Skip to main content
European Commission logo
Enterprise Europe Network

UK company offering technology that converts captured carbon into fertiliser products, seeks commercial partners with technical experience of delivering industrial-scale anaerobic digestion of waste materials.

Summary

Profile Type
  • Technology offer
POD Reference
TOGB20230818005
Term of Validity
18 August 2023 - 17 August 2025
Company's Country
  • United Kingdom
Type of partnership
  • Commercial agreement with technical assistance
Targeted Countries
  • All countries
Contact the EEN partner nearest to you for more information.
Find my local partner

General information

Short Summary
A UK cleantech company specialising in Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) has developed a technology that converts captured carbon dioxide and by-products from anaerobic digestion into sustainable fertilisers. The business seeks international partners with large-scale waste material anaerobic digestion environments to integrate their technology and establish new marketplaces for these ‘circular economy’ fertiliser products . A commercial agreement via technical assistance is sought.
Full Description
The UK company is an award-winning CCU company, which has developed technology that converts captured carbon dioxide and other waste streams (such as ammonia and phosphate) into stable value-added materials with multiple uses across the food/agriculture sector.

Since 2014 the company has built an industry-leading operational base and delivers £multi-million commercial projects for UK partners.

The business deploys its technology through licencing with partners but also owns its own production site producing organo-mineral, sustainable fertiliser products.

The company’s flagship product is a pelletised, low carbon organo-mineral fertiliser with a significantly lower carbon footprint than conventional fertiliser alternatives.

The company is well funded with both significant private investment funding and UK government R&D funding.

In order to grow into international markets, the company seeks to establish new operational sites in non-UK territories and to deploy their technologies within the following industries: agriculture, food manufacturing, water treatment, and BioChar (deployment of the technology at pyrolysis plants).

Suitable partners will be industrial-scale sites with anaerobic digestion plants, wastewater treatment facilities or companies with relevant technological or industry expertise.

International business partners should also have knowledge on local/national regulations regarding waste feedstocks and local/national carbon objectives, as well as connections to in-country waste/environmental policy bodies.

A commercial agreement through technical assistance is sought.
Advantages and Innovations
- Proven solution as the UK company currently operates within the UK, with one commercial plant which produces more than 4 kilotons per year (kT/y) of sustainable fertiliser product.

- The technology is modular and can be deployed at a range of production scales between 10 kT/y to >100 kT/y .

- The patented process utilises waste heat and CO₂ from on-site Anaerobic Digestion to stabilise and transform fibre digestate into a predictable NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) fertiliser pellet.

- The fertiliser can be produced across all the different formulations/types of products with a significantly lower carbon footprint than conventional fertiliser alternatives.

- The fertiliser technology allows complete control over the nutrient content which means the fertiliser can be tailored to specific farm crop requirements and conventional farm equipment.

- The technology represents a ‘circular economy’ methodology, and the company is continuously developing commercial CO2 capture-to-fertiliser technology in several other related areas, such as; heat, power and plastics.
Technical Specification or Expertise Sought
Commercial projects using this technology require a number of criteria to be met in order to ensure economic viability following technical deployment.

A minimum requirement for a project will be the availability of separated fibre digestate or organic fibre, requiring > 10,000t of fibre input locally to the project.

Commercial partners must also be able to provide the following resources, in order for the production process to take place:

- Waste Heat – >70˚C, the company typically integrates its fertiliser production units at Anaerobic Digestion facilities between 1.5 - 8MW of electrical output, although alternative heat sources are also applicable.
- Organic Fibre – availability of conventional agricultural or food waste digestate at approx. 20%DM and used as the core feedstock within the process.
- Recovered Ammonia – availability of Ammonia which provides the additional Nitrogen requirement for enabling food production fertiliser specification.
- Recovered Phosphate – availability of additional P which is required for specific crop applications.
- Additional crop nutrients – the technology can utilise a range of crop nutrients within its process (Mg, S, etc.).
In addition, commercial partners must have:
- On-site technical delivery capabilities required to integrate the nutrient recovery and fertiliser production technologies.
- Ability to collaborate on technical R&D projects.
- Knowledge and expertise on local/national regulations regarding waste feedstocks and local carbon objectives, as well as connections to in-country waste/environmental policy bodies.
Desirable Project Requirements include:
- Dewatering technologies to enhance the availability of nutrients for the production process and reducing the waste outputs of Anaerobic Digestion.
- Ammonia recovery (N source for fertiliser): potential source in waste water treatment and anaerobic digestion sector.
- Nutrient Recovery (this may overlap with dewatering tech) – Ammonia and Phosphorus.
Stage of Development
  • Already on the market
Sustainable Development Goals
  • Goal 15: Life on Land
  • Goal 13: Climate Action
IPR status
  • IPR granted
IPR notes
The process has been patented.

Partner Sought

Expected Role of a Partner
Suitable international projects will be based at large-scale sites with Anaerobic Digestion environments, which have high volumes of local feedstock / digestate. The business partners will have the on-site technical delivery capabilities required to integrate the nutrient recovery and fertiliser production technologies into existing processes.

International business partners should also have knowledge on local/national regulations regarding waste feedstocks and local/national carbon objectives, as well as connections to in-country waste/environmental policy bodies.

The UK company is expecting to build long-lasting commercial and technological relationships which underpin the growth of these technologies in new emerging markets.

Preferably, the sought partners are expected to have:
- Technical expertise and experience
- High delivery capacity
- High quality standards
- Good communication skill
- Flexibility in terms of delivery
Type and Size of Partner
  • SME 11-49
  • SME <=10
  • SME 50 - 249
  • Big company
Type of partnership
  • Commercial agreement with technical assistance

Dissemination

Technology keywords
  • 04005006 - Solid biomass
  • 10002007 - Environmental Engineering / Technology
  • 04005012 - Waste to energy - other
  • 10003001 - Biotreatment / Compost / Bioconversion
Market keywords
  • 09008002 - Water, sewerage, chemical and solid waste treatment plants
  • 09005 - Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing, Animal Husbandry & Related Products
  • 06003009 - Biomass and Biofuels
  • 08004004 - Other pollution and recycling related
Sector Groups Involved
  • Renewable Energy
Targeted countries
  • All countries