Our solutions

Opting’s team consists of experts in thermodynamics, chemistry and industrial processes. We provide specialized and innovative environmental solutions to the energy industry. In particular, we design biofuel-based thermal, cogeneration or combined-cycle power plants, in new facilities around the world. We also offer solutions to convert and optimize existing power plants in order to improve energy performance and provide greater flexibility in terms of broadening the potential fuel supply.

The Opting team helps develop local biofuel produced from waste materials, sludge, and organic or agricultural waste. We study what materials are available locally as well as the logistics in order to obtain the best environmental and energy efficiency with the best operating cost. 

Through the patented LAKSON BCS conditioning system [BCS link], a solid biofuel powder without pathogens and bacteria can be produced and stored. This type of biofuel can be used in our high-efficiency hybrid burner [burner link].

In addition, the team has the expertise to produce pyrolytic biofuels from various plastic or organic waste materials.

Lastly, Opting developed a material gasification strategy, and our technology can produce biogas from organic matter.

industry. It completes projects for producers to generate and use energy locally to heat buildings or dry crops, as well as solutions to recover slurry or manure and to treat effluents.

The Opting team helps develop a biofertilizer made from waste materials, sludge or organic waste from the surrounding area. The team is comprised of specialists in elemental chemistry and biochemistry who create biological and molecular recipes to meet specific needs. We have solutions to create proprietary high-value blends using its patented BCS conditioning process [BCS link] for constituent preparation. 

Opting’s preparation and densification equipment provides a complete process for high-quality biofertilizer granulation.

The Opting team is an expert in fuel conversion for existing boilers or furnaces. To do this, Opting uses its patented hybrid burner enabling users to convert to a local solid biofuel while retaining the ability to use fossil fuel as a back-up. 

Compared to traditional combustion systems, our combustion strategy features:

• Full gasification (up to 98% combustion efficiency)
• Pneumatically conveyed powder, like biofuels 
• Up to 30% less biofuels 
• Up to 30% less ash to eliminate
• Up to 80% less downtime due to cleaning, jams or maintenance
• Less NOx/SOx and fine particles generated
• Hybrid (existing fuel + biofuel)
• Quick response, quick start, ramp-up, ramp-down and shutdown
• Load-dependent modulation
• Full-automation

Our high-intensity series burner has been perfected for over 20 years to provide a safe, efficient and low-emission combustion system using wood dust as fuel. The basis of the design is to stabilize the flame by rotating the fuel and the primary air supply. The amount of rotation is adjustable by changing the position of a rotation fin inside the burner. This allows the flame to be shaped to suit the equipment’s combustion space. The support fuel can be one of several types. The support fuels can be used in combination when controlled by our PLC-based control system. The fuel gas flows through a central tube surrounding the optional oil lance, with the rest of the fuel gas entering the burner through several annular lances. Fuel dust is introduced into the burner through the largest of the concentric tubes. The system is designed to ensure complete removal of dust from the injection tube in the event of a fuel supply interruption.

To easily transport the biomass and to achieve superior combustion performance, a homogeneous, dehydrated biofuel needs to be prepared with the correct particle size.

Dehydrating the biomass before combustion has obvious advantages from an energy point of view:

Figure 1 – The calorific value of the biomass according to its moisture content. Source : Wood Fuels Handbook

But the preparation of biomass should not overshadow the benefits of good combustion. The biofuel can be prepared with a multitude of equipment, such as grinders, sieves, screens, dryers, mixers and conveyors. This equipment has significant footprints, material losses and energy consumption to take into account. 

The Opting team has developed expertise in the biofuel preparation process. It has developed a Biomass Conditioning System (BCS) that combines a multitude of traditional equipment into one, thus minimizing the negative impact of the pre-treatment process. 

Our mechanical BCS reduces the footprint by a third, energy consumption by a third and recovers almost all material losses. The BCS soundwaves kill the bacteria and pathogens in the raw organic materials, and the resulting, almost odourless, sandy powder can then be stored in silos. When coupled with separation modules, it is also possible to separate a significant component of inert materials, including silica, sand and other contaminants that negatively impact calorific value and ash content. This can be prepared remotely or on site.

The Opting team improves the performance of thermal power plants through its unique approach. It provides an optimized design and combines the boiler-turbine-alternator group to achieve greater efficiency at the steam turbine level. 

The water-tube boiler can achieve a heat transfer efficiency of 95% and above, however, the boiler’s overall performance and efficiency, or more specifically the fuel to steam conversion efficiency, will critically depend on the combustion chamber, the burner, the fuel, and the biomass combustion quality.

Our global solution was attributed the “Solar Impulse Efficient Solution” Label, in 2021, following an assessment performed by external independent experts and based on verified standards. It is thereby joining the #1000solutions challenge, an initiative of the Solar Impulse Foundation to select solutions that meet high standards in profitability and sustainability and then present them to decision-makers to help fast-track their implementation.

Web link to Solar Impulse Efficient Solution: https://solarimpulse.com/solutions-explorer/hp2-steam-generation 

Opting provides solutions to manufacture pressed wood-waste products. Secondary processing is a way to increase income from the sale of wood waste. This solution applies well to eco-centres in order to reuse wood waste that could have been contaminated.

Figure 2 – A pressed tray seen from different angles

The Opting team has optimized this automated process for improved production and operating costs.

Our team has designed a biomass-based hot air generator that can generate clean hot air without combustion smoke contamination. The biomass-based hot air generator runs on pellets or chips to generate and supply heating energy for premises occupied by employees, animals or plants, as well as heat for industrial applications, including heating and drying processes. The generator is particularly suitable for heating mine extraction openings, for drying biomass and crops, and for heating commercial and industrial buildings and greenhouses.

Over the past decade, the Opting team has conducted significant research, analysis and testing to develop a variety of patented processes, including liquid, solid and gaseous effluent treatment systems.

Our approach is to collect the wastewater so that it percolates through our DAF and/or MM filtration device and then our bioreactor. Contaminants are separated primarily through a laminar process, then the skimmed portion is attracted to the application-specific media to then be adsorbed to its surface.

Then the contaminant is completely mineralized using an effective oxidizing agent, which goes into buffer storage as well as into selected points in the process. One of the main advantages of this adsorption process is that the media is regenerated inside the system. This means less waste must be disposed of.

Since the media is comprised of double filtration, it can operate continuously. Once the phenol and other components are removed from the wastewater, the water can be reused for other purposes around the facility, or simply discharged.

The Opting team has developed expertise in the treatment of industrial, animal and municipal digestate.

Sludge in the form of digestate is produced from organic waste and can contaminate soil and groundwater, and often is spilled on land. However, when recovered, treated and purified, these effluents can be used as high-value fertilizers. The treated liquid product can be recycled in existing infrastructure, industries, farms, greenhouses and agricultural operations.

The effluent output from our process can be recovered by various sectors, including agriculture, fish farming and food processing, chemical plants, municipal sewage and industrial waste effluent, depending on the initial composition and desired output quality. As for the solid matter eliminated by filtration, it can be used as fertilizer depending on its composition and the level of its contamination.