CIRCE's industrial laboratory: a test environment to validate key technologies before making the leap to the plant floor

This test space allows processes to be accurately reproduced, results to be measured and decisions to be made based on proven data. Whether to validate alternative fuels, recycle complex materials, support biogas projects or analyze photovoltaic modules, the goal is always the same: to reduce uncertainty before investing.

Cutting-edge technology at the service of the industry

CIRCE's laboratory combines advanced infrastructures and validation methodologies that cover different industry challenges.

One of its most outstanding capabilities is the testing of thermal processes with renewable gases. Thanks to a flexible furnace, fuel changes such as hydrogen, biogas or biomethane can be tested up to 1300 ºC, as well as testing new materials, changing operating conditions or retrofitting based on the specifications of industrial furnaces. With artificial vision and thermographic cameras, combustion and heat transfer are analyzed in real time, allowing companies to anticipate how a process will behave before making plant investments.

In the field of recycling, CIRCE combines intelligent waste sorting systems based on computer vision—capable of identifying materials such as plastics, paper, electrical appliance waste, or construction debris—with valorization technologies such as microwave pyrolysis and solvolysis. These techniques make it possible to recover valuable compounds from complex waste, such as composite plastics or wind turbine blades. The Pyrowall pilot plant allows these processes to be scaled up to 60 kg/h to verify their technical and energy feasibility.

The laboratory also works with gasification technologies, which transform organic waste into syngas for energy applications. This gas can be further valorized in a flexible reactor, which also aims to optimize the carbonaceous residue generated, exploring new uses in the agricultural sector or industry.

Additionally, CIRCE applies hydrothermal processes to valorize wet waste such as sludge, wastewater, or algae. By using high temperatures and pressure in an aqueous medium, products such as bio-oils or biochar are generated, which can be used for energy purposes or as value-added products.

In the area of biomethanation, the laboratory has 18 lab-scale reactors and a 5-liter pilot reactor to simulate real digestion processes. It studies optimal waste combinations—such as slurry or manure—to maximize biogas production, helping to design technically and economically viable plants. It also analyzes the composition of the digestate at the process output to find the best circular economy solution.

Finally, the laboratory includes a mobile unit for photovoltaic module analysis. This lab can assess up to 200 modules per day without stopping the installation, measuring power, insulation, and electroluminescence under controlled conditions. It is especially useful for audits, repowering, or technical maintenance.

From test to project: strategic support for companies

Beyond the technologies used, the value of CIRCE's industrial laboratory also lies in the support it provides to companies throughout the entire validation process. From material characterization to process simulation and technical-economic analysis, CIRCE works closely with each organization, acting as a technological partner to test ideas and turn them into viable solutions, rigorously and adapted to the real needs of each case.

This support has already been key, for example, for companies in the petrochemical sector interested in valorizing complex waste through gasification; companies in the agro-livestock sector seeking to optimize biomethane production by adjusting slurry and manure mixtures; or recycling companies needing to validate separation technologies or treatments such as pyrolysis before scaling up their investment.

In a context where sustainability and efficiency are key to competitiveness, having a reliable testing environment allows reducing risks, optimizing investments and accelerating the transition from idea to market. CIRCE's industrial laboratory has become a strategic infrastructure for transforming innovation into profitable, scalable and sustainable industrial solutions.