SPIN Project biogas 1201 zD · 2016-08-08 · 6 SPIN Biogas optimizer Abstract: Bioprocess Control’s award winning product Biogas OptimizerTM is a process diagnosis, decision support

Biogas

www.spin-project.eu

Project part-financed by theEuropean Union (EuropeanRegional Development Fund)

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Imprint

PUBLISHER: University of TartuVanemuise 4650090 Tartu, Estonia

EDITORS: Kadri Reinsoo and Antti Roose, University of Tartu, Estonia

CONTRIBUTORS:Daniel de Graaf, Federal Environment Agency (BMU), GermanyUwe Fortkamp and Kåre Tjus, Swedish Environmental Research Institute (IVL), SwedenRené Grøn, Danish Technological Institute (DTI), Denmark

DESIGN: design_idee_erfurt GbR, Erfurt

Published January 2012

PHOTO CREDITS:Page 5: m.schuckart/Fotolia.comPage 18: christian42/Fotolia.comPage 19: N-Media-Images/Fotolia.com

Imprint

This brochure has been produced with the assistance of the European Union (http://europa.eu). The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the author and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union.

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Content

Preface Biogas 4

SPIN Biogas Highlights

Biogas optimizer 6

BioConstruct GmbH: turnkey biogas plants 7

BEKON dry fermentation technology 8

SBBiogas: combination of thermophilic and mesophilic fermentation for optimized biogas production 9

agnion Technologies GmbH: energy through biomass gasification 10

Gasification of biomass: a possibility to replace fossil fuel 11

Upgrading biogas to very pure vehicle gas by cryogen-process 12

Vehicle gas upgrading for small-scale biogas facilities 13

Optimisation of biochemical processes of anaerobic co-digestion but keep full title in the highlight description 14

PROGRASS: securing the conservation of NATURA grassland habitats with a distributed bioenergy production 15

Low emission fuel flexible biomass furnace from DALL Energy 16

Domestic and industrial heating with patented bio-oil system 17

The Spin Project 18

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Biogas

Biogas is a renewable energy source that is produced when organic material is decomposed by microorganisms in an oxygen-free environment (anaerobic digestion). Producing biogas enables to make use of many different kinds of organic matter:

■ Biodegradable part of municipal (bio)waste

■ Different industrial residues and waste materials that are biodegradable

■ Agricultural wastes and residues, e.g. manure

■ Silage from grass and energy crops

■ Sewage sludge

■ Waste at landfi lls

Biogas mainly consists of methane and carbon dioxide, but also contains small amounts of hydrogen sulphide and am-monia. Biogas is continuously produced in natural environ-ments such as the stomach of cows and other ruminants, in marshes and bogs and in lake sediments. The active micro-organisms in the biogas process can be controlled through substrate addition and keeping the fermenter in a certain temperature range to produce renewable energy from biomass in the form of biogas.

Biogas is a versatile energy source, suitable to use as fuel for vehicles as well as for power and heat generation. Depend-ing on treatment, technologies and commercial needs, the biogas may be either:

■ converted into electricity and heat by combustion in combined heat and power (CHP) plants

■ or purifi ed to biomethane for being fed into the natural gas grid or used as transport vehicle fuel.

Biomass is renewable and, if produced effi ciently, a good alternative energy source and supports the transition from fossil to green energy. In addition to purposeful production of CO2-neutral energy from renewable biomass, biogas has other cross-sectoral advantages, e.g. utilizing biowastes from households, communities and agriculture.

■ In energy policy biogas contributes to renewable energy production from local raw materials, at the same time decreasing dependency on imported fuels.

■ The environmental aspects of biogas production include the decrease in demand for fossil fuels and respectively, less pollution. Greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture can be reduced and the fermentation residue used as good-quality fertiliser.

■ The well-known link between biogas production and waste management means that many biodegradable substrates that would otherwise be treated as waste can be turned into energy, at the same time solving diffi cult waste management issues.

■ Biogas production is also closely related to agriculture: the need to store solid manure is solved and process of handling the manure made easier. The outcome of pro-

SPIN project set out to collect innovation highlights that are both innovative and sustainable. Among many documented products, solutions and services there is a number of highlights in the fi eld of biogas that deserve extra attention and credit for fulfi lling both of the mentioned criteria. That is - being environmentally friendly by its nature and at the same time introducing many novel technologies. With this brochure SPIN contributes to market penetration of some of these biogas technologies and encourages the exchange of best practices in biogas sector.

At present both options are used and prioritised in different countries, e.g. in Germany in most of the cases the biogas produced is used in combined heat and power plants for the concomitant generation of electricity and heat, while in Sweden the biomethane is used as traffi c fuel. Modern CHP plants work with an electrical effi ciency of about 45 % and heat production effi ciency up to 45%. The electricity gener-ated may be used for the process, own needs and for feeding into the mains of the local energy supplier.

Biogas – sources and uses

The cross-sectoral benefi ts and added value of biogas production

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The progress of biogas sector is evident - in 2008-2009, primary energy growth increased by 4.3%. While potential for biogas production is considerable in many BSR countries, Germany has clear leader role in produced amounts. About half of the total biogas produced in the EU is registered in Germany - in many other BSR countries the market fi rst hast to be opened up. Development of the market depends on policies of EU and individual countries - in countries where

This brochure introduces a selection of the innovation high-lights that contribute to production and treatment of biogas that is smart as well as sustainable. The highlights described in this brochure include innovative examples on different anaerobic fermentation technologies (e.g. dry fermentation), biomass upgrading (e.g. for vehicle gas), biomass gasifi -cation, biogas plant optimisation, turnkey biogas plants, biomass gasifi cation and more remarkable products and solutions. If you want more information about the specifi c innovation highlight, please contact the company submitting the prod-uct or technology. Additional info is also to be found on SPIN Innovation Highlights Database (enter search word „biogas“). At least 20 biogas innovation highlights can be found there!

