Wisconsin State Program Subsidy for Biomass and Biogas Installations

I find this article somewhat confusing as the figures don't seem to tally. The item says in the headline that "Wisconsin State Program allocates $750,000 for biomass, biogas installations", which at under $1million isn't much money at all! I presume that a decimal point must have gone missig here somewhere. On that basis I would hail this as another step forward in the rising trend in the US, where individual states are picking up on environmentally beneficial, and hopefully also "economically viable" opportunities and providing them with encouragement. If anyone reading this can shed more light on the overall budget figures involved in this inititaive, we would be delighted to receive your comments. Please visit the original article via the link below the extract provided below:

Wisconsin residents and businesses that install biogas or biomass-based technology can receive up to $250,000 through a newly formed renewable energy utilities program. The program, Focus on Energy, is accepting applications until August 29, 2012. William Haas, program director for Focus on Energy, said the newly offered programs will better serve utility rate payers while adding to a mix of other incentive programs already offered in the state.

Through the Renewable Energy Competitive Incentive Program, Wisconsin businesses can apply through a request for proposal (RFP) process that details the stipulations for funding. For the biogas RFP, the applicant may not request more than $2 million. The funding may go towards energy generating equipment and materials, but previously acquired equipment or materials will not qualify for funding. All biogas systems must have an electronic method of measuring and tracking energy production, as well as a data exporting or uploading system. The RFP for biogas projects also encourages the use of biogas cleaning systems, and, methane meters are required.

For the biomass funding, all projects may not exceed $2 million. Like the biogas funding opportunity, only energy generation equipment or materials will be considered as part of the total project funding. Demolishing a wall to install a wood burner where a natural gas furnace could be installed, the RFP document explained, would not be considered eligible for funding. All systems must have energy monitoring methods in place, and, records detailing the fuel source inputs into the system. To learn more please about the program see the Focus on Energy website. 

View the original article here

Malaysian Palm Oil Millers Tap In To Huge Biogas Potential

This article, which is quoted from the Malaysia Star, very eloquently describes how Malaysian Palm Oil Millers are increasingly tapping in to the huge biogas potential which exists from their abundant palm wastes, left over once they have extracted the palm oil. The figures are very compelling and we would encourage other industries to look at this example and consider their own organic wastes for similar opportunities.

It impresses me greatly to hear that a whole industry is changing its view on organic waste, from a problem to an asset. It vindicates everything that we have been saying on this blog for the last 4 years.

We have included much of this article, but there is more to read on the a Malaysia Star site. Please, do comment and visit the original web site which you should visit via the link at the bottom of the article.

SOME 10 years ago, the oil palm biomass is widely considered as a bane to many oil palm industry players, from plantations right down to the mills and refineries.

Operators are constantly facing rising costs just to dispose and transport the biomass such as the empty fruit bunches (EFB), shells, mesocarp fibre, felled tree fronds and trunk as well as palm oil mill effluent (Pome) after the process of crushing and extraction of palm oil and palm kernel oil from the fresh fruit bunches.

Now, the situation has changed dramatically. What was previously perceived as oil palm waste, is turning into a lucrative income generator for the industry players.
This has resulted in many local industry players, particularly big oil palm plantation groups to actively venture into renewable energy (RE) projects using oil palm biomass as feedstock for electricity power generation, biogas and industrial steam projects.

These projects augur well for Malaysia's palm oil in the eye of the Western green activists and consumers given the increasing worldwide call for green RE to replace fossil fuel to preserve the environment.

Malaysia is currently the world's second largest producer of crude palm oil, but the world's largest exporter of palm oil products.

Given such an abundant source of oil palm biomass nationwide, the Government is quick to acknowledge the potential of power generation, industry players' participation in selling carbon credit under the the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) as well as the creation of more downstream businesses for palm oil millers and refiners.

Therefore, various incentives are now available for local players involved in the RE projects utilising palm oil biomass.

It is projected that oil palm biomass-based downstream activities could generate about RM14bil additional revenue to the country's palm oil industry. This is estimated to be a 20% boost to the current palm and palm products revenue of RM80bil.

Depending on whether the eletricity is sold or utilised in the plants, mills can enjoy incentives such as tax exemption of 100% of statutory income for 10 years, and investment tax allowance of 100% for five years to be offset against 100% of statutory income.

