Villa, Valentino

Valentino Villa is the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer at Bioforcetech Corporation, a Company based in South San Francisco, CA. He earned an Italian professional designation for an industrial expert in the field of engineering. Since Co-founding Bioforcetech, Valentino and his team have been rethinking every step of biosolids management to prepare for a carbon free future. Valentino believes that Bioforcetechs biochar, OurCarbon(tm), is a resource, which is why he and his team are investing in research and development to expand the applications for biochar far beyond soil amendment.

Titles from this speaker

Alternate: Bioforcetech: Truly Sustainable Organics Management

Abstract

In the context of biosolids management, for a process to be truly sustainable it must respond to the critical issues facing our industry today; removing contaminants, reducing carbon emissions, and creating circular economies from our most basic and unavoidable waste stream. According to the EPA, in 2018, 15% of the methane emissions generated in the United States came from organics breaking down in landfills. While this number alone is overwhelming, it doesn't capture the total emissions released during the processes of drying and transporting solids from wastewater treatment. Furthermore, land application of biosolids runs the risk of leaching contaminants into ecosystems. Bioforcetech rethinks the entire life cycle of organics, diverting organics from landfill or land application and transforming them into a carbon negative material at net zero energy. Our submission for the 2022 WEF Residuals conference focuses on the technical details that allow our two-step process to run at net-zero energy and transform contaminated 'waste' into a clean and valuable biochar. The abstract also details new partnerships for this biochar, called OurCarbon, that replace fossil fuel based ingredients in commercial products and a life cycle assessment conducted using the BEAM Model that concludes the production of OurCarbon prevents 10 tons of CO2e from entering the atmosphere for every one ton of OurCarbon produced assuming diversion from typical landfill. BFT's proprietary two step process of drying and pyrolyzing biosolids utilizes our patented Bioforcetech BioDryer and P-Series Pyrolysis machines. These two technologies work together to reduce material mass by 90% and lock available carbon in place for centuries all while generating the energy necessary to run both processes. Managing biosolids efficiently requires managing water and energy efficiently. While competing industrial drying processes employ large amounts of external energy (belt and drum drying) or require perfect weather and lots of time (solar drying), Bioforcetech takes a different approach to producing Class A Compliant biosolids. We leverage the living energy that is already within a feedstock to dry biosolids quickly and efficiently. Much like the control of oxygen, heat, and bacteria for sludge digestion, the Bioforcetech BioDryer uses air and bacteria to dry biosolids in a three phase process. This living process is so effective that our BioDryer system is able to process biosolids from 20% to 90+% solids in as little as 48 hours with only 50% and 30% of the thermal energy and electricity that belt and drum drying require. In the first phase, air is pushed through the biosolids to cultivate thermophilic bacteria, microorganisms that create heat. As these microbes release heat into their environment, the BioDryer chamber increases in temperature to 150°F and the water in the biosolids begins to evaporate. During Phase 2, the thermophilic bacteria flourish, generating large amounts of heat. This causes the bulk of the moisture in the chamber to evaporate without any external heat source. What is normally the largest energy toll on other dryers is completely passive in the BioDryer. Finally, in phase 3 the passive heat has evaporated so much moisture that the bacteria are not able to proliferate further, reducing their energy output. To compensate, the BioDryer introduces an external hot airflow to finish off the drying process, usually taken from the excess heat produced by our P Series pyrolysis unit. The BFT BioDryer is able to receive multiple feedstocks, has a modular construction that makes installation and expansion easy, and is run on a fully automated software and hardware suite to reduce O&M well past industry norm. Once the biosolids feedstock has been dried, it moves into our P-Series pyrolysis where the material is separated from contaminants and the carbon present is locked in place. The P-Series Pyrolysis machine transforms waste without wasting any energy. By carbonizing organic material through the application of heat in an oxygen-deprived environment, our process separates syngas from