Biogas in Baltic Sea Region countries

SPIN biogas highlights

cess is a liquid fermentation residue that can be used as fertiliser if quality pre-requisites are fulfi lled. In some countries (e.g. Germany) national framework for biogas has encouraged farmers to grow and use energy crops, but reactions to this trend are controversial.

■ In addition to the mentioned effects biogas production can also play a part in regional and economic policies, e.g. developing micro-scale gas grid in smaller settle-ments and offering better-priced energy for local inhab-itants, creating additional jobs and bringing the local stakeholders together for a common cause (e.g. so-called bioenergy villages all over Europe).

different incentives have been introduced, also attractiveness to erect biogas plants has improved essentially.

The sources for biogas production vary greatly in the BSR and are closely related to priorities set in national policies. In Germany agricultural substrate takes up huge majority of biogas production while Sweden and Poland have more emphasis on sewage sludge gas. Finland, but also Sweden and Poland have a considerable share in landfi ll gas.

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SPIN

Biogas optimizer Abstract: Bioprocess Control’s award winning product Biogas OptimizerTM is a process diagnosis, decision support and optimization application built into one product. Biogas OptimizerTM helps compa-nies to unleash the true potential of their biogas plants, in turn maximizing their profi tability.

Description: Biogas producers who are interested in testing the upper limits of their production process can install Biogas Optimiz-erTM by integrating the application with an existing SCADA, Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition, system. Biogas producers who decide to purchase a Biogas OptimizerTM

license will be able to unleash the true potential of their production plant and maximise profi ts.

Biogas OptimizerTM is a process diagnosis, decision support and optimization application that is built into one product. Today, biogas producers can choose from three modules, with a pipeline of new modules under development:

■ Process Diagnosis■ Energy Balance■ Process Optimizer

While the Process Diagnosis module allows for superior data mining and plant-wide diagnosis capabilities, the Energy Balance module provides operators with a detailed overview of energy fl ows, utilisation and recovery at a biogas plant. The Process Optimizer module provides biogas producers with a system for intelligent supervisory control of a biogas plant, protecting a biogas process from overload while al-lowing the maximum utilisation of digester capacity. Every module has one thing in common - contributing to a better understanding of a biogas plant and process, allowing an operator to become more effi cient in their daily work.

In April 2011 Bioprocess Control announced the global launch of its second generation Automatic Methane Po-tential Test System or AMPTS II. Developed over the past 12 months, the AMPTS II marks a signifi cant evolution in a technology that has already gained global appeal. The AMPTS II provides users with improved stability and func-tionalities such as built-in pressure and temperature sensors, integrated embedded data acquisition, and a new embedded web server.

Biogas Optimizer TM allows on-line and in real-time optimization

Optimizing biogas production gives a more effi cient produc-tion which favours both the environment and the economy.

Biogas producers who utilise Biogas OptimizerTM will be able to experience the following benefi ts:

Innovative aspects – environmental, economic, social:

■ Higher biogas production (a better utilisation of digester capacity)

■ More stable biogas production (maximise ROI on CHP or gas upgrading units)

■ Protection against process disturbances and better man-agement routines to avoid process problems

■ Detailed process monitoring and diagnosis leading to a cost effi cient plant operation

■ Faster start-up of bioreactors (up to 75% quicker start-up times)

The technologies and services offered by Bioprocess Control can provide value to all biogas producers, including waste-water treatment plants, organic waste handlers, food & beverage producers, ethanol producers, bio-diesel produ-cers, pulp & paper companies, power and gas companies and farmers.

Provider:

Bioprocess Control AB

ContactKristofer CookScheelevägen 22 223 63 LundSwedenTel.: +46 (0)46 163952 or +46 (0)708796580 [email protected]

SPIN BIOGAS HIGHLIGHTS

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BioConstruct GmbH: turnkey biogas plants Abstract: BioConstruct, based in Melle, Lower Saxony, offers turnkey wet fermentation biogas plants for a wide variety of electrical output and substrates ranging from renewable raw material to co-fermentation plants for liquid manure and organic residues. Some plants have been particularly designed for grass silage as a substrate. The company already installed plants in Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and Czech Republic with an overall electrical capacity of 61 Megawatt. Due to monitoring by a fault monitoring system, the plants exhibit high reliability and low main-tenance, resulting in an average utilization ratio of 97% and, as a consequence, high total biogas yields. Handover of plants does not take place before thorough training of clients in plant operation. They are also assisted in optimizing yields by analyzing biological processes, providing technical customer support and offering advice on cultivating renewable raw material. Service portfolio is complemented by fermentation residue processing systems as well as fi nancing and shareholding schemes.

Description: Wet fermentation processes are suitable for liquid manure and renewable raw material with a low lignin and wood fi ber content. The predominant renewable raw material in Germany today is maize silage which is on discussion since it competes for acreage with food and animal feed produc-tion and, as a result, increases tenure prices. Signifi cant consumption of maize silage as a co-substrate also enforces maize mono-cropping problems. It is therefore important for a sustainable development of biogas production to also use organic residues, biowaste or grass as a substrate. The latter gives biogas yields reduced by 15 % compared to maize silage fermentation which is compensated by lower prices for grass. In addition, squeezed fermentation residues constitute an optimal grassland fertilizer.

