Positive results for Valmet BioTrac Technology in Italian project

At the end of June 2024, the results from the Life steam project were presented in Bologna, Italy. Around 40 participants from different countries and companies were attending. The main goal was to verify the yield increase in biogas production by pretreatment of waste biomass. The production had been running for 6 months and the project were executed according to plan, and with good results.

- The biomass after the BioTrac process can produce more than 3 times the biogas compared to untreated material. In other words, if you are producing biogas without pretreatment, you get let’s say 100, but if you produce it with our pretreatment technology you get 300 or more. The yield increase was substantial, says Tomas Jonsson, Valmet.

The project results have also demonstrated the technical feasibility of the technology and indicated that economic and energy sustainability is achievable with a full-scale plant. The lignocellulosic biomass treated with this process can make a significant contribution to achieving European decarbonization goals and biogas production targets.

Before the Life Steam project started two successful pilot trials were done at the Valmet Fiber Technology Center in Sundsvall, Sweden, where the pretreatment of the biomass improved the biogas yield dramatically. Tomas adds “this whole process is about collaboration, verifying performance and scaling up technology while mitigating risk. The pilot trials are playing a crucial role when starting a new project, it is essential to try your idea or product before starting a project”.

- It all started with validation via pilot trials which gave very positive results. After that they had enough information to move forward. Valmet together with Hera Group and Ayrion then started the Life Steam project which was the next step to scale up and verify the outcome, which also has had positive results, says Tomas Jonsson, Valmet.

Valmet has been working with this model for over ten years, working closely together with customers and partners to better understand our common targets. Pilot trials are a natural steppingstone during any such collaboration.

- We want to sell and commercialize our equipment for the green initiatives around the world. Our customers also need to readjust to be in line with the environmental standards today. This often leads to a good cooperation, and it is also nice to work together this way. You get the chance to build a relation and trust over time. It builds a deeper cooperation that requires more from both parts, but it is also much more successful, says Tomas Jonsson. 

Stefano Simionato and Tomas Jonsson from Valmet, who have worked in close cooperation with Hera and Ayrion with the Life Steam project.

Tomas also says “most of the times our customers are not used to operating and running plants with this kind of raw material and equipment. We have seen this in many cases, and it is not strange at all since they mainly come from other type of industries such as waste management, oil, and gas. But then it is important to form a good offer to make sure that we are successful together. This is something that we have learned from the deliveries done in this field. That we need to put bigger focus on training and make sure that our customers are offered good service once in operation. So that we can continue to work together and help whenever needed”.

Based on the results from the Life Steam project, a deeper analysis will be made of how profitable it would be to proceed and, in that case, go for a commercial scale.

- I would also like to mention our cooperation with Hera Group, it has been good throughout the whole project. Both Valmet’s team that has worked in close cooperation in a good way, but also the collaborative climate overall in this project really has been great, concludes Tomas. 

*The Life Steam project is an EU-financed project within the Life program. The goal of the Life Steam project is to create an industrial prototype for converting waste wood biomass into biogas/biomethane through a biological process. Hera Group is one of Italy's largest multi-utility companies within waste treatment, water, and gas. This is a joint effort and Valmet delivered in 2023 a pretreatment BioTrac demonstration plant, with a capacity of 23 tons a day of dry material.