D6.7 REPORT ON PLANTS VISITS - DIGESMART Reports on plant visits...The workshop and visit tour to the installation tour for Italian stakeholders, was promoted in the different dissemination

DIGESMART PROJECT: DIGEState from MAnure Recycling Technologies

www.DIGESMART.eu

CIP Eco-innovation Pilot and market replication projects

Call 2012

Call Identifier: CIP-EIP-Eco-Innovation-2012

D6.7 REPORT ON PLANTS VISITS

DIGESMART

CONTRACT ECO/12/332882

Project website: www.digesmart.eu


www.DIGESMART.eu

Disclaimer

The responsibility for the content of this report lies with the authors. It does not necessarily

represent the opinion of the European Community. The EACI is not responsible for any use that may

be made of the information contained herein. The information contained is given for information

purposes only and does not legally bind any of the parties involved.

TABLE OF CONTENT

Introduction .......................................................................................................... 1

Promotion of the visit tours ....................................................................................... 2

Italy ................................................................................................................. 2

Belgium............................................................................................................. 2

Spain................................................................................................................ 4

Program of workshops and visits .................................................................................. 6

Installation and pilot site description ......................................................................... 6

Italian stakeholders .............................................................................................. 6

Belgian stakeholders ............................................................................................. 9

Spanish stakeholders ............................................................................................11

Annex I. Materials ..................................................................................................15

Annex I.1 English.................................................................................................15

Annex I.2 Italian .................................................................................................15

Annex I.3 Dutch ..................................................................................................15

Annex I.4 Spanish ................................................................................................16


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INTRODUCTION

This report is the deliverable 6.7 of work package 6 of the DIGESMART project. The report is focused

on pilot plants’ visits carried out for Italian, Belgian and Spanish stakeholders.

To outreach the stakeholders, a full program of visits to the installation in Belgium was established.

Firstly, the visits were advertised through newsletters, website and press releases, among others.

Secondly, it was done a selection of participants in the visit tour among the interested people from

each country according to the main target group of the project. In particular, the selection of

participants was focused on biogas plant owners, regional and national policy makers, journalist of

technical press, scientists, consultants and providers of related environmental technologies such us

biogas plants. Thirdly, specific materials and a program of workshops/visits were developed in each

of the involved countries.

Specific materials developed are included as an Annex in English and in the different languages of

the involved countries (Dutch, Italian and Spanish) as well as the attendance list of the events is

provided as a confidential annex.


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PROMOTION OF THE VISIT TOURS

ITALY

The workshop and visit tour to the installation tour for Italian stakeholders, was promoted in the

different dissemination activities developed before the visit tour such us Workshops and Technical

Presentations carried out in 2015 and the beginning of 2016. In particular to the audience of the

EBA workshop on circular economy in the presentation of Jonathan De Mey (BIOGAS-E) “The circular

economy of digestate: logistics, energetic and economic aspects–The DIGESMART case” on the 6th of

April 2016 in Brussels.

In addition to that, many contacts were made with biogas associations by phone or in person. In

more detail it was contacted “Il Consorzio Monviso Agroenergia” that brings together more than a

hundred farms holders of biogas plants and other agro-energy plants.

Additionally to mentioned dissemination activity, the promotion among (Italian) stakeholders visit

was done through the website of DIGESMART project.

BELGIUM

The third newsletter announced the planned trips and provided the contact data of the involved

partners in order to get the attention from interested stakeholders.

The workshop and visit tour to the installation tour for Belgian stakeholders was promoted in the

different dissemination activities developed before the visit tour such us the Workshop “Strategical

fertilisation with local and animal based nutrients” (“Strategisch bemesten met lokale en dierlijke

nutriënten”, 23rd September 2015).

The DIGESMART project and BIOREFINE project teamed up to facilitate with farmers the use of

biobased chemical fertilisers and digestate product. As the DIGESMART project is also part of the

BIOREFINE CLUSTER EUROPE this was a logic cooperation between the projects. The workshop

reached mostly farmers.


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Figure 1. Agenda of the Workshop “Strategical fertilisation with local and animal based nutrients”

In addition to mentioned dissemination activity and the website of DIGESMART project, the

promotion among Belgian stakeholders visit was done through the website of BIOGAS-E and

INAGRO. Also the coordination centre for manure processing in Flanders (VCM) did a specific

outreach by email to the operators of manure processing plants.

