Award for Renewable Engine PhD Researcher at Environ 2019
Renewable Engine PhD Researcher Sean O’Connor has been awarded the ESAI Best Poster Presentation prize at Environ 2019. Sean, a researcher at the Institute of Technology Sligo and working alongside Organic Power in Northern Ireland, is focusing his work on the development of novel anaerobic digestion technology.
Sean’s research centres on the area of small-scale anaerobic digestion (SSAD) by modelling the technical, environmental, and economic considerations for the construction and operation of an SSAD plant on commercial Irish dairy farms. These considerations include modelling the energy input/output, CO2 input and output, and financial indicators such as net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR), and payback period. Through the Renewable Engine project, Organic Power plans to test, optimise and deliver a robust modular SSAD system, exploiting the science of digestion by utilising advanced pre-treatments to reduce the size (cost) of digesters dramatically.
Environ is an annual Colloquium of Irish Environmental Research, organised by the Environmental Sciences Association of Ireland (ESAI). The theme of Environ 2019 was “Engagement for Climate Action”, held at in the Institute of Technology Carlow.