The HBI process

The technology developd by HBI is based on a wet conversion process, thorugh which the main costituents on the biodegradable residues are separated and reorganized into two main products. The first is the Greenpeat, a solid carbonaceous material, while the other is a liquid stream rich in chemicals.

 Greenpeat can be subsequently used for energy production or as a basic material for activated, carbons, soil improvers, filters, etc. Chemicals from the liquid phase can be extracted and used as basic constituents for the chemical industry. The HBI system is modular and scalable, in order to guarantee small to high scale applications.

Applications of the HBI technology
• Anaerobic digestors
The HBI technology can be applied to agro-food industries by-products or biodegradable residues. In this way these industries can self product both heat and power, exploiting the interesting energetic characteristics of Greenpeat. Thus, these industries can avoid the production of a waste and move forward the energy independency.
• Waste water treatment plants
The HBI technology can be used to valorize sewage sludge. This by-product can be transfomred into Greenpeat, subsequently used for renewable energy production or as a precursor for innovative materials. From the sewage sludge, chemicals such as phosphorous can be separated. Furthermore, the HBI process acts as a sterilizer and sanitizer, avoiding the spreading of pathogens, drugs or other potentially harmfull agents.
• Agro-food industries
The HBI technology can be applied to valorize digestate produced by anaerobic digestors. In fact, digestate can be transformed into Greenpeat and subsequently used on site or stored for other innovative applications. Moreover, the HBI technology allows also the extraction of chemicals from the digestate, that can be used as  basic constituents for chemical industry products.
• Others
Other specific applications of the HBI technology can be evaluated.