BIOGAS-E elaborated the document “Uitnodiging voor het bezoek aan de DIGESMART pilootinstallatie

op 15 April 2016” to provide information about the event. This document was shared with INAGRO in

order to give information about the program of the Workshop and Visit tour. It is possible to see the

promotion in the Figure below and in the next links: ; https://leden.inagro.be/Artikel/guid/1844>

Figure 2. Invitation to the pilot site visit for the Flemish Stakeholders in Belgium (website of INAGRO).


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SPAIN

The third newsletter announced the planned trips and provided the contact data of the involved

partners in order to get the attention from interested stakeholders.

The workshop and visit tour to the installation tour among Spanish stakeholders was promoted in

the different dissemination activities developed before the visit tour. In particular, it was

promoted in the Symposium of Pig Production (SEPOR PIG Fair, Murcia) mentioning in the Technical

presentation, in the Stand of SEPOR PIG Fair, in the Technical presentation in cooperation with

DELOS project in Zaragoza as well as in the National policy makers bilateral meeting in Madrid.

In addition to mentioned dissemination activities and the website of the project, the promotion

among Spanish stakeholders visit was done through Online Magazines, LinkedIN (profile of

technical staff from AINIA involved in DIGESMART project), Spanish Biogas Association (promotion

of the Workshop and information about the visit in their website) and AINIA website.

Online Magazines such us “RETEMA” and “AGUAS RESIDUALES”, both Spanish Technical Magazine,

promoted the Spanish Workshop & Visit (Figure 3). Additionally, the promotion through LinkedIN

(Figure 4) of the Workshop had 131 viewers and the information about the Visit Tour which had 139

viewers. It is possible to see the promotion in AINIA website and in Spanish Biogas Association in the

next links (Figure 5): ;

Figure 3. Promotion of the Workshop in Technical Magazines (press releases in “RETEMA”, left; “AGUAS RESIDUALES”,

right).


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Figure 4. Promotion in LinkedIn profile of staff from AINIA

Figure 5. Promotion of the project and first visit tour through AINIA website (left) and through Spanish Biogas

Association website (right)


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PROGRAM OF WORKSHOPS AND VISITS

INSTALLATION AND PILOT SITE DESCRIPTION

The installation of the stripping and solar drying unit is located in the facilities of IVACO Company

(Bazelaar 3, 8470 Zevekote, Belgium). DIGESMART installation is located close to a biogas plant

running mainly with pig manure (>80%) and vegetable waste as co-substrate (waste from cereal

harvesting, others). The stripping installation which recovers the nitrogen receives as input material

the thin digestate fraction of the biogas plant after phosphates recovery (CaPO4). Next to stripping,

the solar drying installation receives as input material the residual stream of mentioned process.

Below it is provided a picture of both units.

Figure 6. Installation and pilot site (stripping and solar collectors, left; detail solar drying installation, right)

Among the main elements of the stripping installation, it is important to highlight tank to recover

CaPO4 before stripping, the stripping and scrubbing tank to recover the nitrogen and produce

ammonium nitrate, storage tank of nitric acid and container of control and pumps. On the other

hand, the solar drying installation includes an air solar thermal collector (solar air heater), liquid

solar thermal collector (guarantee the higher possible heating of the process air before entering the

evaporator), water storage (stabilize the thermal flux coming from the high efficiency liquid solar

collector), evaporator (hit the surface of the digestate), heat exchanger (heating the process air at

the high efficiency solar collector), condenser (cool down the humid air coming from the evaporator

and condensate the vapour) and fan (pushes the air through the circuit).

ITALIAN STAKEHOLDERS

PARTICIPANTS

- Selection of people.

With the help of “Il Consorzio Monviso Agroenergia”, some candidates were selected for the Italian

stakeholder visit tour. The interested stakeholders were considered for the list of stakeholders


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suitable to participate in the visit tour. The Italian stakeholders that participated in the Visit tour

were selected taking into account the target group for the project (biogas plant operators, biogas

plant providers, policy makers, environmental consultants, scientists and waste management

companies) and the budget available for the visit.

As a result, the Italian stakeholders group which attended the visit tour included mainly farmers

which are also biogas plant owners (7), and biogas consultants (1).

DESCRIPTION OF THE ITALIAN STAKEHOLDERS WORKSHOP AND PLANT VISIT DEVELOPED

- Program of visits (agenda) & description

The workshop and visit of Italian stakeholders were developed in August 2016. Below it is provided

the Agendas of both events.