In addition, there is an RE Fund which will be utilised to formulate feed-in-tariff rates sufficient to create justification for companies and or individuals to invest in the RE electricity production.
National palm oil custodian, the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) is also urging more local palm oil mills to set up more biogas  plants as a mean to boost their revenue and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

At a recent briefing on the update of the palm oil National Key Economic Area (NKEA), MPOB engineering and processing research division director Dr Lim Weng Soon says there is significant revenue to be generated from selling electricity, palm shell displacement, the carbon credit programme and creation of more downstream business for palm oil millers.
 Wan Asma showing some jatropha fruits which can produce high-quality biodiesel.
“Biogas plants connected to the national grid can potentially be looking at a net profit of RM3.4mil per plant per year based on the maximum electricity tariff of 35 sen per kwh,” says Lim when citing an economic analysis on Pome Biogas from the energy production of a typical 60 tonnes fresh fruit bunches (FFB) per hour mill.

To further accelerate the growth in biogas  plants, Lim says the electricity tariff for RE power purchasing agreement has been increased from the current 21 sen to 35 sen per kwh.
Palm shell displacement can also generate revenue.

He says if biogas is used in the boiler, the shell which was orginally burnt in the boiler to produce energy can now be sold.

“The current market price for palm shell ranges between RM160 to RM200 per tonne,” adds Lim.

He also encourages palm oil millers to participate in the CDM programme under the Kyoto Protocol which is involved in the trading of certified emission reductions (CERs) or carbon credit to developed countries.

“The proceed from the sale of CERs will enable them (millers) to invest in more GHG reduction-related projects,” says Lim.

CDM is a United Nations-sponsored agreement under the Kyoto Protocol whereby industrialised countries finance the reduction of global GHG emissions in developing nations and can also purchase carbon credit.

Based on a 60-tonne per hour FFB mill, MPOB has estimated that 30,000 tonnes to 40,000 tonnes of CERs can be generated. Accordingly, based on Euros 10/CO2e (per tonne CO2 equivalent), each mill can earn about RM1.5mil per annum for 21 years.

As of April this year, 90 projects comprising 53 involving palm-based biomass projects have been registered under the CDM.

Lim is also of view that the creation of downstream business in palm oil mills such as kernel crushing plant, EFB processing plant including EFB fibre plant, briquette and pellet plant, composting plant and palm oil refinery may also accelerate the development of biogas plants in palm oil mills.
Lim estimates that Malaysia can mitigate more than 17 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent per annum if the biogas  is channelled into energy.
This is based on 54 million tonnes of Pome generated in 2010. “This is equivalent to the annual emissions of 3 million passenger cars and light trucks. This will protect the environment and make our palm oil products more acceptable,” adds Lim.

Under the palm oil NKEA of the Government's Economic Transformation Programme (ETP), Malaysia is targeting 500 anaerobic digestion plants to be built in 2020.

The AD plants project under the ETP is expected to generate an estimated RM2.9bil in Gross National Income and create 2,000 jobs by 2020.

The MPOB has set up a Biomass Technology Centre (BTC) in Bangi, Selangor, which is a one-stop centre for R&D on and commercialisation of bio-composites from oil palm biomass, especially medium density fibreboard (MDF).

The BTC is equipped with a MDF pilot plant, material processing plants, material-testing and fibre-analysis laboratories, and a few analytical and bio-composite laboratories.
Many can benefit from the facilities and technologies offered by BTC particularly the MDF pilot plant which is able to produce a variety of wood-based panels and other products similar to industry-manufactured panels.

In fact, local wood-based industries can benefit from the facilities and technologies offered by the BTC as the centre allows the industry to carry out R&D, process optimisation and feasibility studies prior to commercialisation.

Meanwhile, Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) head of bioenergy programme, forest products division Dr Wan Asma Ibrahim says the basic research carried out by FRIM on oil palm biomass started in the 1980s.

“The aim was mainly on utilising the oil palm biomass abundantly generated from the palm mills and plantations as an alternative resource to ease the pressure on tropical timbers for local wood-based industries.

“This is in line with the attack by the global community on the environment issues of depleting tropical forests,” adds Asma.
Furthermore, the pre-processing machines and systems to process the oil palm biomass are also developed with local industries to cater for the raw material supply to suit end-users.
The current FRIM projects on oil palm biomass include:
Conversion of waste palm trees funded by United Nations Environmental Programme. The one-year project reports on the baseline study of the availability, characterisation and utilisation of waste palm tree biomass in Malaysia;

and:

“Oil palm biomass is one of Malaysia's resource material. By fully utilising the oil palm biomass, local industry players such as palm oil millers can capture the carbon and help reduce global warming as opposed to letting it biodegrade and releasing the greenhouse gases,” says Wan Asma.