Grass silage as a fermentation substrate requires a carefully adapted plant concept with smaller fermenters, large stirring devices as well as short connection and supply lines due to its tough-fl owing and cohesive character. Thereby, high liability and low maintenance costs are ensured as well as high biogas yields.

With the revision of the German Renewable Energy Act in 2012, the use of maize silage as a substrate will be limited to 60%. As a consequence, demand for alternatives to maize such as residues from the food industry or grass will increase considerably.


Provider:

BioConstructGesellschaft zur Errichtung von umweltfreundlichen Energieerzeugungsanlagen GmbH

ContactBioConstruct GmbHOffi ce Lower SaxonyWellingstr. 66D-49328 MelleGermanyTel.: +49 (0)5226 / 5932 - 0Fax: +49 (0)5226 / 5932 – [email protected]://www.bioconstruct.com

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BEKON dry fermentation technology Abstract: Using a batch process based on a number of concrete garage-like gastight fermenters com-bined with a percolation tank BEKON dry fermentation technology achieves high biogas yields coupled with robust and energy-saving technology. Emphasis is placed on environmental and safety aspects guaranteeing best results.

Description: BEKON Dry Fermentation process allows treatment of bio-waste with high dry matter content and is highly insuscep-tible towards undesired contaminants (sand, stones, wooden particles, fi bres, etc.). Costly and elaborate dehydration of the digestate after fermentation is avoided.

Process descriptionThe organic matter is inoculated with substrate that has already been fermented. It is then fi lled into the digester and fermented under airtight anaerobic conditions. Further inoculation with bacterial matter occurs by recirculation of percolation liquid, which is sprayed over the organic matter in the digester. No mixing of the organic matter is necessary during the fermentation process like in conventional wet fermentation systems.

The temperature of the process (35 – 38°C) and the percola-tion liquid is regulated by a built-in fl oor heating system in the digester and a heat exchanger in the percolation liquid tank.

The different degrading reactions (hydrolysis, acid and methane formation) take place in one digester, resulting in reduced process energy consumption and maintenance costs. During fermentation process, no further mixing, pumping or stirring is necessary inside the digester. The highly special-ized BEKON process technology of dry fermentation allows a very low energy input. The gas yields vary depending on the substrate from 100 m³/t meadow grass (fi rst cut) up to 180 m³/t maize silage. For organic wastes, gas yields are similar to those of conventional liquid fermentation systems. The low sulphur content and the high methane content in the biogas from the BEKON dry fermentation process are particularly interesting features of this system.

Engineering and operationThe digesters are made of gastight concrete and can be fi lled and emptied with a wheel loader. The digesters are elongated and garage shaped, with a large gate on the front. After the biomass has been fi lled in, the gates are closed and shut gas-tight. The system is equipped with an especially developed safety device preventing an explosive atmosphere while the digester is opened for emptying and refi lling. The generated biogas is dried in a gas-processing chamber, where gas qual-ity and amount are measured. It is then pumped through a gas-regulating device with the respective safety installations into a combined heat and power unit. An especially designed gas engine in the co-generation unit generates electricity. The process heat is partly used for maintaining the optimum temperature in the digesters.

■ no pretreatment of the biowaste required■ residuals, e.g. plastic, wood, sand can be handled without

problems■ no dewatering of digestate needed■ electrical energy consumption of the dry fermentation

plant reaches less than 3% of the produced electricity (excluding the CHP units)

■ water from the ranking area is collected and added into the percolate tank

■ computer controlled percolation allows optimization of biological degradation in the digesters and therefore maximal biogas yields


Provider:

BEKON Energy Technologies GmbH

ContactBEKON Energy Technologies GmbH & Co. KG Feringastraße 985774 UnterföhringGermanyTel.: + 49 (0) 89 / 90 77 959 - 0Fax: + 49 (0) 89 / 90 77 959 - 29E-Mail: [email protected]: www.bekon-energy.de

SPIN SPIN BIOGAS HIGHLIGHTS

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SBBiogas: combination of thermophilic and mesophilic fermentation for optimized biogas productionAbstract: Wet fermentation biogas plants are operated either in the mesophilic (30 to 40 °C) or thermophilic (45 to 55°C) temperature range. The latter is more sensitive to temperature variations but allows higher decomposition rates and thus higher gas yields. SBBiogas located in Markbreit, Germany, has engineered a container-in-the-container biogas plant concept where the two different processes are operated in parallel. Due to the innovative process design, gas yields are increased by 20 to 30% in comparison to standard wet fermentation plants. Moreover, owing to a patented approach for sediment removal, the plant may be operated by a large variety of substrates that also exhibit high impurity content.

Description: Substrates are introduced into an inner container and fermented under thermophilic conditions at 50°C. 90% of the overall produced biogas is generated at this stage of the process which also eliminates pathogens and weed seeds. After a retention period of 40 days, the digestate reaches the outer container via an overfl ow and remains there again for 40 days under mesophilic conditions. Afterwards, the digestate is pumped to a foil covered storage tank which also serves as gas storage. Due to the compact design of the fermenters and effi cient insulation (heat conduction coeffi cient: 0.4 W/m2K), energy consumption to maintain the fermentation process is as low as 12.5-20% of the produced energy at outside temperatures of -20°C. Sediments are pushed to a pit in the container centre by a circling grate. There, they may be withdrawn by suction when required well during operation times. This solution avoids costly downtime which occurs for cleaning of conventional fermenters.