Thursday 25th of August 17:30 BBQ of the Belgian Biogas Sector by Biogas‐E and Febiga Venue: “Zebrastraat” in the Zebrastraat 32, 9000 Gent Friday 26th of August 10:00: Biogas in Flanders – operational key issues 11.30: Introduction to the DIGESMART project Venue: Markt 3, 8470 Gistel Sandwich lunch 13.30: DIGESMART Site visit Venue: Bazelaar 3, 8470 Zevekote

Figure 7. Agenda of the Italian stakeholders visit tour

- Description of the workshops developed and the plants’ visits developed.

Before the site visit on the 26th August 2016, it was developed an introductory workshop of the

project to the Italian stakeholders (presentations of DIGESMART project and specific technical

materials translated in Italian), including an overview of biogas market in Flanders in Gistel (Markt

3, 8470 Gistel) close to the pilot plant the same day. 12 participants attended the visit tour, mainly

biogas plant operators and environmental consultant. After the Workshop, discussions related to

agricultural biogas plants, markets, legislation and cost comparison were developed then between

Italian biogas plant operators and DIGESMART partners.

During the visit, Stefano Bechis, Alessandro Sopegno (UNITO) and Jonathan De Mey (BIOGAS-E)

explained the details about the stripping and solar drying plant. At the same time, Alessandro


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Sopegno (UNITO) leaded the visit helping with the translation and providing support to understand

the DIGESMART plant.

Next figure included below includes a photo from Italian Stakeholders visit in pilot units.

Figure 8. Participants of Italian stakeholders Workshop and Visit tour to the DIGESMART installation (Jonathan De Mey,

BIOGAS-E, in the Workshop, left; Visit Tour, right)

Feedback of the participants after or during the Visit Tour:

Participants are interested in the future development of solutions like the developed in DIGESMART

project. The most important thing for them was the opportunity to see firsthand the situation of

biogas in Belgium and to make useful comparisons between Italian and Belgian biogas plant costs.

Also the different legislation on biogas at the level of contributions and environmental safety

standards between the two countries has been very useful.

Tweets during the visit tour

Figure 9. Visit of Italian stakeholders in social media (twitter)


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BELGIAN STAKEHOLDERS

PARTICIPANTS

- Selection of people

Among interested people, it was done a selection according to target group of the project. The

target group of the Flemish (Belgian) stakeholders visit tour (1st visit tour: April 2016) comprised of

biogas site owners, operators, farmers, manure processing operators, consultants and constructors.

This targeted selection was achieved by select mailing to this target group. The second visit (August

2016) with the people from Valbiom (http://www.valbiom.be/) coming was in complement of a

bilateral meeting. Since the visit tour was in Belgium, most of the stakeholders were able to come

by car to the installation and the visit tour was developed during the same travelling day.

DESCRIPTION OF THE BELGIAN STAKEHOLDERS WORKSHOP AND PLANT VISIT DEVELOPED


Flemish (Belgium) stakeholders Workshop and Visit Tour (16-04-2016)

The Belgian Stakeholders Workshop and Visit tour was developed on the 15th April 2016. Below it is

included the Agenda of the day.

Program 14.00 – 14.15 Reception 14.15 – 14.30 Introduction of the project 14.30 – 14.50 Process to the product 14.50 – 15.10 Field trials 15.10 – 16.00 Visit to the pilot installation

Figure 10. Program of the Flemish (Belgian) Stakeholders Workshop and Visit tour

Before the site visit on the 15th April 2016, it was carried out an introductory workshop to the

project and some of the results were presented to Belgian stakeholders in a nearby community

venue close to the pilot plant the same day (Markt 3, 8470 Gistel).

After that, the first visit tour was developed and some interested farmers, biogas operators, manure

processors and policy officers had the opportunity to see the pilot plant on site and ask questions to

the partner Detricon. In total, 41 Flemish stakeholders attended the visit tour. Below there are

some pictures of the introduction to the project and to the pilot plant visit.


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Figure 11. Participants of the Flemish (Belgian) Stakeholders Workshop and Visit tour to the DIGESMART installation

(Denis De Wilde in the Workshop, left; Visit Tour, right)

Participants believe strongly in the future development of solutions like the developed in

DIGESMART project. “Recuperation of nutrients rather than dispose of them will be the way to go,

but it needs to be at a reasonable price” stated one of the visitors who work within the biological

manure processing industry.

