Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - MUBIC (Mushroom and biogas production in a circular economy)

Teaser

This project creates a resource cycle between biogas production, mushroom production and energy and nutrient recovery, thus establishing a circular system where low value waste is converted to high value food. Growing certain biological foods, such as mushrooms, requires a...

Summary

This project creates a resource cycle between biogas production, mushroom production and energy and nutrient recovery, thus establishing a circular system where low value waste is converted to high value food.

Growing certain biological foods, such as mushrooms, requires a substrate such as straw, wood, horse manure or poultry litter for organisms to grow. The technology of this project is an innovative method to produce a new substrate that enables optimal recovery of nutrients and provides highly efficient use of biomass at low cost. The case for mushroom production is particularly compelling, as the Advanced Substrate Technology (AST) solution with its production of new substrate enables a significant reduction in substrate production costs, recovers nutrients that are otherwise lost, and optimises the production of biogas.

Energy-related emissions account for almost 80% of the EU’s total greenhouse gas emissions. Europe faces the challenge of converting its greenhouse gas emitting energy production to a sustainable one, with a minimal amount of CO2 and NOx emission while still performing in a reliable and feasible manner. At the same time, sustainable biomass is the only renewable, affordable energy source that is currently capable for both base load and flexible generation. It can run constantly, or be quickly mobilised to fill an unexpected supply gap. It provides a stable platform that can support intermittent renewable technologies, and help fill the space created by outgoing fossil fuels. It will be essential to adapt biomass solutions that increase the efficiency. The AST plant will contribute significantly to the efficiency of biogas. As the degasified biomass is converted to substrate, and hereafter reused as input for biogas production as part of the circular economy, the security of supply for the biogas plant is aided significantly.

Biogas production is increasing, but the issue of recovering nutrients in the most effective way is still a major challenge for a successful implementation of biogas. This project improves the business case of biogas plants by upgrading the waste product to value products.

The market for mushrooms is growing, but Europe is not exploiting this potential for production of a high value food product due to high labour cost. This is now made possible with this AST/Panbo innovation, and the project will improve the business case for the mushroom producers and enable a circular use of resources to the benefit of the environment, the food industry and the consumers.

In East Asian countries and China mushrooms has a too high content of heavy metals due to low quality of raw material for substrate. With the AST concept and production method the door will be opened for export of high quality substrate in the form of pellets to China and East Asia and production of high quality mushroom not contaminated with heavy metals.

Project objectives are:
1. Establishment of an AST plant in commercial scale as add-on to a biogas plant
2. Establishment of a Panbo Tray System plant in commercial scale for mushroom production
3. Validate a 50% reduction in production cost of substrate for mushroom production
4. Validate feasibility: ROI of max. 3 years on investment in the AST plant for mushroom producers

Work performed

Activities and work performed have been concentrated on updating the layout plans and implementation schedules for the main technologies and components as part of “Add-on” facilities to existing biogas plants. In parallel, specification on selected key technologies has been elaborated, and some of the technologies have been put in production and their capacity have been tested to obtain important updated data on function, performance and efficiency.
Based on the findings from this, the total technological setup has been improved and restructured, and by that, the demonstration value and related positive impacts of the H2020 Mubic project can be improved.

Final results

\"The project has in fact progressed beyond both current state-of-the-art and the expected technical feasibility when the project was initiated. By restructuring the demo project, the demonstration value and impacts are improved and increased.

At time of signing the DoA, the H2020 Mubic demonstration plants was structured in the following two main parts:
1. AST biomass treatment and substrate plant as add-on to Foulum Biogas in Denmark
2. Panbo Tray system mushroom production plant in Holland.

By now – in the late stages of the 2nd year of the project - it is clearly better to structure the project in five parts:
1. Biomass pre-treatment and handling
2. Processing of degasified biomass
3. Fibre and phase 2 substrate production
4. Phase 3 substrate production
5. Mushroom production in tray system

The stated objectives for the project will be met and the results be as presented in the project proposal, that is, these milestones will be reached:

M1 Engineering package for AST plants
M2 Design of \"\"N-steamer\"\"
M3 Design of tray system and harvesting line determined
M4 AST plant as add-on to biogas plant up and running
M5 Operation data catalogue
M6 Panbo tray system plant as add-on to mushroom facility plant up and running

As the project entails constructing and building heavy biogas plant equipment, and an overarching success criteria is to demonstrate successful operation (as stated in the project objectives) within a two-year project period, all focus of the beneficiaries is on constructing, building and managing process. Hence, potential impacts and societal implications of the project belong in the second year of the project period and will be given due attention there.

Presentation to and negotiations with potential investors and partners in future plants based on the AST concept and technologies has taken place and at late stage of the 2nd year of the H2020 Mubic project and two specific projects in Denmark is in the final stage and expected to be in commercial production before end 2019. In parallel, Panbo expects to have the first commercial size “Tray Farm” in production by October 2020 in Germany.\"

Website & more info

More info: https://mubic.org.