Coupling of thermophilic and mesophilic digestion by the outlined fermenter arrangement is a novelty in wet fermen-tation allowing high performance in biogas production even in colder climates. Containers are erected with high qual-ity concrete by a solid-state construction method avoiding joints. Desulphurisation is achieved by controlled oxygen injection into the fermenter, leaving sulphur in the digestate as additional fertilizer. Complemented by the described sediment removal solution, the plant concept is superior to standard techniques.


Provider:

SBBiogas GmbH

ContactSBBiogas GmbHDr. Robert MuellerMainleite 3597340 MarktbreitGermanyTel.: +49 (0)9332 - 50 55 0Fax: +49 (0)9332 - 50 55 [email protected]://www.sbbiogas.de

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agnion Technologies GmbH: energy through biomass gasifi cationAbstract: The company agnion Technologies, based in Pfaffenhofen, Bavaria, has designed a Heatpipe Reformer which converts wooden biomass (wood pellets) into hydrogen (H2) and carbon mon-oxide (CO) for further processing into synthetic natural gas (SNG) or combustion in a gas en-gine for electricity and heat production. Conversion is allowed by a novel fl uidized bed gasifi er. Calorifi c value of the syngas is doubled compared to conventional fi xed bed gasifi cation fur-naces. Application possibilities do not only stem from new decentralised installations in cities and municipalities, but also from replacement of existing plants. A series of plants having heat inputs of 1.3 MW (wood pellets or wood chips) is planned for the market launch.

Description: Fuel is introduced to the actual fl uidized bed gasifi er, the Reformer, by means of a lock system. In a fl uidized bed system like this, a bed of sand is held in suspension by a gas fl ow. Water vapor is used for this purpose in the Heatpipe-Reformer. Fuel particles mix ideally in this “fl uidized”, highly turbulent bed of sand, and begin to convert into a gas mixture at temperatures of around 800°C. One major advantage of this process is that the fuel that is added does not have to be completely gasifi ed. Part of the fuel is dis-charged downward via a fi lter system into a second fl uidized bed combustion chamber in the form of residual coke and/or char. This second fl uidized bed is fl uidized by means of air. Residual coke burns at temperatures of around 900°C in this fl uidized bed, thus providing heat at equivalent tempera-tures, which is then returned to the Reformer via heat pipes. From a heating input of 1.3 MW, electrical and heat output of 360 kW and 560 kW is generated, respectively.

Effi cient generation of electricity in small-scale plants has thus far been possible only with gas engines, micro turbines and - medium-term - with fuel cells. These machines require liquid or gaseous fuels, and thus suitable gasifi cation tech-nologies. Coupled with a gas engine or a micro gas turbine, a


Provider:

agnion Technologies GmbH

Contactagnion Technologies GmbHLöwenstr. 11D-85276 PfaffenhofenGermany Tel.: +49(0)8441/40 847-0Fax: +49(0)8441/40 [email protected] www.agnion.de

Heatpipe-Reformer can achieve electrical effi ciency factors of up to 25%. In fact, a Reformer coupled with a fuel cell will even be able to reach factors of up to 35% in the future. In addition to the benefi t of decentralization that incorp-orates cogeneration, the Heatpipe-Reformer can achieve overall effi ciencies that have thus far been possible only in plants that have a signifi cantly higher load scale factor. The plant allows for the use of renewable material which is lo-cally available, thereby replacing fossil resources.


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Gasifi cation of biomass: a possibility to replace fossil fuelAbstract: Cortus AB is working to become an international leader in industrial supply of clean renewable Energy gas from biomass. It is based on the patented gasifi cation technology WoodRoll® to re-place fossil fuel as the primary source of energy. The WoodRoll® gasifi cation technology offers a thermal effi ciency of 80%, fl exibility to use a variety of biofuels, no fossil CO2 emission and a clean synthesis gas in one integrated process providing the lowest running and investment costs on the market. The technology has been validated by a major engineering consultancy fi rm.

Description: Cortus sells technology and services for clean renewable en-ergy to high temperature combustion in industrial processes based on the patented WoodRoll® technology, a cost effi -cient and fl exible technology for gasifi cation of biomass. The targeted customers are within the energy intensive industries (process, power and waste management industries).The aim is to replace coal, oil and natural gas as fuel, by using wood-based biomass and industrial sludge. Cortus’ WoodRoll® technology consists of an integrated 3-step process of Drying, Pyrolysis and Gasifi cation. Separation of the process into 3 steps (compared to conventional 3-in-1 gasifi cation furnace) allows easier tar handling and a higher degree of fuel fl exibility.The usage of air as gasifi cation agent compared to oxygen gives the WoodRoll® process an economical edge, due to its lower investment and operating costs. Heat content is main-tained high, by using a patented indirectly heated gasifi ca-tion technique that prevents dilution of the energy gas with nitrogen. WoodRoll® process was described as “beyond state-of-the-art” in a technology assessment by Pöyry Sweden AB.

Further description of the technology’s advantage:Fuel Flexibility■ WoodRoll® process accepts a variety of fuels to be turned

into SynGas - successful development in laboratory and excellent pilot scale performance from pellets to sludges.

High Thermal Effi ciency■ Thermal effi ciency of 80% is possible to achieve, with

creative usage of heat exchangers for heat recovery.■ Co-operation with leading technology suppliers for sub-

systems has been secured.A Cleaner Syngas■ Patented method of indirectly heated gasifi cation of char

with steam yields cleaner syngas.■ Air does not come into contact with the syngas, hence

no dilution by nitrogen (conventional methods has 50% dilution) which means higher heat content.

