Winner of the 2024 VentureLaunch Accelerator Programme

SusBioME, an emerging greentech start-up, was the overall winner of the 2024 UCD VentureLaunch Accelerator Programme. SusBioME is developing technology for use in the anaerobic digestion process to increase renewable gas yields from biomass.

Renewable gas from anaerobic digestion is key for energy security and sustainability. In the  anaerobic digestion process organic feedstocks, including wastes, are digested and turned into biogas or biomethane, which can be used exactly like natural gas.  

However, a major bottleneck limiting renewable gas production is the low digestibility of feedstock used in the anaerobic digestion process which leads to unrealised gas yields and low operational efficiency.

To address this problem SusBioME, a start-up emerging from the UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science, is developing modular, plug-in disruptive electro-processing technologies to make feedstocks more biodigestible. As a platform technology it can be applied to a wide range of feedstocks and bioprocesses.

By the direct applications of electric fields, the SusBioME technology physically disrupts feedstocks, which rapidly and very efficiently make them more biodigestible leading to gas yield improvements of up to 30% for renewable gas producers along with reduced operational costs and increased revenues.

The members of the SusBioME team are, Dr Ajay Menon, who completed the VentureLaunch Accelerator Programme, Professor James Lyng, Norman Maloney and Bernie Fitzpatrick.