Assessing the Costs of Anaerobic Digestion Plant Projects

The Costs of Anaerobic Digestion are of course what everyone thinking of embarking upon a biogas project wants to know, and at the same time very few AD Plant owners and contractors want to give out their costs to a general audience. This is quite natural, due to the commercially sensitive nature of such information.

Nevertheless, the lack of such information may be slowing the introduction of Anaerobic Digestion. That's why when we found the following downloadable file with information on farm waste anaerobic digestion costs we thought that we would share it. So here is the link:

6 Costs of Anaerobic Digestion - Scribd

"6 Costs of Anaerobic Digestion - Free download as PDF File (.pdf), Text File (.txt) or readfalse online for free. Waste, breakdown, farming, a method to ...www.scribd.com/doc/.../6-Costs-of-Anaerobic-Digestion" http://www.scribd.com/doc/140384853/6-Costs-of-Anaerobic-Digestion

Having found some information on on-farm biogas plant costs we are aware that the next question is: "So what would the farm business be paying for that electricity if they were not generating it themselves/". So, we found an article which discussed the EU electricty charges which apply, and a which also includes a table of EU states electricity costs. For you information we have included that table below, however, you should also visit the original web page which is at:

Mc Dowell Purcell Solicitors Website Provides Anaerobic Digestion Electricity Costs Comparison

http://www.mcdowellpurcell.ie/content/anaerobic-digestion-tiime-ireland-catch

What stands out when looking at the above table, is just how low Irish electricity charges are, and the disparity between the republic and Northern Ireland, shown here is particularly marked, with Irish power charges as low as only a half of those in Northern Ireland.

The author, from Mc Dowell Purcell Solicitors, makes the point that with the notably lower electricity tariffs available in the Irish Republic, AD developers are forced to rely on income derived from gate fees in which the waste producer pays the AD plant to take the waste. The requirement for a reasonably high gate fee, before anaerobic digestion plants become financially viable, is a substantial barrier to the emergence of Irish Anaerobic Digestion Plant projects, as the gate fee is much more important for Irish plant operators due to their low electricity charges.

WRAP Data on Anaerobic Digestion Gate Fees in the UK

So, what might those gate fees which an Anaerobic Digestion Plant operator can charge to accept suitable organic waste at the site gate, amount to, we asked ourselves? Well, there is information available, and which seems to be anually updated, at the UK Government Funded WRAP website which suggests a median gate fee price in the UK for an anaerobic digestion plant, at £41/tonne in 2012.

"WRAP’s fifth annual Gate Fees report presents a summary of gate fees charged for a range of alternative waste treatment, recovery and disposal options, together with an analysis of the factors likely to influence future gate fees and comparison with last year’s report."

You can check out the WRAP report and their table of gate fees here: http://www.wrap.org.uk/sites/files/wrap/Gate%20Fees%20Report%202012.pdf

 Considering that a centralized on-farm community Anaerobic Digestion Plant might operate at a throughput annually of 30,000tpa, that means that the gate fee income alone might easily amount to £125,000 annually and that is just one income stream and does not include the revenue from the power production.  

Anaerobic Digestion of Solid Waste Moves on with Spring 2013 AD Plant Starts

It is that perfect time of year for starting outdoor projects with significant groundworks. By starting now, you get the best chance of "making hay while the sun shines", and using the best of the UK's (and northern hemisphere) spring and summer weather which can help greatly in keeping construction costs under control, and to programme. So, here is a round-up of a few recent announcements made about new Anaerobic Digestion Plant site construction start ups:

Anaerobic Digestion of Solid Waste

60,000 TPA Anaerobic Digestion Biogas Plant Approved in Yorkshire

Waste Management World

"The Manchester, UK based waste treatment infrastructure developer said that consent for its North Selby Anaerobic Digestion and Horticultural Glasshouse facility, which will be located on the former North Selby Mine site, was granted by the City of ..." http://www.waste-management-world.com/articles/2013/04/60-000-tpa-anaerobic-digestion-biogas-plant-approved-in-yorkshir.html

