Timeline: milestones that define a technology

University of Valladolid. Anaerobic Digestion

• 1979

  The beginning of anaerobic digestion in Europe

  

  The First International Symposium on Anaerobic Digestion is held at University College Cardiff (Wales), a foundational conference where a group of pioneers established this scientific discipline in Europe.

• 1982

  First steps of anaerobic digestion in Spain

  

  The First International Course on Anaerobic Digestion, held in Bellaterra (Barcelona), marks a turning point in the transfer of knowledge from leading European researchers to the Spanish technical and academic community, driving the development of anaerobic digestion as an applied technology.

• 1984

  Valladolid as the birthplace: the DAAR seminars

  

  At the University of Valladolid, thanks to its human and scientific excellence, a school takes root that trains a generation of researchers who will expand the technology around the world. The Seminars on Anaerobic Wastewater Treatment (DAAR) are institutionalized as a forum for training, exchange, and knowledge transfer.

• 1990

  Valladolid, an international benchmark

  

  The organization of the International Workshop on Anaerobic Treatment Technology for Municipal and Industrial Wastewaters, which brings together leading international experts in kinetics, microbiology, reactor design, and operation, consolidates Valladolid as an international benchmark in anaerobic digestion research and application.

University of Valladolid. Thermal Hydrolysis

• 2006

  First laboratory pilot

  

  With Sara I. Pérez-Elvira’s doctoral thesis, the research line on thermal hydrolysis as a pretreatment for anaerobic digestion begins. In this context, the first laboratory pilot is designed and used to validate the scientific principles of the process and its impact on sludge biodegradability.

• 2007

  Second laboratory pilot

  

  A second laboratory pilot is developed to further optimise the thermal hydrolysis process, confirm the reproducibility of the results, and fine-tune the key operating parameters before scaling up to industrial conditions.

• 2008

  Industrial pilot

  

  The commissioning of an industrial pilot makes it possible to evaluate the behaviour of the process under real operating conditions and analyze the robustness of the system and its results at the different locations where it operated.

• 2012

  Industrial plant

  

  Design and operation of a plant that treats all the secondary sludge from the Valladolid WWTP (400,000 PE), within the CENIT-SOSTAQUA and CENIT-SOSTCO2 programs, with Aqualogy (Aguas de Barcelona, Suez) as industrial partner.

  Design recognised with the 2014 Honour Award - Design Projects from the International Water Association (IWA)

teCH₄⁺

• 2014

  teCH₄⁺ incorporation

  

  It is incorporated as a limited liability company before a notary as TE CONSULTING HOUSE 4 PLUS, SL (teCH₄⁺)

• 2014

  Awards

  

  We receive the Hazlo Ahora award from Philip Morris Spain, with a grant of €20,000, later with the Ecopreneurs award, granted by Ecopreneurs for the Climate.

• 2016

  First patent in Spain

  

  Granting of the first patent PN 201430895 (Method and facility for thermal hydrolysis of organic matter with short residence times and no pumps), which years later would be with PN 201631577 (Method and facility for stationary thermal hydrolysis of organic matter with total energy recovery)

• 2016

  Start-up Accelerator

  

  Selected to participate in the Climate KIC clean-tech start-up accelerator, with a grant of €15,000 after completing all coaching and mentoring phases, and chosen to represent Spain at the Vennture Competition in Frankfurt (Germany).

• 2017

  First patent in the U.S.

  

  Granting of the first patent US 9,751,791 B2 (Method and facility for thermal hydrolysis of organic matter having short residence times and no pumps), which years later would be with US 11,319,216 B2 (Method and facility for stationary thermal hydrolysis of organic material with total energy recovery)

• 2018

  Demonstration plant

  

  Installation of a thermal hydrolysis demonstration plant at the Ceyhan WWTP (Turkey) as an industrial-scale proof of concept to validate the operation of the process under real operating conditions and lay the foundations for subsequent commercial scale-up.

• 2019

  Pilot plant for agro-industrial waste

  

  Installation at the Guijuelo WWTP, part of the ADVISOR R&D&I project, aimed at treating not only sludge from urban and industrial WWTPs but also by-products from the local meat industry, such as blood, fats, hair, and slurry.

• 2020

  First commercial plant

  

  Commissioning of the first commercial reference for the Proceso Polanco at the Copero WWTP, following an EMASESA competitive tender. In continuous operation since 2020, the plant has proven to be robust and stable.

• 2020

  First patent in Japan

  

  Granting of the first patent JP 6648121 (Method and facility for thermal hydrolysis of organic matter having short residence times and no pumps), which years later would be with JP 7200106 (Method and facility for stationary thermal hydrolysis of organic material with total energy recovery)

• 2021

  Pilot plant for OFMSW

  

  Within the Deep Purple R&D project, the thermal hydrolysis unit at Las Dehesas Biomethanisation Plant in Valdemingómez (Madrid) was fed with the Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste (OFMSW) and generated knowledge on COD solubilisation and heterogeneous food waste management.

• 2022

  Second commercial plant

  

  Implementation of our technology at the Pinedo WWTP, the largest wastewater treatment plant in Valencia and a key infrastructure for the protection of the Albufera Natural Park, to operate as a pretreatment only for secondary sludge.

• 2022

  Polanco Process

  

  At the XXXVI AEAS (now DAQUAS) Congress, held in Córdoba, in a presentation that Fernando Fernández-Polanco did not get to deliver, we announced the addition of his signature to our logo and the naming of our technology, in memoriam, as Polanco Process.

• 2023

  Third commercial plant

  

  teCH₄⁺ technology is selected for the Ranilla WWTP within EMASESA’s Sludge Management Model (MITLOP), based on two pillars: co-digestion and thermal hydrolysis.

• 2023

  Maintenance services

  

  First preventive maintenance contract, a recurring service including the annual shutdown execution and the critical spare parts management to ensure safe, robust, and efficient Polanco Process operation over time.

• 2024

  Fourth commercial plant

  

  The project by the Regional Government of Andalusia to adapt discharges in the sensitive areas around Doñana and rationalize Seville’s sanitation system drives an expansion of the Copero WWTP that includes a second thermal hydrolysis plant, parallel to the original one in operation since 2020.

• 2025

  Internationalisation

  

  Part of OCP Group’s strategy to secure water resources for phosphate mining, the Fquih Ben Saleh WWTP (Morocco) is our first commercial plant overseas and marks the start of our international expansion.

• 2025

  ISO 9001:2015 certification

  

  Bureau Veritas certifies our Quality Management System according to the ISO 9001:2015 standard