FEATURE: AGRO-ENERGY IN MID-APRIL THE GERMAN biofuels major, Vereinigte BioEnergie AG (VERBIO), announced it has successfully commissioned a “first-ofa kind” biomethane plant at its Schwedt/Oder production facility. The plant has supplied its first GWh of biomethane derived entirely from the fermentation of straw using a technology developed by the company. It is a “first-of-kind” biomethane plant, but not the first biomethane plant for VERBIO. As well as operating biodiesel and bioethanol plants in Germany, the company has two 30 MW biomethane plants in operation since 2011. These plants produce approximately 480 GWh of biomethane per annum from stillage, a byproduct from its bioethanol production. The biomethane is used as vehicle fuel making the company a market leader in this segment. Biomethane from straw What is different is that its latest biomethane production facility at Schwedt/Oder uses 100 percent straw as feedstock. The technology has been developed by VERBIO and the “first-of-kind” demonstration plant at Schwedt/Oder is being supported by the European Union (EU). Launched in January 2014, DE VERBIOstraw – as the project is officially called – is to date one of fifteen projects funded by the NER 300 programme. – With this first-of-a-kind project, we will help protect the climate and make Europe less energy dependent. The innovative VERBIO straw project is funded under the NER 300 programme because it demonstrates an advanced biogas technology at large scale. We welcome the private investment in this project, which we need in Europe, and the use of 100 percent agricultural residue which does Facts: Vereinigte BioEnergie AG (VERBIO) 12 Bioenergy International No 80, 4-2015 not require farmland to be used to grow energy crops, said Kerstin Lichtenvort, EU project coordinator for the NER 300 programme in Brussels, Belgium explaining the decision to award project support to VERBIO. First GWh milestone To date, a total of EUR 25 million has already been invested in the construction of the plant and although the project is set to run 2014 to 2019, it is already one of the first that has generated actual production volumes. In fact biomethane injection into the gas grid commenced in October 2014 and by mid-April 2015 the first GWh of biomethane derived from straw had been produced. The EU will provide funding of up to EUR 22.3 million over the period with funding based on a fixed rate for biomethane fed into the gas grid. The plant is expected to reach 16.5 MW capacity by 2019 and further amounts will be invested in the coming years to optimise the plant. – With our straw bio-methane technology we are demonstrating that second generation biofuels using local supply chains are no longer a thing of the future, but are today’s reality. Our biomethane is generated using straw from local farmers, said Dr Lüdtke, Chairman of the Management Board of VERBIO AG in a statement. He added that the support provided by the European Union NER 300 programme was much “appreciated” and “a clear EU commitment to the future of biofuels.” Unused straw available At full capacity the plant is estimated to require 40 000 tonnes of straw to produce approximately 136-140 GWh of biomethane annually. The straw is sourced from within a 80 km radius of the plant to ensure maximum economic and ecological efficiency. In exchange, the digestate is provided to farmers as an organic fertiliser. This local “bio-economic” value chain creates employment in the region’s agricultural sector and ensures maximum CO₂ efficiency. According to a study by Deutsches Biomasseforschungszentrum – German biomass research centre (DBFZ) – the new VERBIO technology makes it possible to leverage a massive potential raw material source that has been unused to date. In Germany alone, somewhere in the region of eight to thirteen million tonnes of straw annually remain unused, a significant quantity of biomass that can be used for bioenergy without changing anything. Text: Alan Sherrard Photo courtesy VERBIO BI80/4896/AS INNOVATIVE STRAW TO BIOMETHANE PLANT COMMISSIONED VERBIO is a leading independent producer and provider of biofuels and the only large industrial producer of biodiesel, bioethanol and biomethane in Europe. Operating five production units via wholly owned subsidiaries - VERBIO Diesel Bitterfeld GmbH & Co. KG, VERBIO Diesel Schwedt GmbH & Co. KG, VERBIO Ethanol Schwedt GmbH & Co. KG, VERBIO Ethanol Zörbig GmbH & Co. KG and Märka GmbH - the combined annual production capacity is around 450 000 tonnes biodiesel, 270 000 tonnes bioethanol and 480 GWh biomethane. Using energy efficient production processes and innovative technologies developed in-house, its biofuels achieve up to 90 percent CO2 reductions compared to petrol or diesel. VERBIO supplies its products directly to the European mineral oil conglomerates, mineral oil trading companies, independent gas stations, freight forwarders, municipal utilities and vehicle fleets. In addition, VERBIO also markets high-quality pharma grade glycerine, a by-product of its biodiesel production, for the consumer goods and cosmetics industry. Facts NER 300 NER 300, so named as it is funded by the sale of 300 million emission allowances from the New Entrants’ Reserve (NER) set up for the 3rd phase of the EU emissions trading system (EU ETS), is one of the world’s largest funding programmes for innovative commercial scale low-carbon energy demonstration projects. Total funding is EUR 2.1 billion, and is expected to leverage EUR 2.7 billion in private investments.
Bioenergy no 4 july 2015
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