Digestate, the nutrient-rich by-product of anaerobic digestion, presents both a resource and a logistical challenge for biogas plant operators. In its raw, high-moisture state, digestate contains up to 90–96% water, making transportation cost-prohibitive and land application impractical at scale. Kerone Engineering Solutions addresses this challenge through precision-engineered digestate drying systems that reduce moisture content to 10–15% or lower, converting a bulky liquid effluent into a stable, concentrated bio-fertiliser or combustible solid fuel. Our industrial drying systems are designed to handle the high organic load, variable viscosity, and odour-sensitive nature of digestate while maintaining the nitrogen and phosphorus integrity of the final product, ensuring its agronomic and commercial value is preserved throughout the thermal treatment process.
Why Choose Kerone Digestate Drying Solutions
We brings nearly five decades of thermal processing experience to the design and commissioning of digestate drying plants. Unlike generic industrial dryer suppliers, Kerone engineers digestate-specific systems that account for the biological variability of feedstock from different AD plant configurations, whether processing slurry, food waste, or energy crop digestate. Our systems are optimised for integration with waste heat recovery from combined heat and power (CHP) units, reducing net energy consumption and substantially improving the operational economics of the drying plant. Kerone’s in-house engineering team conducts feedstock trials, thermodynamic modelling, and process simulation before equipment fabrication, ensuring every installation is purpose-built for its operating environment rather than adapted from a generic platform.
Types and Features of Digestate Drying Solutions
Kerone offers multiple digestate drying configurations including rotary drum dryers, belt dryers, and drum-paddle combination systems, each suited to different throughput scales, moisture reduction targets, and energy source availability. Rotary drum dryers provide high-throughput continuous processing ideal for large AD plant operators, while belt dryers offer gentle, low-temperature drying appropriate for preserving fertiliser-grade nitrogen compounds. For operations requiring minimal odour emission, Kerone’s enclosed, negative-pressure belt dryer systems incorporate integrated biofilter or thermal oxidiser units, maintaining full compliance with environmental discharge regulations. All systems are engineered with stainless-grade or corrosion-resistant construction materials appropriate for digestate’s chemically aggressive composition.
Key Features
Integrated waste heat recovery design for CHP exhaust gas and hot water utilisation, reducing primary energy input by 40–60%
Adjustable residence time control enabling moisture reduction from 96% down to target values of 10–15% in a single pass
Enclosed system construction with negative pressure operation to contain odour emissions and comply with atmospheric discharge standards
Variable-speed drive (VSD) components on drum rotation and conveyor systems for adaptive control of throughput and drying intensity
PLC-based automated control system with real-time moisture feedback from inline NIR sensors at the discharge point
Heavy-duty construction using wear-resistant alloy steel internals to withstand the abrasive and corrosive nature of digestate solids
Modular design framework allowing phased capacity expansion without full plant shutdown or civil infrastructure changes
Compliance-ready engineering with CE marking, ATEX classification where applicable, and documentation support for environmental permits
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Applications of Digestate Drying Solutions
Kerone’s Digestate Drying systems are extensively used across waste management, renewable energy, and agricultural sectors. Typical applications include:
Municipal biogas plants processing household organic waste and food industry residues requiring consistent bio-fertiliser output
Farm-scale anaerobic digesters converting livestock manure and agricultural residues into dried, spreadable soil amendment products
Industrial AD plants adjacent to food processing facilities where digestate is co-dried with process wastewater sludge
Bioenergy operations producing digestate-derived solid recovered fuel (SRF) pellets for biomass energy generation
Sewage sludge co-processing facilities seeking combined treatment of AD digestate and municipal wastewater biosolids
Kerone Engineering Solutions positions its digestate drying systems as mission-critical infrastructure for the circular bioeconomy, enabling AD plant operators to close the nutrient loop, extract revenue from what was previously a disposal liability, and achieve meaningful reductions in operating costs through energy integration. With end-to-end project delivery from process design through installation, commissioning, and operator training, Kerone ensures that every digestate drying installation delivers the throughput, compliance performance, and product quality its operators depend on.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Kerone's systems are engineered to reduce digestate moisture content from a typical 90–96% inlet to below 15% and in many configurations below 10% enabling storage, pelletisation, and long-distance transport of the dried material.
Yes. Kerone designs digestate dryers specifically for waste heat integration, utilising exhaust gases (200–500°C) and hot water circuits (70–95°C) from CHP engines, dramatically reducing the primary fuel demand of the drying process.
Kerone's low-temperature drying configurations (belt dryers operating at 60–90°C) minimise ammonia volatilisation, preserving total nitrogen in the dried product. The precise drying temperature profile is optimised during process design based on feedstock characterisation.
Kerone engineers digestate drying plants from 500 kg/h water evaporation capacity for farm-scale operations up to 5,000+ kg/h for large centralised biogas plants, with intermediate sizes and modular expansion options available.
All Kerone digestate dryers are available in enclosed, negative-pressure configurations. Extracted air is treated via thermal oxidisers, biofilters, or acid scrubbers depending on site requirements and regulatory discharge limits.
Dried digestate can comply with PAS 110 or equivalent quality protocols depending on feedstock composition and process temperatures. Kerone provides temperature documentation to support certification applications.
Beyond waste heat integration, Kerone's systems can operate on natural gas, biogas (from the AD plant itself), LPG, or biomass-fired hot air generators, providing fuel flexibility suited to different site energy configurations.
A complete digestate drying plant, including civil foundations, mechanical installation, electrical works, and commissioning, typically requires 12–20 weeks depending on system scale and site readiness.
Kerone recommends mechanical dewatering (screw press or centrifuge) to 70–80% moisture prior to thermal drying, as this significantly reduces the energy demand of the subsequent drying stage. We can advise on or supply pre-dewatering equipment.
Yes. Kerone's drying systems can be integrated with pellet mills or compaction equipment to produce 6–10mm cylindrical pellets suitable for bagging, distribution, and application with standard agricultural spreading equipment.
All Kerone digestate dryers include over-temperature protection, fire detection systems, CO monitoring in enclosed systems, pressure relief vents, and interlocked emergency shutdown sequences in compliance with relevant machinery safety directives.
The separated liquid fraction (SLF) from digestate typically contains 95–98% moisture and requires spray drying or falling-film evaporation rather than mechanical conveyance dryers. Kerone provides specific system recommendations based on the fraction to be processed.
Yes. Kerone regularly conducts plant integration assessments to design drying systems that connect to existing heat sources, material handling, and control infrastructure with minimum disruption to ongoing digester operations.
Payback periods vary based on waste heat availability, digestate disposal costs, and market value of dried product. For plants with CHP integration and local bio-fertiliser markets, operational payback within 3–5 years is commonly achievable.
Yes. Kerone's technical centre can conduct bench-scale and pilot-scale drying trials on customer-supplied digestate samples to determine optimal drying parameters, product quality, and equipment sizing before commitment to full-scale procurement.
Kerone’s custom-designed heating and processing solutions are built to meet the demands of your growing operations. Whether you’re upgrading equipment, expanding production, or need a tailor-made solution
Peru
Chile
Argentina
Mexico
Colombia
Brazil
USA
Canada
United Kingdom
France
Germany
Spain
Italy
Netherlands
Sweden
Switzerland
Poland
Portugal
Ireland
Czechia
Romania
Hungary
Austria
Greece
Kazakhstan
Uzbekistan
Turkmenistan
Algeria
Egypt
Nigeria
Kenya
South Africa
Saudi Arabia
UAE
Israel
Russia
India
China
Japan
South Korea
Thailand
Vietnam
Malaysia
Singapore
Indonesia
Philippines
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