Imtech Announces New Tamesis AD Plant Award from Thames Water

Imtech, as part of the Tamesis team – a joint venture between Laing O’Rourke and Imtech Water, Waste & Energy  – has been awarded a £75 million contract by Thames Water to develop two Advanced Digestion AD schemes at Crossness and Beckton in London. By sustainably treating and enhancing sewage sludge – a process known as advanced anaerobic digestion – it is possible to convert sewage sludge into sustainable energy in biogas power plants. This contributes to both the environmental and financial performance. http://imtech.com/EN/corporate/Newsroom/Highlights/Highlights-2013/Imtech-announces-new-Tamesis-award-from-Thames-Water.html

Then there is the go ahead for new anaerobic digestion facilties for North Selby area: Plans Approved for North Selby AD Facility

Resource Magazine

"The City of York Council granted Peel Environmental planning permission to build an anaerobic digestion (AD) and horticultural glasshouse facility on the former North Selby Mine site, Wheldrake on Thursday (25 April). The planning committee voted nine ..." http://www.resource.uk.com/article/News/Plans_approved_North_Selby_AD_facility-3025

CAMBI Awarded Contract for 2 Thermal Hydrolysis Process Projects in UK

Cambi  has been awarded a contract for the thermal hydrolysis process (THP) scope of the Beckton and Crossness (Thames Water) advanced digestion projects, serving two of Europe’s largest sewage treatment works. Tamesis (joint venture between Imtech and Langs) let a subcontract to Cambi in July 2012 for the turnkey supply of 2 separate 2x3 reactor B12 Cambi plants, one for Beckton and one for Crossness sewage treatment works. Both plants are expandable to larger capacities in the future. The works will be completed in 2014.

New  Work Has Also Been Announced on Biogas CHP Plants in the US

Vermont Tech begins work on biogas CHP plant

Biomass Magazine

"After seven years of planning, Vermont Technical College has broken ground on an anaerobic digestion project that will generate heat for the campus, and power that will be sold to the grid. Permitting for the Central Vermont Recovered Biomass Facility, ...Biomass Magazine" http://www.biomassmagazine.com/articles/8927/vermont-tech-begins-work-on-biogas-chp-plant

Next time we will hope to see more farm based AD Plant starts. For whatever reason there seems to be a lack of those to report at present.

Anaerobic Digestion Investment - Uncertain About Investing on the Money Markets? Then Consider AD

There is plenty of bullish news from Anaerobic Digestion plant contractors at the moment, despite the money markets sinking due to a lack of confidence in the business exchanges over the past fortnight in the world economy. 

With gold prices tumbling this week, it is tempting to suggest that investing in Anaerobic Digestion facilities does at least provide an investment which can, and will normally do very well throughout recessionary periods. It is clear that waste will continue to be created whether or not the economy is growing, and energy demands have not been adversely affected either.

So, we have a lot of sympathy with the following piece:

No time like the present to invest in Anaerobic Digestion

Journalism.co.uk (press release)

"Farmers are being urged to increase revenues from Anaerobic Digestion (AD) sooner rather than later. The calls come from AD specialist EnviTec Biogas, which plans, builds and services farm-scale AD plants across the UK. Mike McLaughlin, managing ...Journalism.co.uk (press release)"
http://www.journalism.co.uk/press-releases/no-time-like-the-present-to-invest-in-anaerobic-digestion/s66/a552676/

Other recent news shows that as we start the traditional period each year when new construction starts are at their highest, seeking to make use of better spring and summer weather, a number of new AD Plant projects are getting underway:

Anaerobic digestion plant reduces farm waste sent to landfills ...

(author unknown)

"(Boston Globe) At Jordan Dairy Farms in Rutland, an anaerobic digestion plant, which runs on ...www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hobtL5Rf-w"
http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3D7hobtL5Rf-w

Place your opening curation after this and then delete this text:

Plans submitted for waste recycling plant in Walton

Your Local Guardian

"The applicants want to create a modern recycling and recovery park, which will include an autoclave and anaerobic digestion (AD) facility, a materials recycling facility, an open construction and demolition waste recycling area, skip hire and workshop ..."
http://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/local/elmbridgenews/10353070.Plans_submitted_for_waste_recycling_plant_in_Walton/

Want more AD Info? The visit www.anaerobic-digestion.com 

Carbon Capture and Storage - Is This The Last Chance Before Runaway Climate Change Becomes Unavoidable?

