Himark Biogas Inc. is a
waste-to-energy
Waste-to-energy (WtE) or energy-from-waste (EfW) is the process of generating energy in the form of electricity and/or heat from the primary treatment of waste, or the processing of waste into a fuel source. WtE is a form of energy recovery. ...
technology and engineering services company. Himark's provides services such as licensing of patented
anaerobic digestion
Anaerobic digestion is a sequence of processes by which microorganisms break down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen. The process is used for industrial or domestic purposes to manage waste or to produce fuels. Much of the ferm ...
technology, conducting feasibility studies, carrying out project design, providing support on engineering and construction, commissioning, and rescue and resuscitation of digesters.
History
The group was founded in 1976 as a mixed grain and purebred cattle farm and has since diversified into various businesses including management of feedlot, licensing of
waste-to-energy
Waste-to-energy (WtE) or energy-from-waste (EfW) is the process of generating energy in the form of electricity and/or heat from the primary treatment of waste, or the processing of waste into a fuel source. WtE is a form of energy recovery. ...
technology, and management of
biogas
Biogas is a mixture of gases, primarily consisting of methane, carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulphide, produced from raw materials such as agricultural waste, manure, municipal waste, plant material, sewage, green waste and food waste. I ...
and
ethanol
Ethanol (abbr. EtOH; also called ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol, drinking alcohol, or simply alcohol) is an organic compound. It is an alcohol with the chemical formula . Its formula can be also written as or (an ethyl group linked to a h ...
plants.
Research
As of 2014, the company has a
research and development
Research and development (R&D or R+D), known in Europe as research and technological development (RTD), is the set of innovative activities undertaken by corporations or governments in developing new services or products, and improving existi ...
expenditure of over $ 35 million and has laboratories in
Edmonton
Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city anc ...
and
Hairy Hill, Alberta
Hairy Hill is a hamlet in Alberta, Canada within the County of Two Hills No. 21. It is located on Highway 45, approximately east of Edmonton.
Hairy Hill got its name from the large amount of bison hair found on the hills in the area when the ...
.
Technology
IMUS
The Integrated Manure Utilization System "IMUS" is an
anaerobic digestion
Anaerobic digestion is a sequence of processes by which microorganisms break down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen. The process is used for industrial or domestic purposes to manage waste or to produce fuels. Much of the ferm ...
technology that uses organic waste to produce
biogas
Biogas is a mixture of gases, primarily consisting of methane, carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulphide, produced from raw materials such as agricultural waste, manure, municipal waste, plant material, sewage, green waste and food waste. I ...
, which is used to produce
electricity
Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as describ ...
and
heat
In thermodynamics, heat is defined as the form of energy crossing the boundary of a thermodynamic system by virtue of a temperature difference across the boundary. A thermodynamic system does not ''contain'' heat. Nevertheless, the term is ...
. The "IMUS" system produces organic fertilizer and reusable water as
bioproducts Bioproducts or bio-based products are materials, chemicals and energy derived from renewable biological resources.
Bioresources
Biological resources include agriculture, forestry, and biologically-derived waste, and there are many other renewable ...
.
Anaerobic digestion
Anaerobic digestion is a sequence of processes by which microorganisms break down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen. The process is used for industrial or domestic purposes to manage waste or to produce fuels. Much of the ferm ...
technologies improves the local environment and community health, and helps in disease control, through effective hazardous waste disposal; fertilizer production; disease destruction; pollution prevention; odor elimination; and landfill replacement.
Integrated Bio Refinery
The model integrates the
anaerobic digestion
Anaerobic digestion is a sequence of processes by which microorganisms break down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen. The process is used for industrial or domestic purposes to manage waste or to produce fuels. Much of the ferm ...
technology with other energy consuming system, such as Municipal Facilities, Farm Operations, Open Pen Feedlots, Food Processing, Ethanol Plants, and Green Houses.
Type of waste
The technology can utilize various kinds of feedstock types, including Municipal Organics, Cow Manure, Slaughter House waste, Milk and Cheese Waste, Feed Lot Waste, Sand Laden Waste, Food Processing Waste, Ethanol Co-Products and Human Waste.
References
{{reflist
Companies based in Edmonton
Renewable energy technology companies
Technology companies of Canada
Waste management companies of Canada
Waste companies established in 1976
Canadian companies established in 1976
Agriculture companies established in 1976
Technology companies established in 1976