Waste is a local resource that with the right knowledge and technology can be collected, stored and transformed to fuel, electricity, heat and cold. This is the starting point for Waste Refinery, a centre that will have a turnover of at least 4,5 million EURO over the next three years.
- With smart waste handling, we can diminish our dependence on fossil fuels and thereby contribute to nature’s nutrient cycle, says Evalena Blomqvisy, centre manager and energy researcher at SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden. She believes that the centre will create new jobs and export of technologies and competence within the field of environmental technology and waste.
OECD has recently identified environmental technology as one of the most important business areas today as well as in the future. The global market for environmental technology is enormous and is expected to have a volume of 600 billion EURO in 2010. In 2005, Swedish companies in this segment had a total turnover of about 10 billion EURO, with about 25% on the export market.
Leeway for ideas
The participants in Waste Refinery – companies, research institutes, universities, and consultants from mainly Western Sweden – will systematically evaluate, develop, demonstrate and integrate various techniques for efficient extraction of energy and resources from waste. The possibility of both performing in-depth studies and applying a broad-front approach within the same project leads to a number of advantages:
- For example, great ideas do not get stuck on their way to implementation and commercialisation, says Evalena Blomqvist. The combined strength of simulated processes and modelling, laboratory experiments, and full scale tests under commercial conditions is unique.
Focus on selected areas
Waste Refinery focuses on selected areas: systems analysis and development of technologies for thermal and biological conversion of waste to energy products.
- This is truly a collaborative effort. The holistic approach means that results that are produced in one part of the project can immediately be transferred to and used elsewhere. This prevents suboptimal systems and solutions from developing, says Evalena Blomqvist.
20 partners join forces in Waste Refinery
The following companies and organisations participate in Waste Refinery: SP, Imego, Renova, Stena Metall, Chalmers, Västra Götalandsregionen, Dalkia, JTI, Nordens Pappersindustri, Profu, SIK, Brämhults Juice, Metso, Borås Stad, Borås Energi och Miljö, Högskolan i Borås, Energimyndigheten, Biogas Väst, Götaverken Miljö, and AddX.
Read more here: www.wasterefinery.se