Walloon (Belgium) stakeholders Workshop and Visit Tour (29-08-2016)

An additional visit tour for Walloon Stakeholders was held on the 29th August 2016. Interested

organization Valbiom, which is the counterpart of BIOGAS-E in the Walloon region, had the

opportunity to see the pilot plant on site. Below there is a picture of participants of the pilot plant

visit. It was possible to explain the project and the installation providing technical details about the

performance of both pilot units. A bilateral meeting and lunch between the organizations

introduced Valbiom into the project and specifics on digestate in Flanders. Below it is included the

Agenda of the day.

10h – 12h bilateral meeting • Présentation des collaborateurs • Biogas-E: activités • Situation Actuelle du secteur biogaz en

Flandres • Projets en Flandres

o TransBio o DIGESMART

• Bottlenecks en Flandres • Présentation Valbiom

10h – 12h bilateral meeting • Presentation of collaborators • Biogas-E: activities • Current situation of biogas in

Flanders • Projects in Flanders

o TransBio o DIGESMART

• Bottlenecks in Flanders Présentation Valbiom

12h-13h Lunch 12h-13h Lunch 13h – 16h Pilot plant visit 13h – 16h Pilot plant visit

Figure 12. Program of the Walloon (Belgian) Stakeholders Workshop and Visit tour (Program in French, left; Program in

English, right).


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Figure 13. Participants of the Walloon (Belgian) Stakeholders Visit tour

The organization Valbiom was very interested in the project and will make an article in their

newsletter on the project and visit as stated in a subsequent mailing by Laurent Anzalone

(Valbiom).

SPANISH STAKEHOLDERS

PARTICIPANTS

- Selection of people.

Before promotional activities, it was compiled a lot of contacts with stakeholders during the Fairs

and Technical presentations. Those contacts received by e-mail the information about the dates of

the visit tour two months before the event. In addition to them, all the interested stakeholders that

contacted with AINIA were taken into account in the selection process.

The first interested stakeholders were first considered for the list of stakeholders suitable to

participate in the visit tour. Spanish stakeholders that participated in the Visit tour were selected

taking into account the target group for the project and the budget available for the visit. For that

reason, it was selected only biogas plant operators, biogas plant providers, policy makers,

environmental consultants, scientists and waste management companies.

As a result, the Spanish stakeholders group which attended the visit tour included mainly biogas

plant owners (2), biogas plant operators (3), farmers (2), consultants (3), biogas plant providers (3),

waste management company (2) and one Distributor Company of gas and electricity.

On the other hand, there was no limitation to the number of participants of the Workshop since it

was developed in AINIA being possible to have access to a 100 people room and no costs for the

project.


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DESCRIPTION OF THE SPANISH STAKEHOLDERS WORKSHOP AND PLANT VISIT DEVELOPED


The workshop and visit of Spanish stakeholders were developed in May 2016. Below it is provided

the Agendas of both events. Regarding visit tour, the travelling day was on 30th May 2016 for Spanish

stakeholders. A social dinner was developed mentioned day starting informal discussions about the

biogas market perspectives in Spain.

Program of the Workshop - 25th of May

Time

Presentation and person in charge

Content of the presentation

10:00 – 10:30

Presentation of DIGESMART project Paz Gómez (AINIA)

- Concept of the project

- Technical specifications of the installations

- Results performance of the stripping plant installation

10:30 – 11:15 Stripping/scrubbing plant. Performance and possibilities of implementation Denis De Wilde (DETRICON)

- Applying stripping/scrubbing plant

11:15 – 11:30 Solar drying. Performance and possibilities of implementation Paz Gómez (AINIA)

- Performance of solar drying installation

11:30 – 12:00 Coffee 12:00 – 12:30 Use of green fertiliser on agricultural

fields Paz Gómez (AINIA)

- Practical results related to the use on agricultural fields

12:30 – 13:00 Logistics & economics of the plant Denis De Wilde (DETRICON)

- Main advantages and reduction in costs related to the installation

Figure 14. Agenda of the Spanish Stakeholders Workshop (25TH May 2016)

The Spanish Workshop carried out in AINIA Centro Tecnológico (Parque Tecnológico de Valencia. C/

Benjamin Franklin 5-11. 46980 Paterna, Valencia) on the 25th May 2016. 11 participants attended

the event, mainly biogas plant operators, biogas plant providers, environmental consultants, waste

water Treatment Company and scientists. Next figure included below includes a photo from the

Spanish Workshop in AINIA facilities.


