For 2020, the government of the Netherlands’ objective is to become one of the most sustainable countries of Europe. In order to accomplish this, a lot needs to be done. Not only do our houses and cars need to be powered by renewable energy, but also our shipping, aviation, road transport and our industry.
If we don’t want to be dependent on fossil fuels anymore and do want to make a transition to renewable energy sources, it’s necessary to further reduce our dependence on conventional sources like coal-fired plants and natural gas. To achieve this we need to do more than build windmills and install solar panels. We need to research alternative, renewable energy sources and therefore we need to research the reuse of waste.
Bioclear earth contributes to the development of sustainable technology by using the power and resourcefulness of nature. To bring about the necessary changes we need to learn to use resources and energy the same way nature does. That is why we study the clever way nature recycles raw materials and produces energy.
Good examples of nature’s ingenuity are the archaea also known as “archaeabacteria”. Archaea are one of the eldest forms of live on earth. Some archaea species flourish under extreme heat while others live under extremely cold conditions. They are also found in swamps and in our intestines. Certain Archaea species are capable of converting CO2 into methane. In the project Power-2-Methane Bioclear earth researches the possibility to use this ancient process in order to produce biofuel.
Another example is the white rot fungus. White rot fungi are important in recycling because of their capacity to kick-start the degrading process of not easily degradable organic materials. In our Bio-pulping project we research how we can use these fungi to pretreat biomass in order to make fermentation of these materials easier.
The soil is loaded with bacteria, fungi and yeasts that are capable of degrading organic material into energy and new building blocks. Bioclear earth focuses on making high quality energy carriers from biomass. By using biological processes we can close cycles and can reuse waste as raw materials for new products, like green chemicals, fertilizers and also as a source of energy, for example green gas or electricity. By reusing waste flows “the natural way”, we can ensure that nothing gets wasted, without creating problems like producing particulate matter.
In addition to the research into an alternative renewable energy source, we also look at the possibility of storing sustainable energy like wind energy or solar power. Power plants need to accommodate fluctuations in supply and demand. If we want to make the supply of energy possible in seasons with less sunshine and wind, and at the same time be less dependent on coal and gas, storage of sustainable energy is necessary.
Currently Bioclear earth is involved in multiple collaboration projects on renewable energy, for example from Grass to Gas, Swillpower, Biopulping, Power-2-Methane and Greenstep.
If you are interested in our approach and you would like more information, please contact Jeroen Tideman.
