EU Biogas Trends in 2019 - 6 Anaerobic Digestion and Biogas Industry Trends

Biogas Trends for 2019 and Predicted Developments in the Anaerobic Digestion Industry in Europe

The European Biogas Association (EBA) has predicted the biogas trends for 2019, taking into account current EU priorities, and the technical developments in the sector.

Trend 1. Biogas growth to continue in electricity, heat and especially biomethane production.

In June 2018 the EU institutions agreed on a new Renewable Energy Directive for the next decade, including a legally-binding EU-wide target of 32% for renewable energy by 2030.

The European biogas sector had a total of 17,783 biogas plants and an electricity production of 65,179 GWhr in 2017.

In Europe it will be the number of biomethane plants (which upgrade biogas to biomethane) with grid-injection and biomethane liquification, which will continue to grow fastest.

Biomethane plant numbers have already risen from 187 plants in 2011, up to a total of 540 plants in 2017, in the most recent data available.

Trend 2. More efficient added-value will be extracted by generating income from the whole biogas production process.

Currently, anaerobic digestion (AD) plants are mainly considered to be energy producers (electricity, heat and biomethane).

There are many more benefits of AD, which are not yet fully exploited to produce financial revenues.

Anaerobic digestion can be used to produce organic fertilizers and help save GHG emissions, process organic waste and act as a very flexible source of renewable energy.

Trend 3. Integration into the EU circular economy

The main expected trend for the biogas and biomethane sectors in the upcoming years will be a better integration into the EU circular economy.

Digestate, the output of the digestion process, is an example of this trend.

It will become more widely accepted and used as organic fertilizer.

Thereby, replacing the energy-intensive production of traditional non-renewable sourced fertilizers.

In this regard it is notable that the European Parliament, Council and Commission recently agreed upon the "Fertilizing Products Regulation", which will open the market for organic fertilizers.

Trend 4. There will be moves toward seasonal biogas energy storage

As the share of renewables and intermittent energy sources grows in Europe, the demand for flexible energy production is increasing. Biogas and biomethane will be likely to be stored to overcome seasonal variations in energy demand.

Trend 5. Better AD Plant local integrations

The integration of biogas and biomethane plants in their local environment will improve. Plants will take better advantage of location-specific opportunities.

Value-added opportunities from the end-products (CO2-gas, organic fertilizer and CHP) will be better integrated with neighbours.

Making anaerobic digestion facilities a better neighbours, and reducing concerns of local citizens.
For example, the CO2-gas flow that remains after upgrading biogas to biomethane, will more often be used as a nutrient source in nearby horticulture.

It will be delivered in simple underground pipelines, and to be distributed longer distances, the CO2-gas trend will be for increased liquification.

Trend 6. Combined heat and power production (CHP) will rise

Another upcoming trend will be the use of combined heat and power production (CHP) from electric power generation, to meet local heat demands.

The high value of such renewable gas will gain further recognition with biomethane being used for the same end-user applications as natural gas.

Three additional European countries (Belgium, Estonia and Ireland) connected their first biomethane plant to their national gas grid, in 2018.

This resulted in a total number of European biomethane producing countries of 18.

Finally, the "European Renewable Gas Registry" (ERGaR) is working to implement a European-wide administration system which will allow cross-border trade of biomethane.

If successful this is expected to boost the biomethane sector still further.

Source: An interpretation of a European Biogas Association article "Biogas Trends for this Year".

Comments on Interpretation

My main problem in writing the script for this video was understanding the word "valorisation" which is used in the original article.

It is a term with strong left-wing origins and using it is to be very insensitive to the issues surrounding the UK and Brexit.

I think the way it is used is simply an error, probably due to a lack of knowledge of the use of English, during translation from what was probably a German language original text.

With that in mind, I decided to assume that I would follow Wikipedia and defined "valorisation" as a miss-translation of the German word "Verwertung".

The general meaning of "Verwertung" (according to Wikipedia) is the productive use of a resource, and more specifically the use or application of something (an object, process or activity) so that it makes money, or generates value, with the connotation that the thing validates itself and proves its worth when it results in earnings, a yield.

I am sure EBRA would not wish to be seen as a Marxist organisation. I would be interested in the views of others about this.

