BIOGAS An advantage of an externally mounted digester mixing system is it enables easier and safer mixer maintenance without interuption to the digester process. Bioenergy International No 78, 2-2015 25 – The anaerobic digestion facility is designed to process a very wide range of feedstock so all pumps and mixers have to cope. The two 30 HP chopper pumps and self-aspirating system that reduces solids to produce more methane in a much shorter time period, all form part of the GasMix system, are absolute troopers. They just keep on working. We wouldn’t be achieving what we are now without them, exclaimed Gannon. Internalising energy and fuel costs The new AD plant is not only producing biogas but also processing the wastewater from the rendering plant, reducing its chemical oxygen demand (COD) before discharge. Hence, it doubles as a small wastewater treatment plant, improving the quality of wastewater enabling reductions in discharge fees. – We generate enough electricity to power the entire North State Rendering plant and the heat from the gas engine is used to heat the digesters, so we’re able to optimise energy efficiency, commented Gannon. Biogas Energy estimates that North State Rendering will reduce diesel fuel costs by 75 percent by introducing a gas-cleaning and upgrading skid to produce pipelinequality biomethane that is then compressed in a CNG fuelling station. With a diverse use for the biogas, North State Rendering is then able to maximise revenue and hedge against price increases in electricity, diesel, and natural gas. Advantage renderers Whilst North State Rendering was able to take advantage of grants from the California Energy Commission’s Alternative and Renewable Fuel Vehicle Technology Program, other US state and federal inducements may also be applicable such as tax incentives, sales tax exemption, grants for renewable energy project and truck conversion costs, and incentivised electricity production pricing. Incentives apart, Gannon points out that renderers have a big advantage over other companies trying to develop new waste-to-energy facilities. Renderers already have the necessary permits to process waste material and collection infrastructure. Furthermore, rendering plants have a heat and power demand that the biogas facilities could supply. – As energy and fuel prices climb and wastewater discharge fees escalate, waste processors can turn waste into an asset. For Biogas Energy, our experience at North State Rendering means that we can help our clients generate renewable energy with a system that maximises production while facilitating operations and maintenance, ended Brian Gannon. Editor’s note: A version of this article originally appeared in the February 2014 issue of Renderer Magazine. Photos: courtesy Biogas Energy Inc. BI78/4746/AS Finland’s largest biogas to biomethane facility opened A major step forward was taken in the Finnish bioenergy sector as an integrated biogas production and biomethane upgrading facility was opened in Kujala, Lahti. A joint project of LABIO and Gasum the facility will produce 50 GWh of upgraded biogas from 44 000 tonnes of waste per annum. The facility is capable of using a variety of raw materials such as biowaste from households, industry and retail operators along with sludge from wastewater treatment plants. The plant has an annual capacity to treat 80 000 tonnes, of which an annual total of 44 000 tonnes biodegradable waste will be processed by the biogas production facility. In terms of capacity it is currently the largest producer of upgraded biogas in Finland. From the LABIO waste processing process biogas moves on to the Gasum upgrading facility from where upgraded biogas is transmitted via the gas pipeline network to end customers. The sludge, or digestate, created in the waste processing facility is composted into fertilizer or plant growth substrate products at Kujala. Heat energy from the composting process is also used to heat the biogas facility. – The conversion of local waste materials into energy and new raw materials is a prime example of resource wisdom based on the circular economy. Our partnership with Gasum has been hugely beneficial in the construction of this facility setup that required high levels of expertise, commented Ari Savolainen, CEO for LABIO. – The efficient development of the biogas market will require cooperation models like this as well as increases in biogas production. Our cooperation with LABIO is a major step forward in the development of the Finnish biogas market, said Pasi Torri, Business Development Manager, Biogas and Transport Solutions, Gasum. BI78/4801/AS Third N.I. biogas plant for Weltec German biogas technology providers Weltec Biopower has, via its UK subsidiary, has announced construction of its third biogas plant delivery to Northern Ireland. The customer and operator of the 500-kW plant is the vegetable producer Gilfresh Produce. The enterprise produces numerous field-grown products and processes them into food. From July 2015, the waste and the vegetable washing water will be loaded into the bioreactor. To maintain an optimum stock level, an underground pre-storage tank is located before the two 2 625 m3 stainless-steel digesters; a 6,000-m3 tank is planned for gas-tight digestate storage. In addition to vegetable waste, cattle manure, chicken litter as well as whole crop, grass and maize silage will be used. BI78/4812/AS
Bioenergy no 2 - March 2015
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