This website is co-financed with TKI-funding from the Topconsortia for Knowledge & Innovation (TKI’s) of the Ministry of Economic Affairs.
Facts about ammonia
In Dutch sewage water treatment plants tens of thousands of tons of ammonia-nitrogen are destructed to nitrogen gas every year at the cost of 9 to 40 MJ/kg NH4-N (Annamox and conventional nitrification/denitrification respectively).
At the same time in fertilizer plants an even bigger amount of nitrogen gas is converted to ammonia in the Haber-Bosch process also at the cost of 45 MJ/kg NH4-N.
Power-to-Protein
Power-to-Protein is about closing this artificial nitrogen cycle by direct N upcycling as microbial protein.
The basis is a highly efficient microbial resynthesis process with a mixed culture of bacteria that use hydrogen as an energy source.
Idea holder and emeritus professor at Ghent University (LabMET), prof. dr. ir. Willy Verstraete states:
“The technology for recovery of reactive nitrogen as microbial protein is available but a change of mindset needs to be achieved to make such recovery acceptable.”
Together with its research partners KWR Watercycle research Institute investigates the technological, economic and environmental feasibility of the Power-to-Protein concept.
News and Updates
December 2015: Power-to-Protein is presented in “De Ingenieur” as one of the possible breakthroughs in 2016: “The best of 2016”.
Read the article here (in Dutch).
December 2015: Power-to-Protein on Dutch BNR Radio
BNR Newsradio (Dutch: BNR Nieuwsradio) is a private Dutch radio channel featuring all day news radio programming. Read the article or listen the Radio interview here. (In Dutch)
KWR Water Research Institute
Investigates, together with its research partners, the technological, economic and environmental feasibility of the 'Power-to-Protein' concept.