organics and utilizes it to produce high quality clean OurCarbon biochar. Available energy created in this system is circulated to be reused, allowing for a self sustained 24/7 heating system with no external energy required and with no open flame. Thanks to our proprietary flameless combustion chamber, all thermal energy is safely and fully utilized at a controlled combustion temperature. Our flameless burning system boasts extremely low NOx emissions, is the first pyrolysis process approved by the US EPA for biosolids, and is also the first system to meet emission requirements for both California and US EPA regulation. There is absolutely no tar associated with our combustion process or its byproducts, only thermal energy is left. Though designed for biosolids treatment, our reactor is able to treat a wide range of materials or a mix of multiple feedstocks. The P-Series system can process digested/undigested biosolids, manure, green waste, wood waste, food waste, and any combination of these feedstocks. During this presentation we will take the audience through the details of our full scale operational system in Redwood City California and discuss three new contracts under development in Redding, California, Ephrata, Pennsylvania and a third location on the east coast. In 2019, Bioforcetech initiated testing of our drying and pyrolysis process to determine our ability to eliminate CEC's from biosolids. To do this, Bioforcetech isolated a single large batch of biosolids and tested samples of this batch for PFAS, PFOA, and PFOS at each step of our drying and pyrolysis process. An initial sample was taken of anaerobically digested biosolids at 17% solids content, a second sample was taken of 91% solids content after the batch was dried in our patented BioDryer, and a third sample was taken after the batch was carbonized in our P-FIVE pyrolysis machine. The analysis of these three samples conducted by Vista Analytical Laboratory showed the reduction of 38 PFAS, PFOA, and PFOS compounds to below detectable levels after pyrolysis from a significant presence in both of the biosolids samples. In May of 2020, an EPA PFAS Task Force representative contacted Bioforcetech as part of a search for technology that could solve the PFAS crisis. The tests conducted on our biochar samples by the EPA Task Force in August of 2020 confirmed undetectable levels of 41 PFAS, PFOA, and PFOS compounds that the task force tested. The results from the EPA's analysis, including methods involved, will be formally published in November of 2021. The results of multiple tests conducted and confirmed to remove CEC's by different constituents shows great promise for the ability of Bioforcetech's system to remove PFAS, PFOA, and PFOS from biosolids completely. While more rigorous testing must be completed, we are motivated and inspired by the results thus far. Because of the unique processes of our P-Series pyrolysis machine, the biochar we create is of exceptional quality. While biochar is best known for its application as an agricultural soil amendment, OurCarbon has been developed as a sustainable replacement for petroleum based pigments and additive materials that close the loop on waste streams in local municipalities and in globally sold products. In a pigment application, OurCarbon has the ability to replace a toxic colorant called Carbon Black, which is made by burning fossil fuel based hydrocarbons. For every one ton of Carbon Black that is produced, 3 tons of CO2e are emitted into our atmosphere. We are excited to announce that we have recently replaced this pigment formally in screenprinting inks through a recent exclusivity agreement with Quaglia, an Italian screen printing ink producer. The Quaglia team has replaced Carbon Black with OurCarbon in a new commercially available, 80% biobased screen printing ink to be used in a wide range of applications including textiles, automotive applications, hard goods, and packaging. This partnership is a unique opportunity to show the entire world how valuable our 'waste' can be. We are actively engaging with paint companies and bioplastic producers to replace Carbon Black with OurCarbon in their production process and look forward to announcing more collaborations at the 2022 conference. In addition to replacing fossil fuel based materials in industry, a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) conducted by Northern Tilth using the BEAM Model confirms that every ton of biochar created from the Bioforcetech system prevents 10 tons of CO2e from entering the atmosphere as compared to typical landfill practice. This 1:10 LCA ratio allows OurCarbon to calculate not only the carbon fixed in the material itself, but also the emissions that have been prevented by diverting organic waste from breaking down anaerobically in landfill and emitting as methane.