In addition, she says the oil palm industry can have new wealth creation via efficient utilisation of oil palm waste material and also reduce the heavy dependency on fossil fuels.

View the original article here

PURPA Plus Can Be The Biogas Friendly Bill For The US?

PURPA Plus bill permits states to make their own calls about eco-friendly energy. Since the US's General Public Application Regulatory Act was passed in 1978, power resources have been needed to pay an "avoided cost" rate to particular kinds of tiny power production, cogeneration facilities and other kinds of qualifying facilities.

That rate is generally the price of the least expensive sort of power the use has in its portfoliousually coaland that could be a price with which little renewable power suppliers can't compete. More than twenty years after, PURPA is doing something it wasn't intended forlimiting individual states' capability to make their own choices about incentivizing little distributed clean energy.

A new bill introduced in the Senate Energy & Resources Board nonetheless, could change that. PURPA And , which is meant to inspire distributed generation of eco-friendly energy, would take away the evaded cost limitation and let states set their own costs, according to Patrick Serfass, manager of the North American Biogas Council.

In numerous cases, PURPA makes micro-scale green energy generation unfeasible. As an example, if a biogas producer has to turn on his facility's lights or use power for something else, he is doubtless paying a retail rate, Serfass says.

"If he's selling any power back, he's getting a little fragment of that rate, so he isn't even getting paid the same rate he is being charged. Mostly, they just need to pay you for the price of avoiding an identical quantity of electricity from coal."

PURPA Plus is a route for states to raise that price to incentivize distributed replaceable electricity generation.

"Generally in the energy industry it makes the most sense to supply your own electricity where you want it as it costs cash to move it some place," Serfass explains. "If you have got a hereabouts available resource, and folks who want energy regionally, why not produce and use it there? That is where distributed generation comes in.

If states need to inspire that, not only will it create business for those firms and roles, but also increases the quantity of electricity the state produces with no need to upgrade transmission systems." The most significant element of PURPA And is that it permits states a choice, and it's at no charge to taxpayers.

Serfass says.

“It’s a gateway for states to create more incentives, one of which could be a feed-in tariff. That would allow biogas projects to compete with other traditional energy sources on a level playing field.”

Though it’s less of a priority, the ABC would like to see PURPA Plus tweaked so that the cap is raised from 2 to 5 megawatts..

“Over half of current biogas projects are less than that, but a lot of larger projects in the works are between two and five,” Serfass says. “A slightly larger project could have a big impact on the industry.”

The ABC is urging its members to write their senators to request support of the bill.

“With the current Congress being focused on cutting our federal budget and reducing costs everywhere, this bill is important because it doesn’t cost taxpayers any money,”

Serfass reiterates.

“It’s a really valuable piece of legislation.”

View the original article here

Business Briefs - Biomass Power and Thermal

We hope you like the following roundup, (or should we say mash-up nowadays?) from Biomass Power and Thermal:

New Dealer for Continental Biomass Industries
Continental Biomass Industries Inc., a manufacturer of portable and stationary biomass processing and recycling systems, has announced that McCourt & Sons Equipment Inc. is an exclusive dealer for CBI’s product line and will provide equipment, parts and service for Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Mississippi. Established in 1997 and family owned and operated, McCourt & Sons has more than 65 years of combined industry experience.

Madison college receives grantfrom Thermo Fisher Scientific
Madison Area Technical College in Madison, Wis., has received a $10,000 Thermo Fisher Scientific Inspire Grant to support student participation in Renewable Energy for International Development. The course, which is offered through Madison College and the Consortium for Renewable Energy Technology, examines energy and economics in developing countries with special consideration to renewable energy sources. The class combines eight weeks of online instruction with 10 days of study and hands-on work in Costa Rica. Students design and install working renewable energy systems that can be applied in developing countries. The Inspire Grant provides six $1,500 scholarships, as well as a $1,000 stipend that will be given to a program participant from Costa Rica to offset their expenses to attend related workshops in Madison.

GE introduces gas engine for small biogas projects

Please note that the video shows GE Jenbacher equipment, but is inluded as the closest model to the new Waukesha for which a video appeared to be available from GE.

