JaDeVo, founded by Avans alumni Jens Derks and Jim Donkers, focuses on making energy production more sustainable. They exploit agricultural residues, such as straw, as an alternative to woody biomass. This straw is upgraded to European biomass or processed into 2G bioethanol. In this way, they contribute to a circular economy.
Jens and Jim, both from the agricultural sector and with a passion for technology, started JaDeVo out of a shared frustration about wasting valuable resources. During their graduation from Avans University of Applied Sciences, the idea was born. "We saw that there was a lot of demand for pellets for energy generation, but that the supply of wood was limited and socially controversial," says Jim.
So the plan was born to develop an alternative biomass from straw, a residual product that often goes unused. However, the idea turned out to be more complex than thought. "We discovered that straw contains many undesirable substances that need to be removed first. So we developed an innovative technique that filters these substances out of the straw so that it can be used as high-quality biomass," Jens explains.
Over the past few months, Jens and Jim have been working hard to design and test their technology. On a small scale, they tested their machine and had their product validated in a laboratory. "The tests showed that our pellets meet the required European standards. An important step in making them suitable for biomass furnaces," Jim said.
Now they are busy making customer calls. "We are having conversations with both pellet producers and end users. This helps us understand how best to realise the first production machine and who we can work with," says Jens.
For the future, JaDeVo has big ambitions. The next step is to place their machine with a pellet producer. "The aim is to let producers use our machines via a lease structure. This will allow them to start working immediately without large investments," Jim explains.
The pair is also busy exploring the production of bioethanol (fuel) from straw, Jens says. "Currently, bioethanol is mainly produced as so-called 1st generation (1G) bioethanol, using feedstocks such as corn kernels and sugar. As these are also foodstuffs, this creates direct competition with food production. However, our technology offers opportunities for producing 2nd-generation (2G) bioethanol, using agricultural residues such as straw."
In the longer term, Jens and Jim want to expand their impact. "In five years, we hope that our straw pellets will be a standard alternative to wood pellets and that we will be operating in multiple locations. We want to contribute to a circular economy where agricultural waste is optimally utilised," says Jens with determination.
Find out how we can support you on your path to success!
Want to know more about how Startups for Society can support your impact startup? Ask your question.