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is the only technology proposed at present that could enable emissions mitigation with continued use of fossil fuels, so why is it taking so long for it to be developed?

Man generated energy-related CO2 emissions are higher than ever and further emissions increase seems inevitable. The rapid application of carbon capture and storage is a much heralded means to tackle emissions from both existing and future sources. In the minds of many it has been seen as a possible escape route for planet earth, allowing us additional time to move to renewable energy sources while the remaining usable fossil energy reserve is consumed.

However, despite extensive and successful research and development, progress in deploying carbon capture and storage has stalled. No fossil-fuel power plants, the greatest source of CO2 emissions, are using carbon capture and storage, and publicly supported demonstration programmes are struggling to deliver actual projects. Yet, carbon capture and storage remains a core component of national and global emissions-reduction scenarios.

Governments really need to be either increasing their commitment to carbon capture and storage (CCS) through much more active market support and emissions regulation, or come clean to their citizens about accepting its failure.  If governments are giving up on carbon capture and storage they will have to recognize that continued expansion of power generation from burning fossil fuels is a severe threat to attaining objectives in mitigating climate change. At the same time they should be refocusing their efforts and that means redoubling their work to subsidize and maximize renewable energy production in areas such as anaerobic digestion.

For example, the International Energy Agency (IEA) Blue Map scenario envisages a 19% CO2 reductions contribution from carbon capture and storage by 2050. This suggests a need for the construction of hundreds of CCS operations worldwide in the 2020s, rising to thousands in the 2030s and beyond, to capture, transport and store over 8 Gt of CO2 per year by 2050.

To give you an idea of the scale of this endeavour let us just say that this is double the mass of current global annual oil consumption. So far, the viability of carbon capture and storage  to deliver on anything approaching this scale remains unproven. That is where investment by governments worldwide is essential to provide confirmation or otherwise of the viability of  carbon capture and storage.

To put it starkly: Public funding is essential to develop an informed climate mitigation strategy and to have any hope of limiting atmospheric CO2 levels to 450 ppm.

Decisions need to be made quickly on carbon capture and storage  provisions as the generating capacity with which it needs to be integrated will be being built over the next few years.

CCS is not perfect, but is technically feasible with existing technologies. Current capture processes can remove 85-95% of the CO2 contained in the waste gases produced by a power plant or industrial process. The capture, transport and storage processes all require energy, so more fuel needs to be extracted, transported and burnt to produce the same sale-able output of electricity or product'.

Renewable energy sources are being developed, and our readers will be very familiar with the success of the anaerobic digestion process in recent years in increasing their particular type of renewable energy. However, no alternative yet exists for mitigating emissions from the continued use of fossil fuels for electricity generation, or from high-CO2-emitting industry, for example, steel, cement and fertilizer production.

There has never been a time like this, when the decisions of politicians living today will decide the fate of future generations for thousands of years, if indeed civilization survives unabated climate change.

For now, the question remains open. Carbon capture and storage is in all likelihood technically deliverable, but will it be delivered before it is too late?

For more information see Nature Climate Change, University of Edinburgh - Feb 2013, Vol 3 No 2.


References:
World Energy Outlook 2011 (IEA, 2011); available at
http://www.worldenergyoutlook.org
Technology Roadmap: Carbon Capture and Storage (IEA, 2009).
Statistical Review of World Energy 2011 (BP.2011).
Calvin, K. et al. 2.6: Limiting climate change to 450 ppm CO> equivalent in the
21st century. Energy Econ. 31(Supplement 2), S107-S120 (2009).
IPCC Special Report on Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage (Cambridge Univ.
Press, 2005).
The Costs of CO, Capture, Transport and Storage (ZEP, 2011).
Gibbins, [, et al. Retrofitting CO, Capture to Existing Power Plants
(IEAGHG, 2011).

Pump and Mixer Reliability is All About Buying Quality Says Landia

O.K. so as a process engineer I am biased, you might say. I don't have to pay high initial plant installation costs myself, and a lot of plants simply would not have been built at all if the owners had not been seeking to build them on the lowest conceivable budget.