Expanding the company’s lineup of biogas engines for a wider range of power outputs, GE has introduced its Waukesha 1-megawatt APG1000 gas engine that can utilize a broader variety of biogases, including from landfills, wastewater treatment plants and agricultural waste. The Waukesha unit’s expanded biogas capabilities are the result of an 18-month redesign and testing initiative that includes modifications to the combustion chamber, a new spark plug design, and a new fuel control system that simplifies engine start-up and operation. For example, the engine’s greater fuel tolerances allow it to handle fluctuations in the thermal quality of the biogas with little or no manual intervention. These modifications address the unique operational challenges of using biogases and were validated at both landfill and digester biogas-to-energy project sites.

Blythe takes over at B&W Mechanical Handling 
Andy Blythe was appointed managing director of U.K.-based B&W Mechanical Handling Ltd. He joined the company in early May succeeding Andrew Mitchell, who is focusing on his own consulting business but will maintain strong links with B&W. Blythe brings his vast experience in aggregates, minerals and the bulk handling industry with a proven track record in business expansion and strategic development. With B&W, Blythe’s initial focus is to improve the strong presence in the ports and terminals sector as well as expand into other high-end markets that need the same technologies.

Reliable Renewables joins CEA
Consumer Energy Alliance welcomes Reliable Renewables LLC as its newest affiliate member. Reliable Renewables develops owns, and operates modular biomass gasification power plants of 2 to 5 megawatts. The power plants are fueled by agricultural waste, pulp and paper waste, energy crops and refuse-derived fuel.  These power plants operate around-the-clock providing a consistent, sustainable flow of renewable energy. The biogas produced can be utilized to generate electricity in a GE Jenbacher, or a similar engine.  Alternatively, the biogas can be used to fuel incumbent processes such as kilns, fractionation towers or existing engines and turbines. Fuel cost is reduced or eliminated as the gasification plants are small enough to be located adjacent to biomass supplies.

Nortrax expands Morbark territory into eastern New York
Morbark Inc. has signed an agreement with Nortrax Inc., a Morbark forestry and recycling dealer, to expand its territory to include eastern New York State. The expansion added 10 New York counties to an already established Nortrax northeastern territory of Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire. Nortrax has been a steadfast Morbark dealer for more than 20 years. With excellent product support, as well as an extensive equipment and parts inventory, the expansion of the Nortrax-Morbark partnership into eastern New York state will greatly benefit regional Morbark customers.

Morbark names new president
Morbark Inc., a manufacturer of forestry, sawmill and wood recycling equipment, announced the appointment of James W. Shoemaker Jr. as president. Shoemaker replaces Lon Morey who will remain as the chairman of Morbark’s board of directors. Prior to his appointment, Shoemaker served as Morbark’s vice president of operations and board member. He joined Morbark in 2003 as the manager of operations and has held numerous positions in the company. Prior to joining Morbark, Shoemaker served 25 years with the Jervis B. Webb Co. managing operations, accounting and supply chain.

Bandit Industries receives EPA award
Wood chipper manufacturer Bandit Industries received a National Partnership for Environmental Priorities achievement award from the U.S. EPA. The award was given to the company for efforts in reducing hazardous chemicals in the workplace, specifically with the reduction of mercury. Bandit was one of only three organizations in Michigan to receive the award. Bandit’s proactive replacement of mercury thermostats resulted in approximately three pounds of the dangerous metal being removed from the company grounds. The old thermostats were then securely packaged and sent to a recycling facility. These reductions were achieved as part of the NPEP program, a voluntary reduction program in which companies, municipalities, federal facilities and tribes partner with the EPA to reduce and/or recycle toxic chemicals. The NPEP program also works to identify environmentally preferable alternatives and fosters technology transfer. To date, NPEP partners have been successful in removing more than 40 million pounds of potentially hazardous material.

Rodman named to NECA's Renewables and Distributed Generation committee
Steve Rodman, president of Rodman & Rodman P.C., has been named to the Northeast Energy and Commerce Association's Renewables and Distributed Generation committee. NECA is a nonprofit trade association serving the electric power industry. Its Renewables and Distributed Generation committee is dedicated to increasing awareness of the benefits of renewable/clean energy and to facilitating growth of the industry in the Northeast. Rodman & Rodman is a CPA firm with a dedicated "Green Team" Renewable Energy and Clean Technology Practice, where Rodman is a client adviser and advocate in the provision of expert green energy tax advisory, accounting services, and business strategy for alternative energy producers and investors through all stages of their project and business life cycle. The Green Team offers its services for companies in the biomass, wind, solar, geothermal, landfill gasses, municipal solid waste, hydroelectric and hydrokinetic sectors of the renewable energy industry. They also assist startup projects with the Section 1603 program.

