Innovation

The Janicki Omni Processor is an environmental friendly method to transform untreated, hazardous organic waste into safe, pathogen free, Class A biosolids. These biosolids are used either as fertilizer or a fuel that Janicki’s Omni Processor consumes to generate renewable energy. In addition to electrical power, the Janicki Omni Processor can also create potable water as a byproduct. Thus from potentially dangerous waste, the Janicki Omni Processor creates a combination of fertilizer, energy, and drinking water.

Janicki Bioenergy designed their Omni Processor for developing countries lacking safe waste management, where sewage is commonly stored in pits near population centers. Sara explained, “One of the things we recognized was we needed to have really low consumable costs to have any sort of business model to be sustainable in the developing world.” With this in mind, the team decided to use thermal energy to treat the waste and kill pathogens.

While designing to minimize another consumable, energy use, the team realized their solution could create an excess of energy. Sara summarized, “...first goal, kill pathogens, low cost...that drove us to the thermal solution...as we started to look at the thermal solution...we needed to make enough energy to run the process. Ultimately we came to the conclusion that we can make excess energy and that was the business model initially.” This transformed the project from solely waste treatment to include energy generation.

Later on, the team realized the potential to create drinking water. Sara described, “We made this water, but we just threw it away.” Then, at a conference in India, someone asked, “you are making all this distilled water, what would it take to make that all the way to potable standards?” Sara continued excitedly, “Well yeah, we think we can do it. Let’s try to get this done!” Moreover, it was decided that Bill Gates would come to drink the resulting water. In March of 2014, the water treatment system was incorporated, and that November, Bill visited Janicki Industries and drank the water. Sara expresses, “It was a big push and it was fun to have that added on. And it is such a huge piece to so many people because water is life. And so it really made a huge impact on the potential scalability and excitement around the processor itself.”

Inspiration

In 2011, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation approached Janicki Industries with a question. How would Janicki Industries safely treat wastewater and solids that are commonly stored in pits close to dwellings in developing countries?

To many this is a surprising question to ask an engineering and manufacturing company specializing in advance composite materials, but Sara explained that as a company who “loves technology development but are not from the sanitation industry you can look at this from a very different perspective.” Sara continued, “The Janicki team that first started working on this, including myself, comes from a background of aerospace and manufacturing, nowhere near the sanitation world.” An outsider’s perspective and technical expertise made the Janicki team a perfect partner for disruptive innovation.

In three years, the first operational Janicki Omni Processor was completed and exceeded expectation by not only safely treating wastewater but also creating renewable energy and potable water.

Overall impact

Janicki’s S200 Omni Processor can generate 250kW and 13,000 gallons of water from 50 wet tons of waste per day. All processed within 3,300 square feet. Efficient combustion and exhaust filters allow the combustion process to meet stringent exhaust standards, and this process contributes to a net reduction in Green House Gas emissions compared to methane gas emission in landfill or anaerobic digesters.

The impact to developing countries is tremendous, but the processor may also transform how developed countries handle waste. Sara elaborated, “That’s been a lot of the excitement too...seeing how versatile the equipment is. Because it is decentralized, it has opened up the opportunity for a lot of other industries - Agriculture, food processing, pulp and paper, animal byproducts, even chemical processing.”

Business benefit

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Janicki Bioenergy started this project with a shared goal to develop a technology that has a business model that in itself is sustainable through public-private partnerships throughout the developing world. Sara explained the Janicki Omni Processor is well on the way to meet this goal: “We have seen time and time again with this technology, in nearly every business model we’ve looked at, in every geography and country around the world, that you can make money treating your sewage. The fact that it is right now a cost to society... that is going to change.”

Although transformative, Sara admitted there are still hurdles to overcome. “So I would say that in no way do we have a clear path, but we see huge opportunity and we have huge vision.” Sara continued, “There is a lot of perception about waste to energy because of projects in the past...when you picture combusting waste it is not always done cleanly if you look at incinerators. Educating people on the difference on the new technology - on how it’s different and how it improves GHG emissions.”

“In general, another issue that has been a challenge is direct reuse water. People are not used to having sewage and then 5 minutes later having drinking water. The opportunity around water is huge.”

“The other piece that is challenging is while it’s really intriguing to people that we are taking sanitation, water, and energy and bringing them all together, it is also out of the norm. So from a policy and regulatory and political perspective it is confusing for people.”

Traditional sewer systems with centralized processing are widespread, but Sara argued, “I don’t think that is going to be the solution for the world in the coming years. It is too expensive; it contaminates too much water... In general, the world is getting on board with decentralization, but every time you go to a new industry, it takes time. There is a lot of rethinking everything in all the different stakeholders along the way of rethinking the business model of sanitation."

Social and environmental benefit

The numerous benefits of the Janicki Omni Processor include:

• Decentralized, environmentally friendly, and cost effective treatment of wastewater and solid waste; designed for adoption in developing countries where improper sanitation is a major health risk and clean water and electrical power may be limited
• Transform the business model of waste treatment from net expense to net revenue in both developed and developing countries
• Net positive energy generation
• Transform waste into potable water and pathogen free fertilizers
• Practical, cost effective solution to process industrial wastes often stored in perpetuity or shipped long distances for treatment
• Reduce water use and contamination from traditional sewage treatment
• Lower capital costs compared to traditional sewer system
• Eliminate environmental impact and costs of transporting wastes long distances for disposal

Interview

Sara VanTassel, President