AeroThermal Group PLC

AeroThermal, incorporating Aeroform, is a British company with over 35 years’ experience in designing and manufacturing bespoke autoclaves for world-leading companies in the aerospace, motorsport, military, electronics and tobacco sectors.

Our extensive expertise is also being applied to innovative autoclave solutions that derive green energy from household and industrial waste, whilst increasing recycling rates and decreasing carbon emissions.  Members of the AeroThermal team have helped design, build and operate more than 40 anaerobic digestion systems that process waste, sewage and farm substrates in the UK and China.

AeroThermal’s well-equipped in-house laboratory provides expert services for clients seeking reliable high-quality data. Our specialist research team can determine the bio-methane potential of a wide range of organic materials, both pre and post autoclave treatment, and has conducted trials on over 75 alternative anaerobic feed stocks, including supporting the European-funded Valorgas programme.

With several hundred autoclaves designed, manufactured and installed worldwide, along with growing international recognition of our pioneering waste systems, we are proud of our reputation and history as a specialist process solution provider.

Our History

AeroThermal, incorporating Aeroform, was formed in 2006, uniting a team with extensive knowledge and practical experience in designing, manufacturing and operating industrial autoclaves for aerospace, motorsport and industrial purposes.  The team is also applying its skills into developing a comprehensive waste treatment process that maximises organic material recovery from a variety of waste streams, including household, commercial, agricultural and industrial.

Our team’s achievements include:

•  Design and manufacture of the world’s first all-carbon fibre commercial aircraft seat certified by CAA, FAA and LBA.

•  Design and manufacture of the first vertical airflow continuous throughput autoclave for laminating of car windscreens on behalf of Pilkington Automotive.

•  Design and manufacture of the first vertical and horizontal air flow oven for heat treatment for the Airbus A320 family of aircraft.

•  Design and manufacture of the first circumferential airflow autoclave system on behalf of Airbus UK to carry out the creep stress forming of Airbus A380 aircraft wing skins.

•  Design, manufacture and project management of the exceptionally large, multi-zone circumferential airflow autoclave on behalf of Mitsubishi for curing Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft wing skins, and a second similar autoclave for curing its wing spars.

•  Designing, building, installing and maintaining autoclaves and other thermo forming equipment in the highly-competitive world of F1, F300 and US Indy Car racing for companies including McLaren, Honda, BAR, Sauber, Renault, Benetton, Lotus, TWR, Lola, Penske and many others.

•  Design authority to the British Ministry of Defence for the design, construction and project management of the hypobaric chamber equipment at the RAF altitude simulation training school.

•  Designing the autoclave solvent infused expansion of tobacco leaves for low tar light brand smoking products and packaging.

•  Designing long-term storage of the Royal Ordnance’s intelligent munitions in inert atmosphere containers using AeroThermal’s autoclave technology.

•  Designing, building and managing more than 40 anaerobic digestion plants across the UK and China, primarily for treating municipal sewage sludge and converting it to methane gas for the purposes of green energy generation.

•  Designing and patenting a rotating, direct steam injection waste processing double-ended autoclave, which incorporates through-vessel steam flow and angled helix mixing system to guarantee uniformity of process and maximise organic material breakdown and recovery.

The Autoclave System

AeroThermal has incorporated aerospace technology into an in-house designed and patented rotating macerating and hydrolysing steam-injection autoclave.

Uses for the recovered organic materials range from:

•  anaerobic digesters

•  recovery of cellulosic fibre for building products

•  pelletized cellulose floc for gasification

•  feedstock for fermentation to bio-ethanol and/or bio-butanol.

Our unique patented autoclave system sterilises, pasteurises, hydrolyses and breaks down most types of organic waste without the need for pre-process de-packing, providing a much enhanced feedstock for anaerobic digesters and giving four times the typical gas yields of non-autoclaved waste.   Successfully trialled over a thousand hours, AeroThermal has shown in it contract research laboratory that pre-treating some wastes with an autoclave can double the throughput of anaerobic digesters. The company is currently completing the manufacture of two 10-tonne autoclaves for waste treatment at its factory in Poole.