But, talk to those in the UK anaerobic digestion industry with operating plants and within a short time you will know that pump and mixer reliability is a big issue.

That's why I am delighted to publish here this press release from a supplier that is committed to quality, and is prepared to invest in external audit services to provide the rest of us with good evidence of their internal systems, to back up their claims.

PRESS RELEASE:

Pump and mixer quality counts says Landia with new 100% UVDB quality achievement Landia UK, the leading pump and mixer manufacturer, has achieved a 100% pass rate for quality in its latest UVDB VERIFY Approval.
According to Landia UK Director Hugh Vaughan, a maximum quality score in this independent audit by Achilles clearly makes a statement about the excellence of the company’s products, procedures and ethos.
“The UK’s biogas industry does get some flak about AD plants that aren’t working properly. Sometimes this is down to very poor ‘chuck in anything and everything’ feedstock choices, and it can also be down to using equipment that just isn’t fit for purpose”.
He added: “We hear plenty from the industry about wanting to improve biogas yields, but those citing poor performance are invariably the ones who’ve specified equipment such as pumps and mixers that aren’t of a good enough quality to work properly in an AD plant. There’s also plenty of kit out there that has been dressed up as supposedly suitable for the UK biogas industry, but simply isn’t capable – and/or doesn’t come with any proper maintenance or spares back up”.
In addition to its 100% UVDB VERIFY quality approval, Landia also achieved (for OnSite Assessment) 98% for Health & Safety and 93% for Environment.
Hugh Vaughan continued: “In addition to quality, health and safety should be paramount for AD owners and operators, so they need to look very closely at finding those in the supply chain who have the proper credentials. Not a difficult task. This would then in turn enhance the reputation of the industry for everybody’s benefit”.

Landia

01948 661 200

info@landia.co.uk

www.landia.co.uk

Waymills Industrial Estate

Whitchurch,

Shropshire

SY 13 1TT

Verder Chemical Dosing in the Spotlight

Verder Chemical Dosing in the Spotlight

In this article Philip Brown, Project Manager for pumping solutions at Verder UK, explains the chemical dosing process, and how dosing techniques are commonly applied by Verder to the popular chemical dosing functions of pH buffering and phosphate removal.

Chemical Dosing

Chemical dosing is the controlled delivery of a chemical into contaminated water, sewage or sludge–like fluid, usually as a pre-processing method. It is frequently used during sewage treatment, and as part of the anaerobic digestion process for making energy from waste. Chemical dosing is also used when treating industrial effluents to remove contaminants, before it can be returned to a natural watercourse.

The Dosing Process

A set of chemical dosing equipment mounted on a "skid" (a relocatable metal frame) is the most effective way build a chemical dosing system to dispense chemicals. Most skid mounted assemblies use at least two peristaltic or reciprocating dosing pumps. These are attached to pipe manifolds and the whole unit is usually protected within a cabinet. 

In such arrangements one pump acts as a duty standby component to ensure the dosing process is uninterrupted in the event that a wearable component fails, and the system needs to be serviced. 

Normally, chemical dosing systems are set up with pumps and valves to accurately and automatically control the dosing process to inject a chemical into a pipe or vessel at a predetermined rate.

pH Buffering

Chemicals such as sodium hydroxide or lime are dosed in conjunction with pH measurement - a process known as pH buffering to ensure that the process runs in the optimum pH range for the reactions of the chemical process to take place. 

For sewage works systems the amount of buffering will vary according to the time of day; for example at a high rate in the morning when people use the toilet or bathroom, at a lower flow rate during the day, and back at a high  dosing rate in the evening when they finish work. As a result, dosing pumps need to increase the amount delivered at these peak demand times and reduce it during the hours of sleep, producing a diurnal, cyclical flow. 

Removing Phosphates Using a Unique Product Developed by Naiad Aquatic Water Services

Introduction of an iron-based chemical solution like ferrous or ferric sulphate or chloride can very effectively remove phosphates which are pricipitated out during a settlement stage. Alternatively ferrous sulphate can take the form of copperas crystal, a by-product of the pigment industry, which can be mixed in a tank with water in a unique patented process available from Verder, and provided in conjunction with Naiad Aquatic Water Services. 

