Innovative laser system from Wroclaw University of Science and Technology will help Ecosystem's composting plant grow

More valuable fertilizer and fewer greenhouse gas emissions

Ecosystem has signed a special letter of intent with the scientist. The company will make the grounds of the bio-waste composting plant on Janowska Street available for research. The analysis of the formation of gases - such as methane and carbon dioxide - is expected to allow even better control of the composting process, increasing the value of the fertilizer produced while minimizing greenhouse gas emissions.

We want to remodel the existing system, including by increasing the role of our company in carrying out tasks that involve waste management. We are establishing cooperation with representatives of the scientific part of Wroclaw, who are able to develop globally competitive solutions.

Przemysław Zaleski, president of Ecosystem

- We give room for advanced research. At the same time taking advantage of the huge potential that the scientific community of Wroclaw has. Involving such initiatives in the technological development of the city is the direction we need to take in the era of climate-related changes, he adds.

Wroclaw is working on a new waste collection and management system

Wroclaw is preparing a long-term strategy to supplement the so-called waste collection market with municipal initiatives. All of this is to provide relief to residents who currently depend on private garbage companies.

We have talked about the need for changes in the municipal waste collection system. This is followed by our concrete actions. An important part of this system is the composting plant in Janówek. We are increasing its capacity to about 12,000 tons of green waste per year. We want the entire process to be safe, optimally designed and taking into account emission requirements. Technological cooperation with experts from the Wroclaw University of Science and Technology will ensure this.

Jakub Mazur, Deputy Mayor of Wroclaw

Testing the system for remote detection of gas emissions at the Ecosystem composting plant is a transition for the team of scientists from the laboratory stage to the stage of constructing a prototype under field conditions. The system is based on the improvement of remote recording of a scattered laser beam. It is based on the use of pulsed radiation and two independent measurement paths.

- We will monitor in real time, for example, whether there are methane emissions from the compost piles located on Ecosystem land. This will give us information on whether the entire composting process is optimal, whether it is safe for employees and residents, whether methane emissions are actually occurring, whether it is necessary, for example, to additionally aerate a given compost pile so that the process works in an aerobic rather than anaerobic manner," explains Dr. Karol Krzempek of the Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, the system's creator.

At the same time, the specialist emphasizes what already distinguishes the entire sensor structure from other solutions available on the market. This includes the fact that it is ultra-safe and does not require interference with existing infrastructure. Available systems, the researchers say, allow surveys over very limited optical paths - up to 10 meters. Their system - up to 50 meters. Existing systems also require the installation of reflective elements - either mirrors or retroreflectors - in the survey areas. Their system does not require such treatments.

Research at Ecosystem's composting facility will allow the construction of a prototype model of the technology. And in the future they may find permanent application precisely in the infrastructure on Janowek, which will become part of the new municipal waste collection and management system.