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Seeking Member Support for Biogas Tax Credit Bill - American Biogas Council

The American Biogas Council is encouraging its members to help support one of its highest legislative priorities—a bill that would create an investment tax credit for biogas.

Although not yet introduced, the bill is being considered by Rep. Ron Kind, D-Wis. If passed, it would grant qualifying biogas (anaerobic digestion) projects parity with other renewable energy projects that already qualify for a 30 percent investment tax credit under Section 48 of the Internal Revenue Service Code of 1986.

The bill defines qualified biogas property as comprising of a system that uses anaerobic digesters or other biological, chemical, thermal or mechanical processes (alone or in combination) to convert biomass into a gas, which consists of not less than 52 percent methane, and captures the gas for use as a fuel.

Besides the tax credit, the bill would also require the government to enter into an agreement with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to undertake a study of biogas. The agreement would require NREL to supply a written report to Congress within two years after the date of the enactment of the bill to address multiple issues, such as the quality of biogas and a comparison of biogas to natural gas and the identification of any components of biogas that make it unsuitable for injection into existing natural gas pipelines. Other issues the study would address include methods for obtaining the highest energy content in biogas, including the use of codigestion and identifying the optimal feed mixture, and recommendations for the expansion of biogas production, including an analysis of the extent to which increasing the methane content of biogas would result in its greater use and an analysis of how the expanded use of biogas could help meet the growing energy needs of the U.S.

Patrick Serfass, excutive director of the ABC, said one type of project that would benefit from the tax credit would be one that injects renewable natural gas into the gas pipeline, or uses the biogas to power cars and heavy duty vehicles.  "For example, this tax credit will help a dairy farmer who makes biogas from cow manure and then uses it to heat the buildings and power the trucks that deliver the milk," he said. "In another example, it would help a facility that takes food waste from area restaurants and grocery stores, turns their trash into biogas and then injects the renewable natural gas into the pipeline to be used by any natural gas customers."

Serfass said the idea of turning organic waste into usable, renewable biogas, is just taking off in the U.S. and it's something that should be encouraged. "Whether you've got rural farm waste, urban food waste or the sludge filtered out of wastewater, a tax incentive like this will create new jobs with every new project constructed that will put people to work turning garbage into green energy," he added.

The ABC is requesting that members write to their congressional representatives to make them aware of the legislation and urge them to support it. To view a copy of the bill, click here. 

View the original article here

California bill a win for biogas - Biomass Power and Thermal

Anaerobic Digestion News

California Gov. Jerry Brown has signed Senate Bill 489, a law that allows small-scale biomass and biogas projects (1 megawatt or less) to qualify for the state’s Net Energy Metering program.

NEM allows a customer/generator to receive a financial credit for power generated by their on-site system and fed back to the utility. The credit is used to offset the customer's electricity bill. 

Previously, the NEM program applied only to wind and solar power generators. SB 489, or the Renewable Energy Equity Act, sponsored by Sen. Lois Wolk, D-Calif., allows all kinds of renewable energy forms to qualify for NEM.

“The most important component of this bill is its name,” said Patrick Serfass, executive director of the American Biogas Council. “Parity among all renewables is extremely important to be able to compete fairly in the market place.”

Serfass said he believes the majority of biogas projects will now be eligible for NEM, particularly farm- and wastewater-based projects. “If you look at the number of farm-based digesters in California, the number is about 11, which is really small considering what is possible. Out of the three main biogas feedstocks in California—ag waste, municipal solid waste and wastewater—two are directly related to the population, and California has a lot of people. The potential is massive.”
 

There are at least 30 landfills in the state that don’t have energy projects on them right now, according to Serfass. He added that the ABC is still looking into the exact impacts the bill could have, but said that it would definitely help new projects get installed and  into service. “This is a step in the right direction,” he said.

View the original article here

Turning biomass into biogas - Chatham Daily News

The Daily News - Organic waste is the new black gold at the University of Guelph's Ridgetown Campus.

The campus unveiled a $2.6 million FedDev Ontario-funded anaerobic bio-digester that converts agricultural and food industry biomass to biogas.