Attribution:

This presentation video contains images that were used under a Creative Commons License.

Click here to see the full list of images and attributions: https://link.attribute.to/cc/393525

Aerobic Digestion and Anaerobic Digestion Compared

That's the subject of our recent article on our main blog.

The Differences Between Aerobic Digestion and Anaerobic Digestion are described in our educational video above.

Visit: https://blog.anaerobic-digestion.com/...
for the full article.
_________
To view this video on the YouTube website go to:

We created a full article at:

https://blog.anaerobic-digestion.com/aerobic-digestion-and-anaerobic-digestion/

This presentation contains images that were used under a Creative Commons License. Click here to see the full list of images and attributions:

https://link.attribute.to/cc/382226

Anaerobic Digester Feedstocks Types and Sustainable Uses

The Amazing Realities of the Humble Anaerobic Digester

For a biogas digester to produce gas, it just requires seeding with methane-producing bacteria. This isn't hard because these exist all around us.

Biogas is generated by the breaking down of natural, biodegradable waste or product (also called biomass) such as veggies, leaves, grass, weeds, remaining food scraps as well as such.

It's called a digester because the natural product is consumed as well as digested by bacteria to generate biogas.

Organic feedstocks are very flexible, varying from farm manures and also crops, to sewage sludge and also event catering wastes and also food wastes (consisting of raw and also cooked food, consisting of meat items).

The REA has been involved in campaigning for the manufacturing of biogas in the UK considering that 2001 as well as formed the Biogas Sector Group in 2004.

Every tonne of food waste reused by anaerobic food digestion as an option to garbage dumping that material avoids in between 0.5 and 1.0 tonne of CARBON DIOXIDE going into the environment, one of the numerous benefits of anaerobic food digestion.

What Can Go Into a Digester?

Anything natural can be fed to the digester supplied it's naturally degradable and also has very percentages of cellulose. Other common natural products made use of in biogas digesters consist of sewer, glycerin, algae and also lawns. After the methane-producing microorganisms is presented, the microorganisms will reproduce and the procedure continues definitely, and there is no risk that the bacteria will certainly die.

Diversified farming nowadays is everything about sustainable renewable energy, from discussing green energy resources, to products, services, and innovation advancements in this field.

Read more about it! See it here.

A typical anaerobic digestion plant (digester) creates as much as 1,900 m3/hr of enriched biomethane by cleansing.

Also, many are updating the methane-rich biogas created from the anaerobic food digestion of waste.

Like natural gas, biogas is made use of as a gas to create electricity to power farm equipment, for lights applications, in gas stoves for food preparation, and also for transport.

Not Just a Large Tank with a Glossy Plastic Dome Over It!

A biogas digester (also known as a biogas plant) is a large tank where inside biogas is created with the decomposition/breakdown of raw material through a process called anaerobic food waste digestion.

Biogas Upgrading

Biogas can additionally be cleaned as well as upgraded to create pressed natural gas (CNG) or liquefied natural gas (LNG).

CNG as well as LNG can be utilized to fuel vehicles and also cars and trucks. All anaerobic food digestion systems stick to the same basic concepts whether the feedstock is food waste, pet manures or wastewater sludge. The systems may have some differences in style but the procedure is generally the very same.

A Proportion of Carbon Dioxide - Always Found in Raw Biogas - Needs Removing from the Gas

A percentage of CO2 is always found in biogas when it is formed. It has to be removed during upgrading as there is none in natural gas LNG.

After removing the CO2 (as well as various other trace gases using a variety of methods in a procedure referred to as upgrading) the continuing to be methane is known as Renewable Gas or Biomethane.

The Coevorden (BEC) bio-digester, which provided the very first cubic meters of eco-friendly gas to Gasunie's nationwide gas network, is an example of an upgraded biogas supply.

One cubic metre of biogas at 60% methane material converts to 6.7 kWh energy.

After the gas is gotten rid of the slurry will certainly flow back right into the container it remained in at first.

Biogas is extensively made use of in homes around the world, particularly in nations where this modern technology has been extensively readily available and made use of.


As an example, in Europe companies such as ENER-G deal small CHP (4kWe to over 10MWe) from biogas, with around 170MWe currently set up.