■ No further downstream fi ltering or purifi cation processes needed for removal of unwanted substances.

Commercially available■ WoodRoll® is based on existing commercially-available

subsystems, put together in a new innovative method.■ Hence, less investment cost in R&D■ Three patents resulting in a high barrier to entry


Provider:

Cortus AB

ContactRolf LjunggrenSkalholtsgatan 2, 164 40 KistaStockholm, SwedenOffi ce Tel.: +46 (0)86 269 842Mobile Tel.: +46 (0)70 694 4898http://www.cortus.se/

In August 2010 Cortus entered into contract for delivery of a 5 MW demonstration plant to Nordkalk AB in Sweden, a leading producer of limestone products to among others the paper, steel and building materials industries in Northern Europe. Nordkalk’s production process is energy intensive and the contract demonstrates the environmental benefi t and commercial potential of the technology: Environmental Aspects Gasifi cation technology is based on high thermal effi ciency, fuel fl exibility and a clean energy gas without any pollution or contamination. Nordkalk demonstration project will lower the customer carbon emissions by 14,000 tons per year. After 2 years, the plan is to expand the facility to 25MW thus becoming the dominant energy source for the Köping fac-tory. When expanding the capacity the carbon emissions will decrease by 70,000 tons (for a single site). The target market in EU has 202 Mtons of fossil CO2 emis-sions to be lowered by implementing WoodRoll (10 Mton in SE). The US market has 216 Mtons and Canada 26 Mtons of fossil CO2 emissions.This is in line with the Kyoto Protocol and EU’s strong com-mitment to it. EU targets to reduce carbon emissions by 20% of 1990 levels and also to increase production of renewable energy to 25%, up from 7%, both by year 2020.Economic AspectsThe WoodRoll technology developed by Cortus AB is about green energy through cost-effective production of biogas. 20-40% lower and stable energy cost will be realized by customers being supplied by Cortus AB. In the case of the Nordkalk project, the innovative technology by Cortus con-fi rms the annual energy cost saving.

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Upgrading biogas to very pure vehicle gas by cryogen-processAbstract: When upgrading low-calorifi c gases such as biogas and landfi ll gas, delivery of gas with re-quired quality to the network can give rise to problems. One cause can be the high concentra-tion of nitrogen in the biogas. Another cause is the physical connection to the natural-gas network - a restrictive factor that determines the maximum capacity of an upgrading installa-tion. Scandinavian GtS has developed a cryogenic upgrading technology, the GPP®plus system to solve the above-mentioned problems. Raw biogas is upgraded to biomethane which is then liquefi ed. Liquefi ed BioGas (LBG) has methane content higher than 98%.

Description: Scandinavian GtS has developed a process to produce vehicle fuel in the form of liquid methane from biogas. The process uses four modules that are linked to each other in a series. In module 1 the gas is cooled to 6 °C and moisture and most of the pollution is separated. The moisture condenses and withdraws most of the pollution. In module 2 siloxanes, hydrogen sulphide and the remaining moisture is removed by cooling the gas down to -25 °C.In module 3 carbon dioxide is separated from the gas. The separation is done by freezing out (cooling the gas to -78 °C). The frozen CO2 is heated up, in a heat exchanger, to liquid CO2. In module 4 CH4 is liquefi ed by chilling the gas fl ow to around –190 °C. CH4 will be separated from any nitrogen, N2, which has a lower condensation temperature, and theproduct is LBG with a methane content over 99%.

Main advantages compared to known techniques:■ The system combines the purifying of the gas with the

removal of CO2 in only two cooling steps so no separate upstream cleaning processes (e.g. desulphurization) are required.

■ A clean liquefi ed CO2 fl ow is created that can be used for greenhouses, beer breweries etc.

■ Without special adjustments to the process, the loss of CH4 is limited to a maximum of 2%, resulting in a CH4 recovery of >98%.

■ Operational costs are extremely low since the system only requires electricity for cooling

■ The biomethane that remains can be liquefi ed by further compression and cooling. Producing liquid biogas gives energy savings in the entire production and distribution chain.

■ In contrast to other upgrading techniques it is possible to separate nitrogen from the biogas. This means that it is possible to use biogas from landfi lls.

The LBG meets the Swedish standard SS155438 “Motor fuels – Biogas as fuel for high-speed otto engines”, Type A.


Provider:

SCANDINAVIAN GASTREATMENT SERVICES AB

ContactHans KättströmSwedenTel.: +46 707 571 [email protected]


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Vehicle gas upgrading for small-scale biogas facilitiesAbstract: Artic Nova develops and manufactures a small-scale upgrade facility on behalf of Biosling AB. Biosling can upgrade methane gas from a digester to high-quality vehicle gas. Biosling can be connected to a digester at a farm that uses cattle manure as substrate, but manure from other animals or silage can also be used as a substrate. The production of biogas depends on how many animals there are in the herd: for a herd of 600 cows the biogas production is about 260 Nm³/ day. The biogas produced in the digester consists of approximately 65% methane, 35% carbon dioxide and traces of including sulphur compounds. By connecting Biosling to a digestion-gas facility the biogas upgrades to vehicle fuel with a methane content of over 97%. The produced vehicle gas is compressed and stored in cylinders of 80 litres each over 250 bar pressure. That is 200 Nm³ per gas cylinder that can then be connected to a fi lling station where you can fi ll up a gas-powered car.