Working in an exclusive collaboration with Verder UK, Naiad Aquatic Water Services, has developed a range of chemical dosing systems including the Naiad Copperas Saturator. 

The latter was developed in partnership with Thames Water’s R&D section to provide a cost-effective alternative to liquid dosing. Naiad chemical dosing systems incorporate feed-back and load profile control options, and enable process optimisation for phosphate removal and septicity control. When used to dose chemicals into sewage for phosphate removal, Verder's equipment ensures that phosphate residuals in the final effluent consistently meet targets, and odours are minimised. 

Verder takes pride in delivering pumping solutions that are designed around the needs of the customer, not off-the-shelf packages which are made-to-fit all, but which seldom fit any site's needs perfectly. Verder points out that their customer feedback regularly shows that the quality and robust nature of the company's end-product is superior to their competitors off-the-shelf solutions.

Verder has found by experience that the best outcomes come from their practice of involvement with engineers face-to-face, and by setting-up meetings to discuss their client's requirements in detail. Whether the setting is a boardroom, or on-site in "boiler suits", they place a high priority to always providing a professional service built upon courtesy and respect between contractor and customer. 

Philip Brown points out that ultimately, it all boils down to Verder's passion for saving water utilities as much money as possible, while at the same time always providing them with the most reliable and robust equipment.

Visit Verder's website for more information at http://www.verder.co.uk

Author: Verder

Email: info@verder.co.uk

Phone Number: +44(0)1924 221 001

UK Biogas Plants Exceed 100 And Hit Trouble

The good news is that that magic number of 100 anaerobic digestion plants in the UK has now been exceeded. In fact, if you visit the AD Info "Official Anaerobic Digestion" website, you will find that their list of 100 does not include a number of categories of AD Plant, such as Water Company sewage sludge fed plants. That means that the true number is probably more like 125 already, plus even within their categories we know of several unlisted digesters. Even so, the UK is still a long way behind Germany and other EU states, so we maybe should not be proclaiming this achievement at all? On balance I think the UK is right to give itself a small pat on the back. But, let's not forget that Germany has two to three thousand AD Plants in operation. Yes. That is thousands! And yet, the proportion of UK plants that are organic waste fed, as opposed to energy crop, is vastly higher than in Germany, and that in itself is arguably far better. It is better for the environment and the avoidance of potentially reducing food production and raising food prices. So, the UK AD industry is correspondingly much "greener". The following is the press release that prompted this article:

Anaerobic digestion plants hit the 100 mark...

(author unknown)

"The number of anaerobic digestion (AD) plants in the UK – excluding waste water plants - has passed the 100 mark.www.mrw.co.uk/news/...plants.../8643427.article?..." http://www.mrw.co.uk/news/anaerobic-digestion-plants-hit-the-100-mark/8643427.article%3Fblocktitle%3DLatest-news---recycling-and-waste-management%26contentID%3D2182

But, unfortunately, as the UK biogas industry is expanding it is also beginning to hit trouble with odours and pollution. The Poplars Landfill Anaerobic Digestion Plant was last week in the News for continued odour complaints from local residents. Hopefully, that will be a thing of the past , after the plant operator brings in new measures to combat those odours this month. Watercourse pollution is the "trouble" which one AD Plant oprator has been "hit" by. Yet, one wonders whether the method being used for pumping the digestate at the time was wise, given the risk from pollution. The following is an extract from the article, to which we refer:

Somerset company fined for polluting stream with waste from anaerobic digester... 

Waste Management World

"The pipe had broken free while digestate was being pumped from the anaerobic digestion plant. The pollution flowed into a trench and eventually into a stream which flows into the River Parrett. Approximately 60 tonnes of liquid digestate was lost ..." http://www.waste-management-world.com/news/2013/02/21/somerset-company-fined-for-polluting-stream-with-waste-from-anaerobic-digestion-plant.html

The River Parrett is slow flowing through the Somerset levels so the potential damage to river ecology is large.