This paper was presented at the WEF Residuals and Biosolids Conference in Columbus, Ohio, May 24-27, 2022.

SpeakerVilla, Valentino

Presentation time

08:30:00

11:45:00

Session time

08:30:00

11:45:00

Session number06

Session locationGreater Columbus Convention Center, Columbus, Ohio

TopicBiosolids To Energy, Circular Economy, Thermal Processes

Author(s)

V. Villa

Author(s)V. Villa1; E. Bridges2; G. Benisch3

Author affiliation(s)Bioforcetech Corporation; 1Bioforcetech Corporation; 2Bioforcetech; 3

SourceProceedings of the Water Environment Federation

Document typeConference Paper

PublisherWater Environment Federation

Print publication date May 2022

DOI10.2175/193864718825158387

Volume / Issue

Content sourceResiduals and Biosolids

Word count7

Eliminating PFAS - Bioforcetech Technology Shows Promise through EPA Testing

Abstract

Since it was founded in 2013, Bioforcetech has been working to rethink biosolids treatment at every step of the process. Our work has culminated in a deeply sustainable system that harnesses the energy already available in biosolids to dry and carbonize it with little to no external energy. Our patented Bioforcetech BioDryer (designed in house) and P-Series Pyrolysis machines (licensed and engineered in partnership with Pyreg GmbH) work together to reduce material volume and weight by 90%, lock available carbon in place for centuries, and produce a valuable biochar material all with 99% less external energy requirement than a standard paddle dryer. The Bioforcetech system is modular, capable of handling 80% of all US plants by linking units together in series, so that a plant can begin processing now with room to build as their capacity grows. At present time, we are proudly the only commercially available functioning pyrolysis project in the USA, and are running our units under some of the most stringent permitting conditions in the world (We have received an SSI exemption from the EPA and have received full permitting from BAAQMD). At Bioforcetech, we know that change is possible through collaboration across sectors and industries, which is why we are also investing in finding new applications for biochar that will lighten the carbon footprint of other industries and help grow the market for the material across the world. Our wastewater treatment is of utmost importance to human health. The accumulation of PFAS, PFOA, and PFOS in wastewater effluents puts our industry in a unique position to aid in the removal of these substances from our population.At Bioforcetech we have taken the PFAS issue as a personal challenge to overcome, and we are now proud to share that testing conducted on our technology shows considerable promise for its ability to successfully eliminate these harmful substances from input materials completely. When continuously applied, these CEC's bioaccumulate into the soils we walk on, the groundwater we drink, and the plants that we eat. As described by the EPA, high accumulations of PFOA, PFAS and PFOS can cause serious health effects including increased cholesterol levels, issues with infant birth weights, adverse effects on the immune system, cancer (for PFOA) and thyroid hormone effects (for PFOS). While the production of these chemicals has been phased out in the United States, similar chemicals like GenX have taken their place and continue to be created. The presence of PFAS, PFOA and PFOS in biosolids makes even the most beneficial land application of the material a serious risk to human and environmental health. In September 2019, we at Bioforcetech initiated testing of our drying and pyrolysis process to determine our ability to eliminate CEC's from biosolids. To do this, Bioforcetech isolated a single large batch of biosolids and tested samples of this batch for PFAS, PFOA, and PFOS at each step of our drying and pyrolysis process. An initial sample was taken of anaerobically digested biosolids at 17% solids content, a second sample was taken of 91% solids content biosolids after the batch was dried in our patented Biodryer, and a third sample was taken after the batch was put through our P Five pyrolysis machine. The analysis of these three samples conducted by Vista Analytical Laboratory showed the reduction of 38 PFAS, PFOA, and PFOS compounds to below detectable levels after pyrolysis from a significant presence in both of the biosolids samples. In May of 2020, an EPA PFAS Task Force representative contacted Bioforcetech as part of a search for technology that could solve the PFAS issue. We were happy to work with the EPA to further test our technology, and found the results promising again. The tests conducted on our biochar samples by the EPA Task Force in August of 2020 confirmed undetectable levels of 41 PFAS, PFOA, and PFOS compounds that the task force tested. The results from the EPA's analysis including methods involved will be formally published in November of 2021. The results of multiple tests conducted and confirmed by different constituents shows great promise for the ability of Bioforcetech's system to remove PFAS, PFOA, and PFOS from biosolids completely. While more rigorous testing must be completed, we are motivated and inspired by the results thus far. PFAS, PFOA, and PFOS have permeated every part of our planet. Wastewater effluents provide a unique context where these chemicals can bottleneck together and appear at relatively high volume. It is therefore our responsibility as an industry to leverage this context and destroy PFAS, PFOA, and PFOS before it accumulates further in our soil, food and within our bodies. Solving this challenge is crucial to completing the Bioforcetech mission; to protect nature and human health by providing technologies that deliver a zero waste future, transforming organic waste into sustainable products. We are looking forward to continuing this work.

This paper was presented at the WEF Residuals and Biosolids Conference in Columbus, Ohio, May 24-27, 2022.

SpeakerVilla, Valentino

Presentation time

15:45:00

16:15:00

Session time

13:30:00

17:00:00

Session number03

Session locationGreater Columbus Convention Center, Columbus, Ohio

TopicPFAS, PFAS/Emerging Contaminants, Thermal Processes

Author(s)