Natural Fertilizer Output Enhances Soil Quality

The digester upgrades the biogas to biomethane (~ 98%; 1.5% nitrogen). The gas to grid plant at Bristol Sewage Treatment Works was the initial and largest of its kind.

The upgrading method prevents biomass transportation problems, in contrast with present biorefineries, while effectively valorizing decentralized biomass feedstocks such as agricultural waste or energy plants.

City of Oslo Digester Plant

Another example is the biogas digester plant which is operated behalf of EGE (Waste-to-Energy Agency) and the City of Oslo. Sweden is a globe leader in upgrading and use biomethane for transportation, and has lots of 'biogas lorries', including private cars, buses, as well as even a biogas train and a biogas powered exploring automobile group.

Gas is commonly used as a transportation fuel in lots of European nations, especially Italy, which flaunts 650,000 gas powered lorries.

A recently funded research study program on fuel will assess the opportunity of making use of biogas as a fuel for compression ignition engines of non-road cars as well as tractor makers of plant utilized in agriculture.

Gas Injected to the Natural Gas Grid

Biomethane made from biogas is slightly lower in calorific value than natural gas. To supply all users fairly it needs to be supplemented with a higher calorific gas. Propane from cylinders is the usual solution.

However, some biogas plant operators are finding ways to avoid this unwanted use of a fossil-derived fuel by improving the calorific value their digester supplies.

This enriches the gas to natural gas quality and calorific worth.

After enrichment the biogas generated from the digesters then enters the gas to grid plant.

Sewage Treatment Sludge from Wastewater Treatment (Sewage Works)

Sewer sludge as well as food waste is dealt with and pumped right into a collection of anaerobic digesters.

Sewage Works biogas from sludge provides the nationwide grid with sufficient gas to provide thousands of regional residences and also guarantee the sewer treatment works is energy self-sufficient.

This freely generated biomethane can, of course, after that be infused into the gas grid.

Anaerobic Digestion Plants UK What Are They? How Many Are There?

Update on the State of Anaerobic Digestion in the UK with the Latest Number of Operational Plants

Anaerobic digestion (AD) mostly uses existing waste feedstocks, at times partly with purpose-grown crops, helping to reduce carbon emissions from waste, energy use, agriculture, and any business with access to organic waste:

1. Waste: by converting it into less harmful forms, including reducing odors when spread on land
2. Heating: by providing hot water for heating buildings, drying crops etc
3. Electricity use: by providing renewable biogas for electricity generation
4. Agriculture: by providing biogas for use as fuel for farm machinery.
5. Any business: which creates waste organic material (biomass) or has access to it.

That’s why Anaerobic Digestion (AD) is a key part of a low-carbon emissions future, in a circular economy that turns wastes into renewable resources.

Anaerobic Digestion's in the Production of Low-carbon Methane

AD has a potentially important role to play in the production of low-carbon methane.

When biogas is upgraded (purified) the “biomethane” output could meet 30% of the UK’s domestic gas demand.

At the same time this would abate 50 million tonnes of Carbon dioxide-equivalent over the next 25 years, as well as helping to provide energy and food security.

In the past 10 years, the AD industry has grown from a capacity of 170 megawatts electrical-equivalent (MWe-e) in to 899 MWe-e today.

There are 648 AD plants across the country, producing renewable energy and natural fertilizer.

AD Growth is Mostly in Biomethane Production

AD growth is currently most notable in biomethane, where around 30 new facilities are due to connect to the gas grid within the next couple of years, on the back of a tariff incentive under the UK government's Renewable Heat Incentive.

These new facilities should add enough additional capacity to power almost 200,000 homes each year.

Production of biomethane as a transport fuel is also being facilitated by the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation.

AD Facilities Growth in Recycling Inedible Food Waste

In addition. the number of AD facilities recycling inedible food waste is likely to grow over the next decade as more local authorities in England introduce separate food waste collections in the wake of legislation proposed in the Resources and Waste Strategy (published in Autumn 2018).

AOBA estimates that the amount of food waste diverted from landfill as a result could lead to 80 new food-waste AD facilities.

This would increase UK biogas industry Capacity by 187MWe-e (the equivalent of Fellside Power Station), reducing CHG by emissions by 1.5 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent - or 2.4 per cent.

Visit YouTube to see this video here, and to read our article go here.