Description: The upgrading process in BioSling is composed of several steps, but rotating spirals or coils of hoses are responsible for most of the carbon dioxide reduction in the biogas. Biogas and water are alternately fed into the outermost turn of the coil at a pressure of about 2 bars. The rotating of the coils means that water and gas will come into intimate contact with each other. Carbon dioxide is easily absorbed by water and scrubbed in proportion to pressure. As the coil rotates, water columns will be forced inward and compress the gas in between. Gas compression results in the absorption of the carbon dioxide. When water and gas leave the rotating coil centre most of the carbon dioxide is absorbed by the water and the biogas has actually increased its methane content to 94%. Only a very small amount of methane is soluble in water. The coil pump is turned slowly so that water and gas fl ow gently through the hoses and therefore the pumping and compressing processes work very effi ciently. As the sim-ple rotating coils replace pumps, compressors and gas-water mixers, a lot of mechanical maintenance is minimised when compared to traditional water scrubbing technology.


Provider:

Biosling AB

ContactJim JarlenforsSwedenTel.: +46 980 23 [email protected]://www.articnova.se/biosling_e.html

BioSling is a result of research and development driven by ambition to fi nd technologies for the effi cient and eco-nomical production of biogas. The purpose of BioSling is to increase the utilization and value of biogas by upgrading and therefore make better use of this versatile renewable fuel. The simple but reliable technology utilized in BioSling signifi cantly lowers the plant size for profi table production compared to conventional systems. The aim with BioSling is to make it profi table to produce valuable fuel on farms of moderate size, and to answer their own and their neigh-bours’ demand for vehicle fuel.

Farms with cattle for milk or meat production have very good substrate possibilities for anaerobic digestion in order to produce biogas. Cattle manure is a classical raw material for biogas. In addition to the valuable production of biogas the fertilizing power of manure is improved through the anaerobic digestion. The manure from a stock of 200 cows has the potential to yield about 260 nm3, normal cubic meter per day, and a very large stock of 600 cows will yield 770 nm3 per day. The energy content of 1 nm³ raw biogas from a digester is roughly equivalent to 0.6 litres of diesel oil or 0.65 litres of petrol. This “exchange rate” provides a handy way to estimate the value of manure as an energy source. Simple multiplication shows that 200 or 600 cows are equal to oil wells yielding 57,000 litres or 170,000 litres respectively of oil annually.

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Optimisation of biochemical processes of anaerobic co-digestion and development of process monitoring and control methods of biogas energy technologiesAbstract: Tallinn University of Technology, University of Tartu and Estonian University of Life Science have launched a collaborative project for applied research of anaerobic environmental tech-nologies. Tasks of this project are: implementation of new laboratory methodologies, studies of anaerobic co-digestion process in pilot and full scale reactors, and knowledge transfer between universities and companies. For public and private sector various services are offered: resource/digestate analysis, bio-methane potential measurement service, process optimization studies, know-how in biogas plant optimal design and laboratory support for biogas plants in operation.

Description: Provided services:■ Biomass and bio-waste resource evaluation and analysis■ Bio-methane potential measurements■ Digestate analysis■ Experiments with pilot scale anaerobic reactors■ Consultation on biogas production process scheme and

plant design

Research cooperation:■ Optimization of anaerobic co-digestion■ Nitrogen removal processes from reactor reject water■ Development of process monitoring and control methods

For effi cient organic matter reduction and energy production anaerobic processes and environmental conditions require-ments have to be thoroughly understood to establish optimal process parameters for each and every treatment system. This is where external experts can help with their knowledge, experience and necessary facilities and equipment.

Anaerobic environmental technologies provide cost effi cient solutions for organic material treatment and nutrient re-moval from wastewater streams at the same time producing biogas that can be converted to electricity, heat, vehicle fuel or injected to the natural gas network.

Bio-waste has for a long time been considered as a prob-lem, but it has become a valuable resource for bio-energy and artifi cial fertilizer replacement that can be recovered via anaerobic technologies. For agricultural sector manure anaerobic digestion provides additional income and reduc-tion of malodorous odour problems during manure storage and spreading on the fi eld. On the other hand, usage of additional substrates for biogas production provides employ-ment and possibility for energy self-suffi ciency in the smaller communities.


Provider:

Tallinn University of Technology

ContactPeep Pitk ([email protected]; +372 55604106)Chair of BiotechnologyDepartment of ChemistryTallinn University of Technology, Estonia


15

PROGRASS: securing the conservation of NATURA grassland habitats with a distributed bioenergy productionAbstract: In the framework of the EU Life+ programme the University of Kassel developed a technological and process orientated approach PROGRASS to produce bioenergy (solid fuel and electricity) from semi-natural grasslands. The aim of the project is to secure the conservation of NATURA 2000 grassland habitats with a distributed bioenergy production. The core element of the project is the technical approach - “Integrated Generation of Solid Fuel and Biogas from Biomass“ (IFBB). The basic principle of the technology is the separation of the silage in a solid fuel to be used for combustion and a liquid fraction for biogas production.

Description: An innovative technical approach was developed to produce solid fuel with improved combustion characteristics through hydrothermal conditioning and mechanical dehydration of the biomass from NATURA grasslands that cause problems in conventional biogas or combustion systems (because of low degradability of hay and its high mineral and nitrogen concentrations). The mobile bioenergy plant is installed in two ISO standard freight containers which are permanently fi xed on a semi-trailer. Technical feasibility of the approach is investigated by the prototype plant that processes about 400 kg silage per day. By means of a screw-conveyer the silage is continuously brought forward to the hydro-thermal conditioning. The conditioner consists of a band-conveyor, on which the silage stays over a defi ned retention time under constant percola-tion with circulating mash water at about 40°C. After the conditioning process the biomass is fed into the screw press, where it is mechanically separated into a press cake and a press fl uid. The press cake that still contains 50% water is collected in a box for drying to a storable dry matter content of 85%. The press fl uid is transferred to the second container into a storage tank. Digestion of the press fl uid takes place in three solid-state fermenters.The biogas is used by a burner to produce heat for the water mashing process, the digestion and drying of the press cake. High biogas yield is due to high digestibility of the press fl uid. Unused waste heat of combined heat and power plant is prevented through year-round drying of the press cake.


