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COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • OCTOBER 2017
Ag tech start-up aims to minimize manure waste UBC spinoff hopes to go global with its innovative technology
by TAMARA LEIGH
VANCOUVER – Handling manure waste is one of the biggest logistical and environmental challenges facing livestock operations, particularly dairy farmers. A spin-off company from the University of British Columbia has developed a new technology that could be a game-changer for manure management. The IMPACT system was developed
by researchers at UBC. By heating and adding oxidants to manure, it breaks down the solids into components that can be dissolved in water. The process can significantly reduce the volume of manure solids and make the nutrients easier to recover and turn into valuable fertilizers. “For the farmers, the problem is nutrients, especially in "in [the] Fraser Valley where [the] soil" is overloaded with nutrients because of the traditional way that farmers handle the manure,” says Sergey Lobanov, president of Boost Environmental Services. “Our technology allows for production of available fertilizer from the manure so farmers can generate a marketable fertilizer, and at the same time divert these nutrients from land- based application.”
The team at Boost has been
working with Seabreeze Farms in Delta to see if the technology can increase the efficiency and amount of biofuel produced by the anaerobic
digester. In addition to using the manure produced on-farm, Seabreeze brings in off-farm waste to get the volume required to make the digester financially feasible. Controlling the
quality of off-farm waste can be difficult, and imbalances can upset the operation of the digester. Pretreating the feedstock with the IMPACT system makes it more reliable as a fuel, preventing breakdowns in the system and increasing the amount of biogas Seabreeze can produce. The concept has been proven in the lab and the group is looking ahead to an on-site pilot and demonstration. “If you don't produce biogas, you could still use the process for nutrient recovery. If you're planning on having a biodigester, our technology can significantly reduce the footprint,” says Lobanov, adding that biogas production increases the value proposition for installing the IMPACT system. Pilot scale testing is underway at UBC Dairy Research Centre in Agassiz to demonstrate the viability and value of the process beyond biodigesters.
“The process is
currently in operation; it successfully reduces the volume of the manure and
SERGEY LOBANOV
generates an effluent suitable for phosphorus recovery as a valuable, slow- release fertilizer called struvite,” says Lobanov. “This pilot will help us to optimize the process throughput and make it easy to use for farmers.” Managing waste
isn’t just an agricultural problem. The IMPACT system is also being tested in municipal waste water treatment systems to reduce the amount of sludge and solid waste that they usually pay to dispose of. The IMPACT system is easily
integrated into existing systems, including anaerobic digesters and municipal water treatment facilities. It is modular and scaleable, making it a feasible waste management solution for mid to large-scale livestock operations as well as small towns and major cities. It has been a big year for Boost
Environmental Systems. The company was one of the winners of the Agritech Innovation Challenge announced in
April and its chief technology officer, Dr. Asha Srinivasan, received the Mitacs Global Impact Entrepreneur Award in June. The IMPACT system was developed
at UBC by Dr. Srinivasan, Dr. Lobanov, Victor Lo and Ping Liao. Funding for the research has come from industry partner Opus International Consulting, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and Mitacs Canada, a non-profit that funds research-based innovation. “For us, this kind of recognition is
very important, especially when it comes from the government. We received quite a bit of interest and awareness because of the Agritech Innovation Challenge,” says Lobanov. “When you get funds from government, then private investors see that and see there might be value here.”
Boost hopes to have its system
commercially available in 2019. It is already attracting significant interest from China, India and South East Asia. Right now, Boost is focused on building their business closer to home. “Our company is currently working with Bioenterprise Corp., – a business accelerator for agri-tech ventures. They helped us a lot to explore the market opportunity for our technology in the Canadian and the US agri sectors which seems to be quite significant,” says Lobanov.
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