(We could not find a video by PlanEt Biogas so we have incuded the one above.)

"This is one of the ways we can produce renewable electricity in our community. It's unique in that . . . this can run 24-7 so we can produce hydro at the same level all the time," said Art Schaafsma, director of the Ridgetown Campus.

Schaafsma said the farm scale unit, built by PlanET Biogas Solutions, works much like a cows stomach, utilizing bacteria to break down the ingredients to produce gas which fuels an engine to create energy through a generator.

The unit produces 250-kilowatt hours of electricity and has the capacity to produce the same amount of heat energy as well.

"You go to some farms and they're taking those fans and they're collecting the air and blowing it over a trailer of wood and they're drying wood. Other guys in Eastern Ontario are drying grain," said Matt Lensink, application manager for PlanET Biogas Solutions.

"We can heat about five acres of greenhouse with the heat that comes from this facility," Schaafsma said. "We can recapture nutrients as well, which can go back on the farmers fields.

"We've kind of replaced the cow and made a great big cow," he added.

Lensink said a farmer in the Niagara area has been applying the nutrients captured from a biogas facility on his land for two years and is now able to get a fourth cut of hay off his fields.

He added not only did the farmer say that was unheard of before, but also that the quality of the hay is good.

Dave Van Kesteren, MP for Chatham-Kent Essex, is excited about the possibilities the new biogas facility opens up to Chatham-Kent.

"This it really cool stuff, its got possibilities, huge possibilities," said Van Kesteren. "If we can create the technology, sell the goods but also sell the technology abroad, now we've added another component."

The MP said the big challenge in research is to get the results to the market place and create a new revenue source for local farmers and an opportunity to create new jobs.

"We want to start training (operators) here so we get the great people, because those great people will go into the greenhouses, they'll come up with this innovation, these great ideas and next thing you know we'll be exporting," Van Kesteren said. "We're just getting it going and a guy like Art is going to help make that a possibility."

Ridgetown campus is investing in the bio economy not just for the future of the school and area farmers, but also for the community at large.

"It takes a community to make a campus . . .we feel like we're obligated to . . . help lead and create opportunity so that we have some development in the rural sector," said Schaafsma. "We have to pitch in to make these things happen. All our kids are leaving and we need to provide opportunities so they can stay, many of them want to stay and they can't."

Topic guidelines: We welcome your thoughts, stories and information related to this article. Please stay on topic and be respectful of others. Keep the conversation appropriate for interested readers.

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How to Anaerobically Digest Biomass and Produce Biogas in 7 Simple Actions

Just how do you eat an elephant? The traditional response to that question is, "Just one bite at a time!" Actually, it is the same answer for how to complete any large task. When you look at the whole thing all at once, it appears to be impossible. Break it down into parts, steps or sub-tasks, and each of these is not nearly so formidable. Your specific steps can each be relatively simple, something that's no big deal, that can be done. And when you have done every one of the small-task steps, you gaze back and find out that now you have the entire formidable-task thing done. That's just exactly how it is with how to anaerobically digest biomass and produce biogas. Here is a method to tackle the formidable task of anaerobically digest biomass and produce biogas, in 7 simple steps.

Step 1. The waste is delivered to the plant and is initially sorted mechanically to remove remaining non-biodegradable contaminants. With this you will need to involve screens, air classifiers or magnets. In the event you neglect this or don't do it, you should expect a poor quality of feedstock delivery into the digester, and potential for blockages of the digester, causing downtime.

Step 2. The organic waste is then shredded and mixed with water and pumped to an enclosed vessel (reactor) known as the biogas digester. This step is important because the right mixture must be created for pumping into the digester ).

Step 3. In the digester it is heated, stirred, and held for up to three weeks whilst the bacteria digest the waste and emit a gas consisting of about two thirds methane and one third carbon dioxide. This will mean that during that period bacteria and other organisms are fermenting the organic material. This could also mean that biogas methane is produced, and this is the main product of, and reason for operating the process.

Step 4. After this the solid digested material is pressed to recover the added water. This will probably involve a mechanical press system.

Step 5. The solid digestate is placed in piles to aerate for for anything between two weeks and twelve weeks. Once the digestate has been aerated it can be used as a soil improver or growing media constituent in the same way as compost. A key point you will want to remember here is going to be that there may be regulations which limit the use of digestate due to concerns about possible transmission of infection, and other possible contaminants. The reason why this will be significant is, for example, that this limits the uses and value of digestate. If the material is derived from mixed wastes sources additional sorting may also be required to remove contaminates.

