Novozymes is a biotechnology firm and regarded as the leading company specialized in large-scale production of enzymes. The company has R&D and production in all regions of the world and stretches out to customers in a myriad of sectors.
As a part of its overall energy strategy, Novozymes assessed whether the waste water from the enzyme production at the production facility in Denmark could be used for cogeneration. Wastewater had always been treated in the traditional way, the so-called activated sludge process, implicating that approximately 50% of the organic content in the waste water was converted into sludge. Through the study it was documented that the waste water from the enzyme production could be treated in an anaerobic treatment facility, producing methane that can be used to generate energy in the form of electricity and heat.
The capacity of the digester was projected to approximately 40 tonnes COD/day but the implementation of an advanced anaerobic control strategy based on continuous data from AppliTek’s AnaSense™ allowed not only to gain control over the operation of the large digester, but also to increase feedstock in order to produce more biogas with tight control over the process setpoint.
After the positive experience in Denmark, Novozymes North America was eager to adopt the AnaSense™ monitoring technology, which prompted a repeat order for their enzyme manufacturing facility in North Carolina.