Hydrochar enhanced biogas production, HyBio

With new technology, we aim to explore the possibility of significantly increasing methane production during anaerobic digestion.
Recent studies have shown that hydrochar can induce biogas production when mixed with the substrate before entering the digester. In a study conducted in 2023 at Karlstad University in collaboration with C-green and Karlskoga Energy & Environment, the results showed that the methane potential increased by 90% when hydrochar produced from municipal digestate was mixed with the substrate. This novel technology now needs to be investigated with various types of substrates and hydrochars to gain a better understanding of the process.
In addition to standard batch reactor experiments, continuous trials are also planned. Through a collaborative project involving academia, local government, conversion companies, and the forest industry, a new consortium is being formed to explore the possibilities and limitations of this innovative technology.

Maria Sandberg
Karlstad University
maria.sandberg@kau.se
Project information
Participants
Karlstad University
C-Green AB
Stora Enso Skoghall Aktiebolag
Karlstad municipality
Time schedule
December 2023 - December 2025
Total cost of project
2 016 874 SEK
Swedish Energy Agency project number
2023-01091
More projects

Classification and sustainability criteria for renewable fuels in the EU – what actually applies?
To promote increased use of sustainable fuels, the EU has introduced the Renewable Energy Directive (RED). RED includes a standardized methodology to…
Manager: Karin Pettersson
Ongoing

Biorefining of bark in biochemical conversion and in forest-industrial processes
Bark is an underutilized residual stream from pulp and saw mills and its utilization in biochemical conversion is not well investigated. This…
Manager: Leif Jönsson
Ongoing

More energy-efficient sawn-timber drying at sawmills
The drying of sawn timber requires a lot of energy and leads to quality losses, a limited production capacity, and high costs…
Manager: Dick Sandberg
Ongoing