Groundbreaking recycled nutrients collaboration with Algol Chemicals and Gasum

Recycled nutrients from Gasum Turku biogas plant to be recovered for industry use

Developing a circular economy solution based on the Gasum biogas plant in Turku, Finland, is one of the Finnish Government’s key projects. Phase 1 of the project, related to nutrient recycling, has now been completed. Gasum processes sludge from the Turku region wastewater treatment service provider at its Topinoja biogas plant, turning the waste feedstock into biogas and recycled nutrients. Gasum has entered into groundbreaking recycled nutrients collaboration with Algol Chemicals. The project will continue with plant expansion and biogas liquefaction plant investment and is due for completion in late 2019.

A sub-project relating to nutrient recycling and the modernization of Gasum’s Topinoja biogas plant has been completed. Following the completion of the entire project, the Topinoja biogas plant will produce an annual total of 50 GWh of liquefied and 10 GWH of compressed biogas for various transport segment needs, equating to the annual energy consumption of around 6,000 cars. In addition to biogas, the plant will produce an annual total of around 4,000 tonnes of ammonia water, a recycled nutrient obtained from the biogas plant’s reject water totaling around 150,000 tonnes each year. In the first phase now commissioned, the annual production volume of ammonia water totals 2,000 tonnes. In the future, the recycled nutrients will be recovered and supplied to its customers by Algol Chemicals.

”It’s interesting to enter into recycled nutrients cooperation with Gasum. Corporate responsibility is part of our strategy and everyday operations. This is already the second circular economy project this year in which we’ve had the opportunity to participate and offer industrial operators and production processes products created as side streams. The production of a tonne of ammonia releases an average of 2.9 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2), so by using an annual total of 2,000 tonnes of the solution created in the Gasum process we can eliminate almost 700 tonnes of CO2 emissions compared with virgin ammonium production,” says Algol Chemicals Managing Director Juha Jokinen.

”Our aim for the Turku biogas plant modernization and expansion project is to implement a circular economy solution that will increase the biomass processing capacity and access to biogas and launch new refined recycled nutrient products in the market in the Turku region. Local biogas will be better available as a fuel for heavy-duty and light vehicles in Turku. We’re happy that the plant modernization work was completed on schedule and, in cooperation with Algol Chemicals, we’re able to expand the uses of recycled nutrients even further. The investment helps reduce the volumes of wastewater generated at the biogas plant, and the remaining volumes returned to the local wastewater treatment plant will entail lower loads into the treatment processes. This is a big step forward towards our goal of a low-carbon society and nutrient recycling – a genuine circular economy solution,” says Ari Suomilammi, Director, Biogas Production and Sourcing, Gasum.

”Cooperation with Gasum reduces our carbon footprint, decreases the nutrient load on the environment and promotes the realization of energy efficiency and circular economy in the Turku region. The cooperation between Gasum and Algol Chemicals is a brilliant example of circular economy collaboration taking the environment in to account. Our Kakolanmäki plant processes the wastewater of almost 300,000 residents in the Turku region as well as the industrial wastewater from the area,” says Mirva Levomäki, CEO, Turun seudun puhdistamo Oy.

Under the Finnish Government Programme, the key projects aim to bring the Finnish economy to a path of sustainable growth and rising employment. The objective of the ‘Bioeconomy and clean solutions’ key projects is to increase the use of renewable energy in a sustainable way so that its share will rise to more than 50% during the 2020s. This will be based, in particular, on the growth in the supply of bioenergy and other emission-free renewable energy. The Turku biogas plant expansion is one of the key projects of the Finnish Government.

The project boosts the growth of the Finnish biogas market and promotes the development of the heavy-duty transport gas market. The project also improves the opportunities to use local road fuel gas in the Turku region. The biogas production capacity expansion will be completed during 2019. Following the expansion, the plant will process an annual total of around 110,000 tonnes of biomass, produce around 50 GWh of liquefied biogas and produce around 4,000 tonnes of ammonia water for use as a recycled nutrient. The Turku project will provide 170 full-time equivalents of employment during the construction phase.

For more information please contact:

Ari Suomilammi, Director, Biogas Production and Sourcing, Gasum Ltd, phone: +358 400 653 351, firstname.surname(a)gasum.com
Juha Jokinen, Managing Director, Algol Chemicals, phone: +358 50 438 4022, juha.jokinen(a)algol.fi
Mirva Levomäki, CEO, Turun seudun puhdistamo Oy, phone: +358 40 712 6241, firstname.surname(a)turku.fi

Gasum is the leading processer of biodegradable waste and supplier of biogas in the Nordic countries. Gasum processes an annual total of 800,000 tonnes biomass and produces an annual total of around 650 GWh of biogas at its 12 biogas plants. Gasum produces fertilizer products at its 7 industrial-scale biogas plants in Finland at an annual total of around 500,000 tonnes and at 5 biogas plants in Sweden at an annual total exceeding 400,000 tonnes.

Gasum biogas is a local biofuel that is produced from fully renewable raw materials. Biogas is a versatile energy source sold to industry, service providers, heat and power production, homes and restaurants using gas cookers, and for use as a transport fuel.

Biogas production creates fertilizer products for agriculture and gardening soil production as well as nutrient concentrates used in agriculture and industry. Other organic nutrient products such as nitrogen nutrients containing ammoniacal nitrogen and water are used in industrial applications such as flue gas cleaning at power plants.

According to the EU's circular economy targets, 65% of municipal waste must be recycled by 2030. The current rate in Finland averages 30–35%. Gasum’s Finnish biogas plants are located in Huittinen, Honkajoki, Kuopio, Oulu, Riihimäki, Turku and Vehmaa. Gasum also produces biogas with its partners in Espoo, Kouvola and Lahti. In Sweden Gasum has biogas plants in Jordberga, Katrineholm, Lidköping and Örebro as well as a majority shareholding in a production plant located in Västerås. In addition, Gasum has a 50% shareholding in Vadsbo Biogas in Sweden.

Algol Chemicals is part of the Finnish family-owned Algol Group. The company connects industrial raw materials producers and customers while at the same time offering customized supply solutions, services and expertise. Thousands of REACH registered products of global partners are delivered to customers from local warehouses. The primary aim in storage and deliveries is safety and compliance.  The added value created by the company is based on the experience and network built over the past 125 years of cooperation with partners. The company provides services for 3,000 industrial enterprises in Scandinavia, the Baltics, Belarus, Ukraine and India.

Turun seudun puhdistamo Oy is a service provider owned by 14 municipalities that offers high-quality wastewater treatment services to its owners and other customers. The company is responsible for the operation and treatment results of the Kakolanmäki wastewater treatment plant, with the aim of providing an optimal purification performance that at the minimum meets the requirements set in the environmental permit. The plant processes the wastewater of almost 300,000 residents in the Turku region.