Digestate treatment

Your challenges

Digestate is rich in organic matter and nutrients, but managing it sustainably and cost-effectively can be complex.

High disposal costs and environmental pressure

Digestate typically contains a high water content, making it expensive to store, transport, or spread. Regulatory pressure is increasing to limit land application and nutrient emissions.ms.

Nutrient overload in local environments

Excess nitrogen and phosphorus in digestate can lead to soil imbalance and water pollution if not properly managed or treated before reuse.

Complex composition and seasonal variation

Digestate quality can vary depending on feedstock and process conditions, requiring robust and flexible treatment solutions that adapt to these changes.

Our digestate and manure treatment solutions and how they work

We offer complete and modular solutions to treat and valorize digestate and manure, transforming it into clean water, reusable nutrients, and a smaller residual footprint. Our systems can be installed as part of new biogas facilities or retrofitted into existing plants.

Ammonia stripping and recovery (ByoFlex®)
The ByoFlex® ammonia stripper is a modular system that efficiently removes and recovers ammonia from liquid waste streams such as digestate, centrate, or manure. It uses a vacuum stripping process with low energy input and can operate without the need for chemicals (or a very low amount). The recovered ammonia can be captured as a valuable ammonium sulfate or nitrate fertilizer, supporting nutrient circularity and environmental compliance.

Decanter centrifuges
Our decanters separate digestate into solid and liquid fractions with high efficiency and minimal operator intervention. The solid fraction is suitable for composting, drying, or incineration, while the liquid is prepared for further treatment.

Drum filters (NDF)
These compact filters remove suspended solids from the liquid digestate. Using a rotating cloth-covered drum, they prepare the flow for downstream processes like nutrient recovery and biological treatment.

Dissolved Air Flotation – DAF
DAF systems remove residual suspended particles, oils, and organic load from the liquid phase. This step increases the efficiency of biological and membrane systems downstream, and ensures higher water quality

Biological treatment for nitrogen removal (BIOCTOR)
Our tailored biological systems remove nitrogen through nitrification and denitrification. Whether through SBRs or continuous-flow systems, they are optimized for digestate’s unique composition.

Membrane filtration (UF / RO / DEEPEST®)
For clients targeting water reuse or high-quality discharge, our ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis systems polish the treated water. They remove remaining nutrients, organics, and micropollutants to meet the highest reuse standards.

For special applications, our DEEPEST® system is an advanced, modular titanium membrane technology designed for the treatment and reuse of complex wastewater streams, including digestate from organic waste. It combines microfiltration, nanofiltration, and reverse osmosis in a multi-loop configuration to achieve high recovery rates (over 90%) and produce high-quality water suitable for reuse or discharge. The system supports circular economy goals by enabling the recovery of nutrients and reducing environmental impact through efficient resource utilization.

Integrated biogas plant solutions and digester systems (TAURUS)
As part of Nijhuis Saur Industries' full-scope approach, we integrate digestate treatment into your biogas plant and can even provide the biogas systems. From reception and digestion to post-treatment and nutrient recovery — we deliver complete, compliant, and cost-effective operations.

Customer benefits

By combining compact designs, robust technology, and a circular mindset, our solutions offer a sustainable approach to digestate management.

Reducing raw material cost and/or the disposal costs for your biogas plant

With an ammonia stripper, you can control the ammonium level inside the digester because the volume of effluent to be processed or disposed of is considerably reduced. This improves the revenue model of a biogas plant considerably.

Regulatory compliance

Our systems support compliance with local nutrient discharge limits and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Lower transport and disposal costs

Our dewatering and separation systems reduce volume, helping you cut down on transport and storage.

Nutrient recovery and valorization

Recovering nitrogen and phosphorus enables reuse in agriculture or as commercial-grade fertilizers.

Improving water quality and water reuse potential

We help close the loop by enabling safe water reuse, reducing your freshwater dependency and improving the environment when discharging clean water (e.g. low nitrogen, phosphate).