Biocyclers close the loop from farm to fork and back to the farm. A Biocycler produces ammonia fertilizer, compost, heat and clean water. For use in greenhouse production the CO2 content in the outlet gas is also of value.
Household waste, garden clippings, waste-streams from the food industries, sewage sludge and even the fiber fraction from biogas digestate are all suitable for use in a Biocycler. Just as all kinds of animal manure and other agricultural wastes are. Because it is possible to reach temperatures above 70 o C for more than an hour in the composting biomass it can be effectively hygienized and allowed for use in production of consumables and feed crops.
Some types of biomass contains contaminants like pieces of plastic, metals and stones. As far as possible they are passed through the Biocycler undamaged and can be sorted/sieved out of the discharged compost.
The process in the Biocycler builds on a composting process. The main products from the units are nitrogen fertilizer and compost. Byproducts are the heat generated in the process which can be used for heating or drying purposes and water which is clean enough not to be harmful to the surrounding environment. Or it is the other way around with heat and water as main products, and the fertilizers are byproducts – it all depends on the user.
When biomass decomposes or burns CO2 is released. In most cases CO2 is considered a negative waste product, but in the case of the Biocyclers it may be used as a high quality fertilizer in greenhouses, where a growing crop quickly depletes CO2 from the air because of the photosynthesis. CO2 from the Biocycler comes with completely normal air at 15-20 o C at close to 100% relative humidity. Only, the CO2 content is raised from 0.04% to up to 10%.