Provider:

Estonian University of Life Sciences, Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

ContactKatrin HeinsooRiia 181, 51014 Tartu, EstoniaTel: +372 731 1882, Fax: +372 738 3013E-mail: [email protected], www.prograss.eu

The PROGRASS project is demonstrating in European regions with a high proportion of extensive grasslands and NATURA 2000 habitats (due to rich diversity in both fl ora and fauna), not only the feasibility of the innovative approach, but also proves that the approach may become a cornerstone in the protection of these grasslands biotopes by developing a sustainable solution consisting of nature protection and socio-economic development of disadvantaged, marginal rural regions.

Thus PROGRASS will serve to:■ Protection of NATURA reserves through continuous ex-

tensive grassland management with regular harvesting;■ Securing livelihood for small farmers in retreated areas;■ Saving/Compensating costs for the conservation of

grassland biotopes;■ Increasing the acceptance for the compulsory and

sustainable management and maintenance of these biotopes;

■ Promoting distributed, effective and sustainable energy production;

■ European wide creation of awareness and transfer (after testing in PROGRASS partner regions: Germany, Estonia, Wales) of the approach for the sake of European NATURA habitats.

16

Low emission fuel fl exible biomass furnace from DALL EnergyAbstract: A biomass furnace …… without hot moving parts?… with fl uel fl exibility from 0% to 60% moisture?… with turn down ratio 1:10 ?… with dust emission 20 mg/Nm3 ?… with CO emission below 15 mg/Nm3 ?

Description: A biomass system …with 20% higher effi ciency?

It sounds incredible, but nevertheless Dall Energy has developed a biomass system that is simple to operate and maintain, and has reduced emissions.

The biomass system:Has no hot moving parts: The furnace combines updraft gasifi cation and gas combustion.

Provider:

Dall Energy

ContactVenlighedsvej 2, DK-2970 Hørsholm, DenmarkTelephone: +45 2987 [email protected]


Multi fuel and multi purposeThe oven has been developed in order to optimize fuel fl exibility and to reduce emissions, maintenance costs and investment costs.

The high temperature cooler can heat thermal oil. By using thermal oil the energy from the high temperature cooler can generate:

• Power, by use of ORC machines• Cooling, by use of absorption chillers• Clean water, by use of vacuum distillation• Steam, by using thermal oil-steam boilers• District heating. High Effi ciencyThe energy of the fl ue gas is recovered in a condensation unit. Condensation units are known in energy plants, but Dall Energy units are unique:

Due to the high moisture content and the high water dew point in the fl ue gas, the amount of energy produced in the condensation unit is much higher compared to traditional condensation units;Due to the high water dew point, the condensation unit can produce district heating water at much higher temperatures than normal condensation units;Due to the air moisturizing system, the fl ue gas is cooled to about 35°C resulting in very little fume and a very high energy effi ciency of the plant.

The Dall Energy furnace combines the well known updraft gasifi cation process with a gas combustion section above the gasifi er.

In the bottom part, the solid fuel is converted into a burn-able gas and fi ne ash. In the top layer, the fuel is dried and pyrolyzed.

The heat for the drying and pyrolysis process is a combina-tion of convective heat from the gasifi cation gases below and radiation heat from the gas combustion part above. The gas velocity in the bottom part is very low. Conse-quently, particles remain here and the dust emission of the furnace is very low. Gas from the bottom part is combusted in the top section. The gas combustion (fl ow, temperatures, emissions etc) is very stable.

Has 20% higher effi ciency: The combination of low O2 content, an air moisturizing system and traditional fl ue gas condensation results in a very high effi ciency even when the return tempera-ture of the district heating system is high.Furthermore the plant can regulate down to 10%, so that plant owners can save investment in a “summer plant”.

17

Domestic and industrial heating with patented bio-oil systemAbstract: SR Industry ApS is a company who develops CO2 neutral bio-oil burners and boilers for domestic household and smaller industries, as from 100 sp. m. and up to 3500 sp. m. SR Industry were founded in march 2011 and within its fi eld, SR Industry are properly the most experienced fi rm in Denmark, maybe in the world.Heating systems like the one SR Industry manufactures are CO2 neutral due to the bio-oil used ad fuel. The SR Industry unites all run on any vegetable or animal oil as well as on waste oil.

Description: SR Industry has developed a patented oil-preheating system that only uses 1/10 of the electric energy compared to competing systems. The SR system uses 250 W in apx. 1.5 minutes to create an oil temperature of 80 degrease Celsius. Whereas competing systems use up to 1,100 W in apx. 5-6 minutes to gain the same temperature level. So the SR system delivers a signifi cant decrease in time consumption as well as the energy consumption. The SR system does so without destroying and burning the oil. Burning the oil cre-ates “burnfl akes” and “bits” that afterwards will loosen, fl oat around in the tank and end up in the burning system and nozzle and cause the unit to work unreliable and stop.

Due to our patented system, the SR system does not burn the oil. It only raises the temp. to the level it is preset to. The innovation in the SR system is that the oil is not in direct contact with the heating devise, and therefore does not burn and destroy the oil.

