methodology is the same.

                Furthermore, one does not need to commit to the entire testing program at once. We typically recommend that the characteristic which may present the highest hurdle be tested first. Another possibility is to follow a step-by-step approach and to start with a first step in the complete testing strategy only.

                It is in any case often very useful to discuss on beforehand in detail the nature and composition of the sample(s) and see whether testing can be optimized and/or reduced. In this context, more than 95% of our work is covered by secrecy agreements.
              • Biogas Consulting & Support (BCS)

              • General
                Even though OWS developed several anaerobic digestion processes on its own, the expertise of BCS covers all possible anaerobic digestion processes available worldwide. As a separate department, BCS offers a unique combination of both biological and mechanical/technical knowledge, allowing independent advice and guidance at each level of anaerobic digestion.

                This team is active on new processes for Carbon Capture & Utilisation and developed the MEGACO process.
              • Auditing, Controlling & Sorting (ACS)

              • General
                Waste is a subjective and inaccurate term as waste to one person is not waste to another. It can be quantified by size or weight, but there is a big difference between both approaches. Organic waste for instance is much heavier when it is wet, while plastic and glass bottles can have different weights but the same size. Furthermore, the definition of waste and what falls into waste categories also varies from country to country, making the complete picture even more complex. Because of the inconsistencies, extrapolation of data from one country to another or from one waste type to another is not possible. Therefore, and as waste identification is regularly used to determine and, if possible, optimize waste collection and treatment, precise and reliable data on the composition is in those cases of utmost importance. In this context, OWS offers services in determining the composition of waste with the precision and discipline of a laboratory. Analyses on plastic, glass, metal, paper, organic waste, mixed waste,… have been performed several times. Also the technical analysis and evaluation of the waste treatment processes and installations is a part of the services of ACS.
              • Sustainability Assessment & Compensation Services (SACS)

              • General
                We want a positive impact on our global environment. We do this by helping our clients measure and improve the impact of their organisations as well as their products.

                The SAS branch has over 10 years of experience providing sustainability assessments and support for a wide range of products, services and organisations: from breakdown services to biotechnology, and from concept to lab, pilot or full scale production.