Interview with Diego Fernández-Polanco, Co-founder of teCH4+

teCH4+
Thermal Hydrolysis Technology (TH)

Interview with Diego Fernández-Polanco, Co-founder of the company teCH4+

teCH4+ is a cleantech startup that is revolutionizing thermal hydrolysis (TH) technology, especially as a pre-treatment for anaerobic digestion (AD). With a decade of existence, the company is based in Valladolid, Spain, and brings over 35 years of knowledge in AD and TH, developed at the University of Valladolid.

The unique aspect of teCH4+ lies in its thermal hydrolysis (TH) technology. This patented technology allows for a 35% increase in biogas production, a 50% reduction in biosolid volume, pasteurization of these biosolids, and a halving of the required digester capacity. All this is achieved with lower operational costs and capital investments.

The company’s vision is to provide the best thermal hydrolysis (TH) technology, enabling sustainable waste management and promoting a circular economy. Its values include efficiency, transparency, and empathy with clients, always striving for flexible and profitable solutions. teCH4+ also stands out for its environmental and social responsibility, actively contributing to six of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions and enhancing soil resilience through the use of biosolids as fertilizer.

Over the years, teCH4+ has implemented numerous notable projects in Spain and internationally. Industrial plants were built in cities like Seville and Valencia, and pilot installations were established in countries such as Turkey.

The expertise and competencies in waste management, energy efficiency, and project management of teCH4+ founders Fernando Fernández-Polanco and Diego Fernández-Polanco were complemented by the industrial experience and knowledge of Erik Aagesen, the technical director of teCH4+.

Oscar Valmañá García, new columnist for Portal Energia e Biogás, and Heleno Quevedo de Lima, founder of the Portal, spoke with Diego F. Polanco, co-founder of teCH4+ and a chemical engineer with a master’s in Process Integration. In a casual conversation, they delved into the culture of teCH4+ and explored its technologies, projects, and the company’s 10-year journey. Now, they share with Portal Energia e Biogás readers this inspiring case, offering valuable insights into teCH4+'s experience in the sector.

Check out the full interview with Diego F. Polanco, co-founder of teCH4+, where he discusses topics like the company's trajectory and vision, market and technology, leadership and organizational culture, innovation and sustainability, as well as sharing perspectives on the future of teCH4+.

INTERVIEW

1) COMPANY TRAJECTORY AND VISION

Portal Energia e Biogás: Could you tell us a little about the history of teCH4+ and how the idea of creating a company in the field of anaerobic digestion (AD) emerged?

Diego F. Polanco: The creation of a company that operates in the sector of effluent treatment and management, specifically in AD, was a shared idea now materialized with our co-founder, Professor Fernando Fernández-Polanco. Both of us had the dream of founding a company that would offer innovative engineering products and services in AD technologies. Fernando Fernández-Polanco, who was a Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Valladolid, a pioneer in AD in Spain, and a world leader in environmental technologies since the early 1980s (Figures 1a and 1b), contributed his achievements as a researcher and academic in a significant and exceptional way.

 

Figure 1a – Timeline of teCH4+ journey

 

Figure 1b – Founders of teCH4+

In 2006, with Sara Isabel Pérez Elvira’s PhD Thesis, the research line in TH technology began. As the results were promising, a complete scale-up of the technology was conducted, with two laboratory pilots and an industrial pilot. This process culminated in an industrial plant in 2012 (Figure 2).

 

Figure 2 – Industrial plant, 2012

All this knowledge was the seed of teCH4+, an independent company that, with lessons learned in previous years, designed and patented an innovative TH technology that overcame identified limitations.

Portal Energia e Biogás: What is teCH4+'s mission and vision, and how do you define success?

Diego F. Polanco: Our vision is to offer the best TH technology to enable sustainable organic waste management and a circular economy. And our mission is to help our clients treat their waste sustainably, profitably, and in compliance with legislation. The company’s success lies in applying innovation. We design, build, and adapt installations using our TH technology, always with an innovative spirit and seeking lower operational and investment costs.

Portal Energia e Biogás: What are the main values that guide the company's decisions and actions?

Diego F. Polanco: Our three main values are openness (we share knowledge and experiences transparently, closely, and friendly), efficiency (we work with passion, but above all with criteria and clear objectives, eliminating extra costs that do not add value for the client), and empathy (we put ourselves in our clients' shoes and help them improve by being flexible, humble, and proactive).

Portal Energia e Biogás: How does teCH4+ differentiate itself from its competitors? What are your main competitive advantages?

Diego F. Polanco: Our main technological differentiators are: having a continuous and stationary process, applying two hydrolysis mechanisms (thermal and flash), operating under optimized conditions, applying a double flash mechanism with the implications of energy efficiency it implies, and having our own in-line steam injector (Figure 3).

Figure 3 – Process with two hydrolysis mechanisms (thermal and flash)

 

2) MARKET AND TECHNOLOGY

Portal Energia e Biogás: What is your vision for the future of the anaerobic digestion (AD) and biofuels (biogas and biomethane), biofertilizer, and bioproduct markets? What are the main trends shaping the sector?