SR Industry have developed their own boiler’s and have by tests found out that it is very important that bio-oil burns at the right temp. Therefore SR industry has developed their own system that creates the right temp. in the chamber at all time.

All of the SR boilers come with a “warm environment tube” as standard.

This causes the temp. to rise in the chamber to a degree that burns the glycerin and paraffi n’s in the bio-oil. Therefore the SR unit’s runs perfectly and are by far the most reliable bio-oil heating systems currently at the market.


Provider:

SR Industry

ContactTommi RytzDenmark+45 20 92 82 [email protected] www.biobraendselsanlaeg.com

SR industry has over 25 units out running at customers, and that saves both the environment for CO2 emissions, as well as the customers for a lot of money.

The Danish government estimates that there are about 250,000 diesel oil burners in Denmark. 100,000 of them are old units, therefore not only the environment could benefi t if these old burners were replaced with new environmentally friendly burners but the customers could also in the long run save signifi cantly on the operation costs.

1,000 units pa. is 1% of the actual market, and that is just Denmark. Going global could open up a potential huge mar-ket with large scale environmental and economic benefi ts.

References: http://www.biobraendselsanlaeg.com/index.php/reference

18

The aim of SPIN is spelt out in the full title of the project: SPIN aims at enhancing “Sustainable Production through Innovation in SMEs”.

SPIN is based on the simple but normally successful business equation of matching supply and demand. SPIN taps on innovations throughout the Baltic Sea Region (BSR), which lead to sustainable production in SMEs. It supports SMEs who have developed sustainable solutions to reach out to a larger market. At the same time it gives enterprises the technical and managerial solutions they need to make their production process more sustainable and to increase their profi ts.

In doing so the project is creating a win-win-win situation: The supplier increases his profi t by selling more products / services, the applier increases his profi t by reducing produc-tion costs (e.g. through improved resource effi ciency) and / or by increasing his sales (through innovative production techniques fulfi lling higher environmental or social stand-ards). In any case society benefi ts through reduced environ-mental costs or improved working conditions. The slogan of SPIN is therefore: Private Profi ts – Public Benefi ts.

SPIN has created a number of instruments to fuel this matchmaking throughout the BSR: Innovation highlights like the ones presented in this brochure are collected in the SPIN Database. This is a ready-to-use instrument for SMEs wanting to push their innovative products and for enterprises seeking an innovative solution for their specifi c

situation. All SMEs from the BSR can register and post their entries directly online. The SPIN partners perform a quality check and if the data set is meeting the criteria of sustain-able production the entry is made accessible to all users. Users only searching the database for innovations can use it without registering.

Other instruments are the SPIN Toolbox and the SPIN Indus-try Workshops. The SPIN tools can be applied rather broadly in all kinds of SMEs and are not as specifi c as the innova-tion highlights. “Umberto“ is such a tool that is promoted by SPIN. It is a powerful software tool to model, calculate and visualize material and energy fl ow systems in SMEs with cost intensive production that wish to optimize their processes and improve their competitiveness. Results can be assessed using economic and environmental performance indicators.

The SPIN Industry Workshops bring together experts, enter-prises and researchers from different countries of the BSR. The host of the workshop is setting up the agenda of the workshop based on a background analysis on the needs of the SMEs in the specifi c industry sector of his country.

Our understanding of innovation is based on the defi nition of the former Finnish Prime Minister Esko Aho who stated: “Quite often, when people talk about innovation they mean research and development. But innovation is broader than that: research is trans-forming money into knowledge, while innovation is transforming know-ledge into money and well-being.

The Spin Project

19

It’s all about creating a market for innovations – provided that they enhance sustainable production:

While the effective matchmaking between supply and demand involving SMEs from the whole BSR is one pillar of the SPIN project the other important pillar of SPIN is the improvement of the political, macro-economic framework conditions. Based on the results of country specifi c studies and a synthesis report for the whole BSR, SPIN partners have developed the SPIN Action Plan. The SPIN Action Plan translates the fi ndings on SME needs, existing barriers to innovations for sustainable production and experience on best-practice incentives into a transnational action plan. It addresses policy makers on national, transnational and Euro-pean level as well as authorities, fi nancing institutions and associations. The aim is to reduce barriers and create new transnational incentives to effectively support an uptake of innovations for sustainable production in SMEs of the BSR.

SPIN runs for 3 years (until January 2012) and is supported by the Baltic Sea Region Programme 2007-2013 of the European Union. SPIN is lead by the Federal Environment Agency from Germany and brings together some of the most important institutions for eco-innovations in the BSR.

Many national governments, sector associations, research bodies and transnational NGOs support the project. The im-portance of SPIN is further highlighted by the fact that the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region as well as the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) awarded SPIN the title as Strategic and Lighthouse Project, respectively.The website www.spin-project.eu has developed into a frequently used information platform for entrepreneurs and policy makers in the BSR but also into a market place for in-novations and tools supporting sustainable production.For more information please visit the website, which provides you also with all contact details for each country.

www.spin-project.eu

PROJECT PARTNERS

Germany Federal Environment Agency (UBA) - the Lead Partner Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU)

Sweden Swedish Environmental Research Institute (IVL)

Poland Polish Environmental Partnership Foundation (EPCE) Central Mining Institute (GIG)

Denmark Danish Technological Institute (DTI)

Lithuania Kaunas University of Technology, Institute of Environmental Engineering (APINI)

Estonia University of Tartu

Finland Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT)

Documents

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