Waste biotreatability facility
A sustainable solution to organic waste disposal, anaerobic digestion reduces carbon pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, while providing renewable energy and fertilizer. The Service Facility evaluates organic wastes for their biotreatability and potential to produce energy such as methane and hydrogen.
The lab’s combination of services, equipment and expertise is distinctive in Canada.
We have more than 20 years of experience working on anaerobic digestion, including scientific support of full-scale systems. Our clients include the agrifood industry, owners of landfill sites and full-scale waste treatment plants, and consulting engineers working for them.
The facility includes a laboratory for conducting small-scale experiments in serum bottles and digesters with samples as small as 100 mL up to 20L, as well as a 750-square-foot pilot plant that accommodates pilot-scale biosystems up to about two cubic metres.
We also operate a mobile, pilot-scale demonstration unit for the anaerobic digestion of biosolids and organic residues, as well as producing renewable energy on site. The mobile unit enables us to process organic wastes on-site and experiment with different co-digestion mixes for energy production.
Services we offer
- Physico-chemical and microbiological characterization of soils, biosolids, industrial and municipal effluents
- Evaluation of the bioenergy potential (methane, hydrogen) of wastewaters and solid wastes in batch or continuous reactors
- Biological activity assessment through microcosms monitoring
- Biokinetics assessment and modelling
- Microbiological support for pilot or full-scale anaerobic digester
- Technology evaluation
Expertise and Equipment
Our Expertise
Our team integrates the knowledge of engineers, microbiologists, and biochemists to provide answers to waste valorization questions. We are part of the NRC Environmental Bioengineering Group, which specializes in bioenergy production from organic matter through hydrogenogenic and methanogenic anaerobic digestion, carboxidotrophic fermentation, and microbial fuel cell processing. This provides access to state-of-the-art techniques for energetic potential evaluation, microbial activity assessments and process controls.
Equipment
- A portable unit for on-site and in situ biostimulation (patented)
- Bioreactors of various sizes (1-20 L), for organic wastes, soils, biosolids, and wastewaters laboratory studies
- An anaerobic respirometric automated system
- A gas fermentation station
- On-line monitoring and data acquisition systems
- Software for modelling and prediction (transport, biodegradation, design)
- Anaerobic chamber allowing for strict anaerobes count and culture
- A portable GC gas analyzer for on-site measurements (hydrogen, methane, chlorinated compounds, etc.)
- A microscopy laboratory equipped with camera acquisition system and image analysis
- A micro-encapsulation section
- Complete molecular biology facilities for DNA extraction, diversity profiles (DGGE) and sequencing (identification of microorganisms)
- Two cold rooms (4°C, 15°C) for storage and psychrophilic experiments
- A mobile pilot-scale demonstration unit for on-site anaerobic digestion of biosolids and waste slurries and assessment of energy production, including a 1 and 2 cubic metre CSTR digester.
Contact
Yves Quenneville
Telephone: 514-496-8507
Email: Yves.Quenneville@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca
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