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Figure 15. Picture of the presentations of the Spanish Workshop in AINIA facilities

Feedback and main items of the discussion after the Workshop with the participants:

- Questions related to the stripping plant were formulated to DETRICON, such us if the particle size

was a limiting step and maximum size or which was the temperature of the stripping plant.

- Positive aspects of the solution: valuable product from digestate, stripping treatment and

innovation of the project in Spain where only 1 industrial stripping plant has been implemented,

foliar application seems really interesting and solar drying as well.

- Discussion related to the digestate spreading permits in Spain: If you have your own fields, you can

spread digestate without problems. However, in case you are going to fertilise other fields or you

are going to get some incomes from selling the digestate, your digestate has more difficulties at

administrative level and in some Autonomous communities you have to get the permit to be “Waste

Management Company”.

Program of the Visit Tour – 31st of May

Time Activity Comments

08:00 – 08:30 Check-out hotel

08:30 – 09:30 Bus to Bazelaar 3 (8470 Zevekote,Bélgica)

09:30 – 13:00 Visit stripping/scrubbing installation

13:00 – 15:00 Bus Zevekote to Brussels airport

15:00 – 16:00 Lunch

16:00 – 16:30 Checking If it has not been done online

18:50 – 23:55* Flight Brussels – Valencia* / other Figure 16. Agenda of the Spanish Stakeholders Visit Tour


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On the 30-31st May, 17 participants attended the event, mainly biogas plant operators, biogas plant

providers, environmental consultants, pig producer, Waste Management Company and scientists.

Next figure included below includes some photos from the Spanish Visit Tour to the DIGESMART

installation in Belgium.

Figure 17. Participants of the Spanish Stakeholders Visit tour to the DIGESMART installation (stripping, left; evaporator

of the solar drying installation, right)

The Agenda of the visit tour is showed above (Figure 16) including the details provided to the

participants. It was used one day to travel to Gent and one day to do the visit and come back to

Spain. The visit tour started on the 31st May at 9:30 at company IVACO until 13:00. Afterwards, the

Spanish stakeholders travelled by bus directly to Zaventem-Brussels airport. During the visit, Geert

Vermeulen (DETRICON) explained the details about the stripping plant while Jonathan De Mey

(BIOGAS-E). At the same time, Paz Gómez (AINIA) leaded the visit helping with the translation and

providing support to understand the DIGESMART plant as well as the flow of materials in the

company IVACO (composting, Solid-to-liquid separation, Nitrification-denitrification, etc.). After the

explanation of DIGESMART plant, the composting treatment using the heat of the biogas plant, the

biogas plant, the solid-to-liquid separation system, the CHP, the nitrification-denitrification plant,

and the lagoon treatment were visited.

Tweets during the visit tour

Figure 18. Visit of Spanish stakeholders in social media (twitter)


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ANNEX I. MATERIALS

ANNEX I.1 ENGLISH

Below it is provided a list of the presentations and additional materials elaborated in English to be

used for all the involved partners.

1. Workshop_General presentation

2. Workshop_Nutrient recovery

3. Workshop_Solar drying

4. Workshop_Use of green fertiliser

5. Workshop_Logistics and economics of the plant

ANNEX I.2 ITALIAN

Below it is provided the name of the presentation and additional materials elaborated in English

used in the Italian Stakeholders Workshop.

1. Biogas in Flanders – operational key issues

2. Introduction to the DIGESMART project

3. Article: “Fertilizzante verde basato su liquame suino o digestato: aspetti economici e logistici”

(Green fertiliser based on pig slurry or digestate: economical and logistics aspects)

ANNEX I.3 DUTCH

Below it is provided a list of the presentations and additional materials elaborated in Dutch and

presented to Belgian stakeholders.

1. “Project introductie” (Program and Introduction)

2. “Proceswerking en product” (Stripping process)

3. “Veldproefervaring” (Field trials)


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ANNEX I.4 SPANISH

Below it is provided a list of the presentations and additional materials elaborated in Spanish and

presented to Spanish stakeholders.

1. “Workshop_Introducción general”

2. “Workshop_Recuperación de nutrientes”

3. “Workshop_Secado solar”

4. “Workshop_Uso del fertilizante verde”

5. “Workshop_Logística y economía de la planta”

Documents

D6.7 REPORT ON PLANTS VISITS - DIGESMART Reports on plant visits...The workshop and visit tour to the installation tour for Italian stakeholders, was promoted in the different dissemination