Start up of the LIFE STEAM project!
2 September 2019
On September 2nd with the sign of Grant Agreement LIFE STEAM has officially started. The project has a total budget of more than 2.5 million € and will receive € 1.35 million funding from the LIFE Programme of the European Union.
LIFE STEAM Kick-off Meeting
25 September 2019
The LIFE STEAM Kick-off Meeting took place at Hera headquarter in Bologna on September 25th. The three partners – Hera S.p.A., Ayrion S.r.l., Economizer Gmbh – met to discuss the future actions over the next months. Hera, the Coordinating Partner, informed all participants on general requirements of project implementation, including financial aspects, communication and reporting needs. All project experts discussed about main tasks in project, project work plan and time schedule.
The project consortium is glad to be part of this collaboration and is working hard to achieve the first project results!
LIFE STEAM Technical Meeting
10 October 2019
A technical meeting was held in Ravenna on October 10th. The LIFE STEAM partners visited the existing plant that will host the demo plant and discussed about possible plant layouts and technical requirements of the prototype.
LIFE STEAM at Ecomondo
5 November 2019
LIFE STEAM was present at Ecomondo Exhibition in Rimini, the leading event in Europe for environmental sustainability and circular economy. The fair was held from 5th to 8th November, and it was a great opportunity to present the project to the thousands of visitors who attend Ecomondo every year. Dissemination material was prepared specifically for the event: an informative noticeboard and brochures describing the project were placed at the fair entrance.
LIFE Welcome Meeting
7 November 2019
On November 7th and 8th LIFE STEAM took part at the LIFE ENV and GIE Welcome Meeting in Brussels. The meeting provided an overview of the relevant policy topics, the LIFE Programme rules, the interaction with EASME and the role of the external monitoring team in project implementation. Financial and technical issues, as well as project reporting, dissemination and communication matters, has been discussed.
Project representatives showed the main objectives, the expected impacts, and the contribution of each project to European policies. The event, held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, provided an opportunity for discussion and networking with other interesting project representatives from all over Europe.
On June 23rd 2020, the external monitor of Neemo agency, Lorenzo Mengali, assigned by the European Commission to follow up LIFE STEAM project, attended the first monitoring visit with LIFE STEAM partners. The meeting was held online due to the current situation of emergency. The partners showed the progress achieved, action by action, and the updated project timetable. The visit then focused on reporting and verification of project expenses. Critical issues that have arisen during these months were also highlighted by the partners.
The Regional Agency for Prevention, Environment and Energy of Emilia-Romagna (ARPAE) has expressed itself favourably for carrying out the LIFE STEAM project experimentation activity which foresees the treatment of lignocellulosic waste by the steam explosion process.
The experimental plant will be built inside the composting plant managed by Herambiente and located in Ozzano dell'Emilia (Bologna), where a part of the lignocellulosic material, currently processed through composting, will be used in the LIFE STEAM prototype for being valorised through the production of biogas by anaerobic digestion process. The material treated in the prototype will be used in a dedicated anaerobic cell at the Herambiente plant in Voltana di Lugo (Ravenna), and it will result in reducing digestion time and increasing its effectiveness in terms of greater methane production.
LIFE STEAM was successfully presented at the BIORESTEC conference, held in the picturesque setting of Lake Garda. Our team showcased a poster illustrating the preliminary results of our laboratory work, carried out in collaboration with CRPA - Centro Ricerche Produzioni Animali. These results represent a significant step forward in our commitment to developing sustainable and innovative solutions for the management of lignocellulosic residues. With the data collected, the LIFE STEAM project is now ready to move on to the next phase: testing our technology on an industrial scale!
The prototype installation works, which will be concluded by the end of this month, continue unabated. All the main components of the pre- and post-treatment stages have been already set up, thus the plant based in Ozzano dell'Emilia (Bologna, Italy) begins to take shape. The Valmet's unit, the core of the process, is almost concluded. Just few connections and then it can start! In the meantime, various preparatory experimental activities continues with the aim to assess the behaviour of green wastes in the anaerobic digestion stage that will help us with the management of our prototype.
On 13 January 2022 LIFE STEAM was hosted in Sundsvall (Sweden) for a technical visit at the Valmet BioTrac pilot plant where at the same time the lignocellulosic material collected by Hera was tested with the steam explosion process. During the test, a wide range of operating conditions were tested to study their effect on the lignocellulosic material. The material processed in the plant will be tested in laboratory tests to evaluate the methanogenic potential. The results will be useful for calibrating the operational parameters of the LIFE STEAM plant.
After months of intense work and dedication, we are proud to announce the launch of our industrial-scale prototype for treating gree waste through the steam explosion process.
This innovative facility is the culmination of commitment, research, and passion. It marks a significant advancement in the production of biomethane from green waste, redefining the concept of waste and transforming it into a sustainable energy resource.
Watch our journey and the achievements in this video.
An important milestone of the project has been reached. The first transport of material produced by the LIFE STEAM prototype has been shipped to Voltana
