Agriculture plays a major role in Vesthimmerland—and it should continue to do so, even in a future with lower CO2 emissions
At the CCUS Minifyrtårn Vesthimmerland project, a green public-private partnership is testing the potential of pyrolysis of agricultural biomass to sequester CO2 in the soil. It works—and this solution can even be exported.
Vesthimmerland is farmland, and a great many pork chops and milk cartons have their roots in the soil along the Limfjord.
This also means that a significant portion of the CO2 emissions from agricultural production originate in North Jutland. In Vesthimmerland alone, agriculture accounts for 74 percent of the municipality’s total CO2 emissions.
The North Jutland flagship project “CO2Vision” is addressing this issue by seeking to establish a new industry cluster focused on the capture, storage, and utilization of CO2—a process also known as Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS).
The project will establish eight test and demonstration sites, one of which is located in Vesthimmerland. The project, run by Vesthimmerlands Biogas (BioCirc), Lundsby Biogas, and the Municipality of Vesthimmerland, aims to establish a test pyrolysis plant where biomass from agriculture is separated and pyrolyzed into biochar. Biochar sequesters CO2 that would otherwise contribute to climate change and also improves soil quality when spread on farmers’ fields.
Separation technologies are being tested
The challenge is that livestock manure and other waste products are fed into a biogas plant. But since a large portion of what goes in is often more than 90 percent water, almost as much comes out again—only 15 to 25 percent is converted into gas.
“The ideal scenario, therefore, is to treat the digestate (the output from the biogas plant—Ed.) so that it produces clean water and upgraded nutrients in the form of nitrate, phosphorus, and potassium. The clean water can, for example, be used for electrolysis, which is a necessary part of PtX,” says Karsten Hjorth, CSO at project partner Lundsby Biogas.
As part of the CO2Vision project, the test site in Vesthimmerland is investigating which separation technologies are needed to produce 100 percent pure water and a residual fraction that can be used for applications such as pyrolysis.
“We’re working on a solution where, for example, half of the water is returned to the farmer and spread on the field to provide it with the necessary nutrients,” says Karsten Hjorth.
“We want to clean up contaminated water and produce a dry byproduct that makes for good fertilizer. This is something that, among others, France is interested in; they currently pay 8–12 € per metric ton. It’s a strong business case for something we used to spend money and emit CO2 to transport,” he says.
A Good Partnership
This also makes sense at City Hall, where officials are well aware that agriculture’s share of municipal emissions is a challenge:
“Agriculture is a major part of the DNA on which the local community and the business sector in Vesthimmerland are built. It is therefore an absolutely essential resource—both now and in the future,” says Per Bach Laursen, Mayor of the Municipality of Vesthimmerland:
“If incorporating pyrolysis technology into the equation can reduce agriculture’s climate footprint—and thereby make agriculture a key player in the green transition—then that’s a good example of a green public-private partnership that drives innovation,” he says.
The CO2Vision project is facilitated by, among others, Energy Cluster Denmark, where Project Manager Maria Kristiansen sees great potential precisely in a region like North Jutland:
“In a region with a lot of agriculture, an innovation project like this one in Vesthimmerland is very relevant. Not only can the project and its positive results be scaled up, but there’s also fertile ground for extensive knowledge sharing across the partnership and beyond,” she says.
