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From Manure to Molecules: Bright Renewables Technology Takes the Stage at Zwarte Cross

6 July 2026
What do a pile of manure and the bubbles in your beer have in common? More than you'd think. At Zwarte Cross, Martin Bos, Head of Technology at HoSt Group (parent company of Bright Renewables), returns to his roots as a University of Twente (UT) alumnus to explain how manure and organic waste are turned into green molecules, and how CO2, so often dismissed as a waste product, can become something genuinely valuable, thanks to biogas upgrading technology developed right here.

How biogas upgrading turns raw biogas into renewable resources

Martin Bos will explain how manure and organic waste, once broken down through anaerobic digestion, produce a raw biogas that still needs refining before it can be put to use. That’s where Bright Renewables’ biogas upgrading systems come in: they purify raw biogas into biomethane, a direct, renewable replacement for natural gas capable of powering homes, industry, and everyday products. But the story doesn’t end there. The CO2 separated out during upgrading is a valuable resource in its own right: once captured and purified, it can be reused in greenhouses, in food and drink production, or even as a building block for new sustainable fuels.

Bright Renewables' technology feeds into HoSt and UT's e-methanol research

Beyond biomethane and bio-CO2, the upgrading technology developed by Bright Renewables plays a role in a new collaboration between HoSt and UT to develop e-methanol from these same waste streams. It’s a project that bridges academic research and industrial application, pushing forward the technology needed to turn residual streams into a genuine renewable fuel, and a clear example of how Bright Renewables’ biogas upgrading systems form the foundation for the next generation of green molecules.

Join Martin Bos in the Universitent at Zwarte Cross

Curious how manure ends up as green gas, or how CO2 finds its way into a glass of beer? Join Martin Bos in the Universitent at Zwarte Cross on Friday 17 July, from 16:00 to 16:30. Zwarte Cross is the biggest festival in the Netherlands with 38 stages that bring together music, theatre, stunts, and motocross, and this year, a bit of circular chemistry too.