Nice article in ESPP’s (European Sustainable Phosphorus Platform) latest news letter.

“Mavitec Environmental (part of Mavitec B.V., a leader in the rendering industry), has developed an innovative gasification system that converts manure into renewable energy and EcoChar, which can be used as fertiliser or animal bedding. Mavitec indicate that the process ensures a volume reduction of up to 85% and that an input of 2.3 ton/hour pre-dried manure or other compatible fuel (75-80% dry solids, not wet manure) produces 5.5 – 6.1 MWth at 1000 °C energy, suitable for use in electricity generation or as pressure steam. Data from Wageningen WUR, see below, show that this EcoChar is carbon-rich (27.2-31.3 % C_-Org), dry and free from pathogens, can retain up to 2.5 times its own weight of moisture (so reducing soak-away) and is odourless. EcoChar from manure also contains nutrients: 5,4 % P (phosphorus) and 3.4 % K (potassium) from pig manure, for example. Together with its American partner EarthCare, Mavitec has been developing gasification systems on various products and offers complete solutions to gasify organic streams into usable energy forms. The company today has five full scale plants (2.3 ton/hour input) operating in the United States (since 2007) and one in The Netherlands (since 2018, pig manure). These units treat different manures (pig, cow, poultry), distillery grain and Cat1 animal by-products. Two installations are under construction in Russia and further projects are pending. A desk study by Wageningen University and Research has been published on technical perspectives of the Mavitec product in Europe (economic aspects are not considered). This includes results of chemical analysis of Mavitec Ecochar from pig and from turkey manures. The report notes that, in the Netherlands, although gasification is a regulatory designated manure treatment process, the resulting Ecochar is not recognised as a fertiliser. However, this should be resolved when the STRUBIAS materials (including biochars, pyrolysis and gasification materials) are added into the future EU Fertilisers Regulation.”

Wageningen report on EcoChar properties: https://library.wur.nl/WebQuery/wurpubs/fulltext/452704