Pressure and temperature
The sludge is subjected to high pressures and temperatures and to a sudden vaporisation called flash or steam explosion.
The Polanco Process is the patented continuous thermal hydrolysis technology developed by Fernando Fernández-Polanco at the University of Valladolid based on research started in 1979 and commercialised since 2018 by teCH4+.
Unlike batch systems, it operates in a continuous, steady-state regime; and after in-line steam injection, it subjects the organic waste to a double flash or steam explosion. Its benefits, verified in commercial plants, increase biogas yields by up to 35%, reduce biosolids volume by up to 50%, hygienise the biosolids, and double the existing digesters capacity without new investments.
The thermal hydrolysis technology patented and commercialised by teCH4+ was named the Polanco Process in 2022, in tribute to Fernando Fernández-Polanco and in recognition of his exceptional human, academic, and technical values. With all due respect, it continues the chemical engineering tradition of naming a process, such as Haber-Bosch or Solvay, when it becomes a mature industrial solution.
Research must necessarily be applied research: it has to leave the lab and solve real problems. Fernando Fernández-Polanco
The sludge is subjected to high pressures and temperatures and to a sudden vaporisation called flash or steam explosion.
These thermal and flash mechanisms break down the organic matter, solubilising it (that is, hydrolysing it).
The hydrolysed sludge is fed to the anaerobic digester, which benefits from a much more biodegradable substrate.
Increase in biogas production verified at the Copero WWTP in Seville since 2020 and at the Pinedo WWTP in Valencia since 2022.
Pathogen-free certified at the Copero WWTP in Seville since 2020 and at the Pinedo WWTP in Valencia since 2022.
Energy consumption demonstrated at the Copero WWTP in Seville since 2020 and at the Pinedo WWTP in Valencia since 2022.
Operating time confirmed at the Copero WWTP in Seville since 2020.
Our technology´s journey from research and basic science to commercial competition can be summarised in these 5 milestones:
Wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) with existing anaerobic digestion improve their operating results in biogas and biosolids; greenfield projects with planned digestion benefit from lower capital investment. Relevant references include the projects at the Copero, Ranilla, and Pinedo WWTPs.
Wastes such as agricultural and livestock residues, from agri-food industry, or industrial sludge can also benefit, as it was the case of the pilot plant in Guijuelo (Spain), where slaughterhouse waste was managed.
The Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste (OFMSW) management can also be improved through thermal hydrolysis, as in the pilot project at the Las Dehesas biomethanisation plant in Valdemingómez, Madrid (Spain).
The defining innovation of the Polanco Process as a continuous technology has been reflected in our patents since 2014:
Other innovations, such as steady-state operation and in-line steam injection, were incorporated from 2016:
It is the continuous thermal hydrolysis technology patented by teCH4+ and developed from Fernando Fernández-Polanco's research at the University of Valladolid since 1979. It operates in steady-state regime and includes in-line steam injection and a double flash or steam explosion mechanism to optimise anaerobic digestion.
Fernando Fernández-Polanco, Professor and Emeritus Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Valladolid, whose research in anaerobic digestion and thermal hydrolysis since 1979 is the technological basis of teCH4+, a company founded in 2014 to develop and commercialise the technology.
The 4 main technical differentiators are: continuous and steady-state (not batch) operation; double flash or steam explosion; in-line steam injection; and pressurised non-condensable gases evacuation. These four elements combined result in greater operational robustness and lower specific energy consumption.
An increase of up to 35% in biogas production, a reduction of up to 50% in biosolids volume, guaranteed biosolids hygienisation, and doubling the existing digesters organic loading rate without the need for new investment in digestion infrastructure.
Commercial references include the Copero WWTP in Seville, the first commercial plant since 2020; the Ranilla WWTP in Seville; the Pinedo WWTP in Valencia; and the FBS WWTP in Morocco, as well as pilot plants in Valdemingómez (OFMSW) and Guijuelo (slaughterhouse waste).
teCH4+ carries out technical and economic feasibility studies that include mass balances, performance estimation, and calculation of return on investment (ROI) based on the operating data provided by the client. The report is delivered in less than 2 weeks since data receipt.
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