31 nmental advantages
of various waste streams. The two brothers worked together to develop an efficient, effective and environ- mentally friendly way to remove water from the used compost to reduce its weight and save on transport costs. “We spread a 2.5 - 3 metre thick layer of spent compost on the floor of my brother’s composting tunnel, which we used for testing,” explains Henk. “We then blew air through holes in the floor to dry the compost to remove water, and this started the composting process.” Composting is a controlled digestion process in which bacteria and fungi break down part of the organic matter. The process produces a lot of heat. During composting, the temperature in the layers can reach 70 - 80 degrees Celsius. The high temperatures kill any harmful microorganisms, effectively pasteurizing the compost. Champost, the product of the composting process developed by the Van den Boomen brothers complies with the European regulations for tempera- ture treatment and, therefore can be exported as a soil improver. The heat produced during the composting process is captured and used to reduce the company’s fuel bills and with that it also reduces its CO2 emissions.
CO2 savings CKG uses 300,000 cubic metres of natural gas per year to heat the cells. “Replacing even part of that by the ‘free’ heat derived from the composting process is not only good for the wallet, but also for the environment”, says Pieter van den Boomen. The heat generated during the production of champost is equivalent to that produced by the burning of 1.5 mil- lion cubic metres of natural gas. “If all heat is generated during the composting is used, we could prevent the emission of 3,000 tons of CO2 each year,” says Willem Elsinga of the eponymous bureau for policy planning and innovation, a consultant involved in the project. “The average household produces 8.5 tonnes of CO2 per year; 3000 tons of CO2 is equivalent to the amount of CO2 emitted by more than 350 households.” CO2 emissions are further reduced by reducing transport. Drying and composting the smc reduces its moisture content from 70 to 40%. This, in turn, reduces the weight of the material transported by around 5,400 tons annually. “As a result we are able to reduce the number of truck loads needed to transport champost by around 700, reducing our CO2 emissions even further”, says Pieter van den Boomen. “It also allows us to save on transportation costs.”
Environmental advantages The environmental advantages of the champost process don’t end there. The heat generated during composting is also being put to good use. “We found that the mixture of peat and smc does not compost well. So we tried stripping off the casing soil layer, compos- ting the smc on its own, and using some of the heat generated to dry the peat.” This works well and offers
Pilot installation.
Biobased economy competition In order to search for new ideas for high-quality application of residues from agriculture and manufacturing in the Biobased Economy four organizations in East-Brabant, including the Brabant Development Agency (BOM), Avans University of Applied Sciences and Agrifood Capital North East Brabant and City Region of Eindhoven (SRE), clubbed together in mid-2013 to organize a competition. The winner was Champignonkwekerij Gemert (CKG) BV, a company owned and run by the Van den Boomen family, who are now receiving expert support to help them develop their ideas and plans. The competition formed part of the BioenNW project. This project, which involves five European regions, is supported by the European Union and co-financed by the Interreg IVB North West Europe Programme. “As a result of this collaboration local projects receive international exposure,” says Jan Westra of SRE, “The more widely we can spread the new ideas that emerge, the more the environment will benefit.”
further environmental advantages. The peat is mainly excavated in Germany. In its natural state peat stores a lot of carbon. Drying and re-using the peat from the mushroom cells saves on raw mate- rial avoids the need to excavate around 1,000 tons of peat per year. In addition it reduces CO2 emissions by more than 1,700 tonnes. CKG are also investigating whether the ‘recycled’ peat can be used as a potting compost, and looking for uses for the residual heat that remains surplus to CKG’s own requirements.
Heat transport One idea under investigation is to transport the residual heat to nearby growers via an underground pipeline. One neighbour who would be glad to receive it is Wim Verhoeven, who grows strawberries and aspa- ragus. “The heat will be very welcome, particularly in the spring and autumn to heat the greenhouse - which covers around about an acre, the size of a soccer field - where I grow strawberries”, he says. “I can also use
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