Business Talk : Let's talk about: Anaerobic Digestion with Thöni

Rolfe Philip, President of Thoeni North America Inc, talks about what sets the company apart and the future developments of the AD sector.

What sets your products apart from others?

The Thöni TTV AD product line excels at the digestion of high solid (TS>28%) urban feedstocks, such as yard/garden & food waste mixtures, the organic fraction from municipal solid waste. While our Thöni TNV AD system is ideal for digesting higher solid (TS>20%) agricultural feedstocks with a high percentage of non-available volatile solids such as silage & straw.

Which product is your "top-seller"?

In terms of total plants in operation, the Thöni TNV system would be our top-seller, however, the market for our TTV system is growing fast and we see the most growth coming from this sector in all markets around the world.

Where do you see the biggest market growth?

While the European market continues to drive most of our sales, we see China and North America contributing the most significant growth over the next 5 years. The urban feedstock sector will be dominant as cities continue to cope with legislative requirements to divert organics from landfills.

How do you see the future of AD? Will there be more small-scale digesters or more large AD?

The small-scale AD market will continue to develop targeting corporate campuses and small progressive communities, however, the real growth in terms of dollars/euros will still be with large-scale municipal and commercial AD facilities. There are significant economies of scale with larger plants and financially "bigger is better" in most cases.

How do you see the role of AD in a circular economy?

A circular economy needs energy & nutrients to create food for its citizens. AD is the engine that drives the generation of low carbon energy and the recovery and recycling of nutrients, from our organic waste. These are both utilized to grow the food that completes the circle.