GasTerra kills three birds with one stone
In spring 2021, GasTerra met up with Albert Waalkens of Pure Infinity, a company that develops biotechnological solutions for cleaner operations in industry. Together with a Spanish university, Pure Infinity developed a technology for capturing waste gases emitted in plastic printing factories (the “flexographic industry”) and converting them into biogas. The technology worked, but Pure Infinity was still looking for a company willing to install a demonstration unit. Could GasTerra help?
After our first conversation with Albert Waalkens, we grasped the sheer brilliance of the solution. The standard method for removing solvents from waste air is to burn them using natural gas. But if the solvents are captured, there is no need to use natural gas. That’s already great, but it gets even better because the main solvent component, ethanol, is converted into gas in Pure Infinity’s installation. That gas is then used in the print factory as a source of heat and process heat – double savings! And it can get even better. As the printers use only bioethanol, the gas produced is also biogas. If the system is scaled-up sufficiently it means that a factory can reduce its CO2 emissions to zero.
Convinced by the technology, we went with Albert Waalkens to visit Altacel, a company specialising in plastic film printing, in Weesp. Pure Infinity had demonstrated its technology at Altacel before, but the printing company was mystified by the fact that biogas would be produced at its own factory, however it found the concept tempting. When GasTerra came on the scene, and perhaps more importantly, when we were willing to pay towards the costs of the demonstration project, Altacel was convinced. Together, we came to the conclusion that Altacel’s print factory was the perfect place to showcase Pure Infinity’s technology for the first time.
Construction of the installation progressed reasonably well, especially if we consider the constraints still in place as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. At its tail end, delivery times increased sharply and prices went up considerably. Nevertheless, just before summer 2022, Pure Infinity was able to report that the installation was ready for initial testing. After the summer, the biology in the reactor was developed so that stable biogas production could gradually be achieved by the autumn. In the meantime, following the proposed six-month test period, it is clear that the installation is running smoothly. This technology can therefore significantly contribute towards making industry more sustainable by not only reducing gas demand but also supplying energy whilst doing so. The potential biogas production that this technology could generate in the European flexographic industry alone is 400 million m3 per year. A modest amount for us, but an opportunity for the companies involved to move towards more circular processes.
It is a nice example of how the gas sector can contribute to a cleaner world by supporting technological innovation. Three birds with one stone: purifying waste air, reducing natural gas consumption and producing green gas.
