At the event organized by Schwander Polska and TerraNova Energy on 5 July 2024, numerous international guests from politics, science and business were presented with the operation of the TerraNova®ultra pilot plant and promising new applications in the field of CO2 removal and the local circular economy.
The implementation of the European Union’s new legal framework for climate protection, sustainability and resource recovery requires new approaches from local authorities and industry. Solutions for this were demonstrated in Nowy Sacz / Poland at the beginning of July.
Hydrothermal carbonization can be used to convert organic residues such as sewage sludge, municipal biowaste or industrial residues into climate-friendly coal. In addition to generating renewable energy, its use as an organic fertilizer has been successfully tested. Approval for use in Poland and thus the replacement of imported mineral fertilizer with a locally produced product is already well advanced.
Furthermore, the coal produced in the process (“Hydrochar”) binds the carbon from the recycled residues in a stable form. This makes it suitable as a long-term CO2 storage medium, similar to fossil coal. Storing it in the ground or using it in building materials removes permanently CO2 from the atmosphere and allows to obtain CO2 certificates. In this rapidly growing market, the technology of Hydrothermal Carbonization offers high efficiency at low cost.
Technical approaches to the post-processing of HTC coal and the treatment of the HTC process water using advanced membrane technology were also presented to the guests.