Something new every day
30.3.2015
“Always keeping one step ahead of development is the only way to succeed,” says CEO Pasi Mäkelä at the environmental technology company Doranova. The company seeks international growth and its most recent project is the construction of a biogas plant and a waste incineration plant in a model town in Vietnam.
Doranova’s recipe for success has been well tested over the course of 20 years of operations as a company. It all started with two men, one filter and a strong faith that environmental technology is the next big thing. While the boom kept the men waiting, they discovered an immediate use for the filter.
– Doranova started restoring polluted groundwater. Our device worked very well for that purpose, says CEO Pasi Mäkelä at Doranova.
Operations quickly expanded to include contaminated soil remediation. Doranova has developed methods which allow for remediation on site, eliminating the need to transport and replace soil. The company then expanded operations to include landfills, landfill leachate treatment, landfill gas utilisation and actual biogas plants.
– Our development cycle has proceeded from cleaning up to preventing damage and utilising waste. Today, an increasing part of Doranova’s turnover is derived from the renewable energy sector, says Mäkelä.
The product complexes delivered to customers are increasing in size. A wonderful example is the biogas plant commissioned in Jepua in autumn 2013. The plant, supplied by Doranova, receives 90,000 tonnes of waste annually, for example from local piggeries, slaughterhouses and gardens. The raw ingredients are allowed to rot to produce biogas for industrial and traffic needs.
– The design of the plant involves some innovative elements particularly thought out to meet the requirements of the target location. For example, sludge is transferred from the piggeries to the plant directly through piping and the digestate intended to fertilise fields is transferred to the farms through piping, says Mäkelä.
According to Mäkelä, each biogas plant is different by default. The design must observe the quantity and quality of the local raw materials as well as the desired end product produced using gas: electricity, heat, fuel for gas‑fuelled cars, etc.
– The same goes for all Doranova products and services, as they are intended to solve each customer’s problem in an optimal manner. We do not offer bulk products, says Mäkelä.
Doranova is a vigorously growth‑oriented company seeking international markets, particularly in the renewable energy sector. The sector offers business for everyone able to help rid customers of waste and even convert that waste into energy. Doranova is about to launch the biggest project in its history in Vietnam.
– We will construct a biogas plant and a waste incineration plant in a model town near Ho Chi Minh City. The contract itself is sizeable, and once it has been completed, it will offer us a great reference point near the booming economies in Asia, says Mäkelä.
Africa is another interesting prospect, and Doranova has already launched its first projects in Zambia. Moreover, the company has collected a diverse reference list in Finland and nearby areas.
The globally oriented headquarters of Doranova are located in Vesilahti, a rural municipality adjacent to Tampere. Doranova selected Vesilahti as its domicile because the municipality provided a suitable plot near great transport connections at the right time. The education institutions in the Tampere region guarantee a sufficient supply of competent employees and well-functioning research cooperation.
– We are constantly conducting research projects and the company accommodates students who are working on theses in the environmental field every year. Many of those students have become employees, says Mäkelä.
According to Mäkelä, innovations and related testing and product development are the only way to ensure a thriving company. Environmental technology is constantly developing, and so keeping up the pace is essential.
– We come across something new nearly every day, says Mäkelä.
Read the article in Finnish: http://tampereenseudunvetovoima.fi/artikkelit/joka-paiva-jotain-uutta