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MEMBER’S PRESS RELEASE: A superior solution throughout Europe: more gas through trace elements

Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm, Germany – 26/10/2015. Satisfying outcome of two oral proceedings with the European Patent Office’s Board of Appeal in The Hague, the Netherlands, for the internationally operating AD plant builder Agraferm Technologies AG: the appeal against the Agraferm patent number EP 2231528 B1 for the trace element complex was completely rejected at the hearings in September and October. Consequently, AD plant operators can also continue to rely on the usual high quality of the Agraferm trace element solution. Moreover, the appeal from a total of seven parties against the patent of a competitor for a comparable product was sustained.

Bacteria and other microorganisms subsist on trace elements which are indespensable for the methanogenesis. Since the ”hunger” of microorganisms is only in the rarest cases sufficiently covered in this regard through the very different input materials in AD plants, such as organic waste, green waste, energy crops, chicken or pig manure etc., the operators use the dosed addition of trace elements.

In order to positively influence the gas yield, Agraferm patented a trace element solution in 2007. On the one hand, the hearings with the European Patent Office’s Board of Appeal have now revealed that the patented Agraferm nutrient complex is based on an invention worthy of protection. On the other hand, the patent of a competitor company for a similar product was completely rejected: In addition to Agrafern, six other parties, including the companies Miavit GmbH, Uphoff GmbH, Kemira Oyj and the Fritz Köster Handelsgesellschaft AG, successfully filed an appeal against the competitor’s patent with the number EP 1997901 B1.

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