Diego F. Polanco: AD is in a clear expansion phase. This technology, already mature in sectors such as water purification, is quickly spreading to other sectors for the responsible and profitable management of other organic wastes (livestock, agricultural, food industry, etc.) (Figure 4).

Figure 4 – Organic Waste (livestock, agricultural, food industry, etc.) and biogas production

And although the main driver of these new markets is its energy component (biogas/biomethane), the main trend is the introduction of pre-treatments like TH, which overcomes the rate-limiting step of the digestion process and introduces additional benefits such as reducing reactor volume and sanitizing its effluent.

Portal Energia e Biogás: How is teCH4+ adapting to technological changes and how does technology impact your business?

Diego F. Polanco: One of our main internal projects at the moment is the digitization of our company. Although initially there was a strong focus on optimizing work processes and efficiency, we believe that the incorporation of new technologies can represent an incremental improvement in this aspect. This, in addition to making us more efficient and competitive, lays an excellent foundation for scalable and agile growth.

Moreover, we are incorporating elements of this digitization into our industrial processes. One example could be remote monitoring of these processes, which allows us not only to provide real-time support to our clients but also to very effectively incorporate a data analysis layer that underpins a continuous improvement process for operations.

3) LEADERSHIP AND ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE

Portal Energia e Biogás: How would you define your leadership style? What are the main characteristics of an effective leader, in your opinion?

Diego F. Polanco: Simply put: "leading by example." I am just another member of a magnificent team, and, with a bit of luck, I manage to convey my passion for this business project in each of my daily actions and attitudes.

Portal Energia e Biogás: What is the importance of organizational culture for the company’s success? How do you cultivate a positive and productive culture?

Diego F. Polanco: Once guidelines and objectives are established and agreed upon, our company has a very flat structure, with very few hierarchies, which allows each employee to work autonomously and purposefully, being responsible for their decisions and work.

Portal Energia e Biogás: How does teCH4+ invest in employee development? What are the growth opportunities within the company?

Diego F. Polanco: Each employee is their own boss, striving to contribute to the team in achieving its objectives. If an employee demonstrates that they can contribute decisively in strategic areas of interest to the company, they will have the freedom to develop in that area and be rewarded for it.

4) INNOVATION AND SUSTAINABILITY

Portal Energia e Biogás: How is innovation present in the day-to-day of teCH4+? What are the main ongoing innovation projects?

Diego F. Polanco: Innovation is in our DNA, and as such, it is present in our daily lives in two fundamental pillars. The first is the internal development of improvements for our processes, as they must be dynamic and continuously evolve.

The second pillar of innovation is our participation in research, development, and innovation programs with other actors in the sector. An example is the Guijuelo projects (where we experiment with organic waste from slaughterhouses), Valdemingómez (experimenting with the organic fraction of urban solid waste, OFUS), and the Therm2 project (where we are experimenting with hybridizing thermophilic AD technologies and TH) (Figures 5, 6, and 7).
 

Figure 5 – Guijuelo Projects (Salamanca, Spain)

Figure 6 – Valdemingómez Project (Madrid, Spain)

Figure 7 – Therm2 Project

Portal Energia e Biogás: What is the role of sustainability in teCH4+'s business? What are the company's initiatives to promote sustainability?

Diego F. Polanco: Sustainability is part of our essence, as we actively collaborate to improve the environment and our society with technology that contributes to six of the UN SDGs (Figure 8).

Figure 8 – Six UN SDGs promoted by teCH4+'s actions

5) FUTURE OF THE COMPANY

Portal Energia e Biogás: What are your plans for the future of teCH4+? What are your main goals for the coming years?

Diego F. Polanco: The year 2024 marked the 10th anniversary of a company born with the experience and knowledge accumulated over more than three decades at the University of Valladolid. During this period, we have been able to consolidate our technology and become market leaders in Spain.

Looking to the future, the main challenge will be internationalization, that is, exporting our technology and replicating in other countries and territories what we have achieved in Spain.

Portal Energia e Biogás: How does the company intend to expand its business and reach new markets?

Diego F. Polanco: To maintain an efficient operation, we understand that the best way to enter new markets is through agents who know them and through established partners in the sector that allow us to guarantee the quality of our processes.

Portal Energia e Biogás: What is your message to teCH4+'s clients, employees, and partners?

Diego F. Polanco: We operate in a sector with undeniable environmental benefits (better management of organic waste) that generates renewable energy (biogas and biomethane), but perhaps the key to a successful and profitable project is the proper management of the digestate. Among the available options, digestate sanitization allows its agricultural valorization and aligns the project with the principles of the circular economy.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We at Portal Energia e Biogás thank the entire teCH4+ team, especially Diego F. Polanco, for the excellent conversation and generosity in sharing with our readers a bit of the company's history, projects, and inspiring vision. Thank you very much!