Recycling of material flows - contract research

When the first biogas plants lost their EEG subsidies, we set about developing new value chains for their operators. Since then, we have been developing methods in various research projects to process fiber-rich residues from agriculture and manufacturing and convert them into a circular economy.

Solid fermentation residues from organic waste have a wide range of uses: press pots, molded fiber packaging such as egg cartons, wet nonwovens and much more can be produced from the processed organic waste fibers.

Products made from organic waste

Together with a large consortium of research institutes and companies, a pilot project for the recycling of biowaste was conducted at the Backnang waste disposal facility. The waste was subjected to thermal pressure hydrolysis, the cooking water was used in an innovative biogas reactor, and the fibers were processed into various products. In addition, other partners produced enzymes and bioplastics (PHAs), and recovered nutrients.

Hop vines are hung on the harvester, which automatically harvests the cones and shreds the leaves and stems.

Composite materials made from fermented hop vines

There is a growing market for sustainable and ecological products in the fiber composites industry. The use of natural fibers and bio-based plastics plays a crucial role in this. However, natural fibers must be specifically cultivated and extracted from the plant for material recycling.

The goal of the project is to develop a process chain that leads to a high-quality composite material from fermented hop vines. In this context, Novis is developing the processes for processing the fibers from the biogas plant.

Cotton substitutes made from hop fibers

Cotton is a well-known alternative to synthetic clothing fibers and is used worldwide. However, its cultivation requires a lot of space and, above all, water. Hop fibers can fill this raw material gap. At the same time, this improves the disposal of hop stalks.

The goal of this project is to develop a process technology for making hop fibers available and ultimately producing high-quality textile samples, such as shirts and blouses.

Above: Mushrooms growing on substrate with a top layer of recycled chalcopyrite. Bottom left: Open storage for chalcopyrite. Bottom right: Chinese cabbage and poinsettia in a growth test with various peat substitute mixtures.

Mushroom compost as a peat substitute

Peat extraction is problematic: On the one hand, it destroys protected moorland biotopes, and on the other, draining the area releases climate-relevant greenhouse gases.

Based on used mushroom soil (Champost), Novis GmbH has developed a process that biologically stabilizes the used mushroom substrate and reduces its salt content, making it usable as a peat substitute. The material has been tested both as a covering soil in mushroom production and as a planting substrate at the State School of Horticulture in Stuttgart.

Food upgrading cocoa shells to cocoa powder

During the processing of fermented cocoa beans, large quantities of cocoa bean shells are generated. They have a similar texture to defatted cocoa mass, but their properties make them impossible to use directly with the mass. Novis has developed a process that uses a specially developed mixture of bacteria and enzymes to wet-biologically condition and optimize the shells. The end product is a food-grade cocoa powder substitute for the food industry.