Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGBThe EU and the state of Baden-Württemberg are providing around 5.9 million euros in funding for the construction of a biowaste refinery on the site of the municipal biogas fermentation plant operated by Abfallwirtschaft Rems-Murr AöR (AWRM) in Backnang. In the future, one ton of biowaste per day will be processed here into products and raw materials such as fibers, flower pots, fertilizer and biogas.
BW2Pro – Biowaste to products
In the planned biorefinery of the "BW2Pro" project, one ton of biowaste is processed into high-quality products and raw materials every day.
In the organic waste refinery "BW2Pro“, one ton of biowaste is to be processed daily into high-quality products and raw materials.
By means of high pressure and high temperatures, the biowaste is split and separated into a fibrous solid fraction and a liquid fraction. Almost all parts of the biowaste are further processed or used.
Medium fibers are pressed into products such as flower pots. Short fibers serve as a carbon source for the production of cellulase, which is contained in many detergents, for example.
The liquid fraction is fermented to produce biogas, and its digestate is used as fertilizer. Part of the liquid fraction is used to produce biodegradable bioplastics.
The BW2Pro project will be integrated on an already existing biogas plant of the Waste Management Rems-Murr. Waste Management Rems-Murr was involved in the planning of the project consortium at an early stage. Associations also support the project locally.
The project shows how biowaste can be recycled in municipal biogas plants. Here, the modular structure of the project is of great importance, as individual modules could be integrated on existing plants and thus the existing technology can be supplemented.
Project information
Project title
BW2Pro – Biowaste to Products
Project duration
October 2021 – October 2024
Project partners
- BIOPRO Baden-Württemberg GmbH
- Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB, Stuttgart
- Offenburg University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Mechanical and Process Engineering
- ifeu – Institute for Energy and Environmental Research Heidelberg gGmbH
- NOVIS GmbH University of Hohenheim, State Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioenergy
- University of Stuttgart, Institute for Energy Economics and Rational Use of Energy
- University of Stuttgart, Institute for Interfacial Process Engineering and Plasma Technology
- University of Stuttgart, Institute for Plastics Technology
- Waste Management Rems-Murr (Associated partner)
Funding
We would like to thank the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of the Environment, Climate Protection and the Energy Sector and the European Union for funding the project "BW2Pro" as part of the ERDF (European Research and Development Fund) programme "Bioeconomy – Biorefineries for the recovery of raw materials from waste and wastewater".
