TOP puts first hygienisator on the market

TOP BV from Wageningen has installed the first continuous plug and play machine for hygienising digestate (fermented manure and plant residues). The hygienisator, developed and build by Dutch innovation company TOP, deactivates the harmful bacteria from the end product of the biodigester, turning the product into a safe fertilizer suitable for export within the EU.

The first hygienisator developed by TOP was recently put into use by pig farmer Mts. Ten Have-Mellema. Manufacturer and customer are both very pleased with the results of the hygienisator. Fermented manure and plant residues from the biodigester (the digestate) still contain harmful bacteria, which are rendered harmless by the hygienisator. By giving the digestate Cat. 3 a heat treatment of 1 hour at 70 ᵒC it is made suitable for export.

Because the machine is completely driven by the excess heat that is released while generating electricity from the biogas, it is a sustainable process. The hygienisator can be added as an independent unit behind the biodigester without having to change it. The installation can also be expanded with a dryer, making it possible to export fluid and dry (40% dry matter) digestate.

Hygienised digestate can be exported as a fertilizer within the EU, which is prohibited for non-hygienised digestate. This makes the hygienisator an interesting technology for companies with excess manure and a possible solution for the manure problem in The Netherlands and for countries and areas with a manure shortage.

Information about the new solution of TOP bv can be found on the website:
www.hygienisator.nl.