Organic residue treatment for the food industry - Food and Beverage - Food
In the field of energy, the industry continuously relies and depends on the supply of fossil fuels. Due to the ongoing increases of energy costs and the major dependence in relation to the production processes, an alternative energy source is advisable for the industry.
The food- and raw materials industry (primary sect...
The food- and raw materials industry (primary sector of the economy) often has a substantial constant volume of an organic residue classified as a secondary product. This organic residue has a high potential as raw material for the production of energy.
Organic residues are since the old days transported to the agricultural sector as cattle feed. In Europe, diseases as BSE and others within this sector, are showing the vulnerability of transportation of this organic residue. Thence the production processes are directly influenced if something occurs in that direction.
The industry tried to solve this problem to introduce conventional digesting technology to produce energy from the organic residues. By introduction of this technology the outcome is that the digestate after digestion is transferred to the agricultural fields as fertiliser without the necessity of any form of digestate treatment.
However, transferring the digestate to the filed is an expensive operation due to the high transportation- and handling costs. Beside this exploitation issue the limitations in governmental documents (licenses, permits) are showing stricter limits and demands and finally the digestate should compete with primary manure discharge from farmers.
Environmental engineering’s agency Colsen b.v. developed for this situation an alternative procedure with no attachments or interference’s with the agricultural sector (cattle feed/fodder). Colsen b.v. treats the organic residues in a mesophilic- or thermophilic digester installation and treats the digestate in the by Colsen b.v. developed digestate treatment installation.
This principle results in the treatment of the organic residues into biogas, green energy, compost, fertiliser and water consisting of a quality to discharge to the surrounding surface waters.