Step 6. The liquid fraction can be recirculated in the process but some excess is generated and depending of the feedstock this can be used as a fertiliser or if the waste is contaminated it has to be disposed of to sewer.

Step 7. The gas that's generated after a basic cleaning stage to get rid of hydrogen sulphide and water, can be burnt in gas engines to create electricity or in boilers to provide steam.

Or, in some locations it can make good business sense to purify the gas further by removing the CO2 so that the gas may be employed to fuel autos like automobiles, buses or vans, or the purified gas can also possibly be piped in to the natural gas network.. You are now almost there! Remember, that environmental groups and many governments are very keen to promote the use of Anaerobic Digestion due to its carbon neutral and renewable energy nature.

When you take the steps explained above, the massive elephant-problem you had will likely be "eaten up" one step at a time, "devoured" and dealt with. You will succeed in completing your project and can enjoy the fruits of victory and accomplishment! Congratulations on your victory! You took on a big challenge, conquered it and won, one step at a time!

Discover the best way to build and operate a biogas digester by going to the Biogas Digestion eBook Resources site

Steve Symes regularly writes on renewable energy issues. He feels that the environmental debate is too important to leave to the boffins. If you think so too then visit a Blog on the subject at Renewable Energy News.

Biomass, Biofuels and Biogas

In recent years there has been a lot of interest in renewable and alternative energy sources. This has seemingly become an even bigger issue in the wake of the Japanese nuclear crisis, where the nuclear plant at Fukushima was damaged by the earthquake and resultant tsunami on March 11th. There is now a real danger that harmful radiation could escape from the site. People have always been uncertain of the safety of utilising nuclear power and such a scare only serves to heighten their concerns. That is why increasingly people are looking for alternatives. One such alternative is the use of biofuels.

What are Biofuels?

The term 'biofuel' refers to a broad range of fuels that are created from 'biomass' (see below). Biofuels are often used as an additive rather than as a 'pure' fuel. Bioethanol is an example of this. It is an alcohol created by fermenting the sugar components of plant materials and whilst ethanol can be used as a fuel for cars in its purest form, it is normally added to petrol to improve the emissions from the vehicle and increase octane.

Ok, so what is Biomass?

Biomass is a renewable energy source. It refers specifically to biomaterials from living organisms and recently living organisms - examples of which are wood, waste and alcohol fuels. There are actually several different sources of biomass energy, so in addition to the three just mentioned, there are: garbage and landfill gases. There are a few different mechanisms by which biomass can be converted to energy:

Thermal Conversion

This involves the use of heat in order to convert biomass into an alternative chemical form. There are different forms of thermal conversion - two examples of which are torrefaction and pyrolysis.

Chemical Conversion

This is quite simply where a range of chemical processes are used in order to convert biomass to alternative forms.

Biochemical Conversion

This involves harnessing the power of naturally occurring biochemical conversion processes. Microorganisms are used to break down biomass - Anaerobic Digestion is an example of this.

Biogas

Biogas is a type of biofuel that is produced by anaerobic digestion or fermentation of biodegradable materials, including biomass. Biodegradable waste can, for example, be converted to methane - which is a renewable energy source.

So are Biofuels the answer?

It remains to be seen whether or not biofuels are a long term solution to the problems surrounding the energy industry. There are certainly discussions to be had about the impact that the production of biofuels has on carbon emissions and biodiversity, but these are certainly not the only issues.

Projen Project Management Consultants are experts in Anaerobic Digestion and Biogas: http://www.projen.co.uk/

Europeans keen on palm oil biomass projects in Malaysia - Power-Gen Worldwide

KUALA LUMPUR: It appears to be a case of communication breakdown.

European investors are lining up money to fund biomass projects in Malaysia but the local oil palm plantation industry doesn't seem to know this.

(We were unable to find a video about Malaysian Palm Oil Energy production, however, we did find this very interesting video about a program in Thailand.)

According to the European Union (EU)-Malaysia Biomass Sustainable Production Initiative (Biomass-SP), an EU-led industry body, there are 10 investors keen to fund biomass projects where plantation wastes like fruit bunches are used to produce electricity,

"These investors from France, Ireland, the UK, Korea, Thailand and Hong Kong have approached me. Some of these investors have at least RM40 million to RM50 million set aside (for biomass power plant projects) but the problem is, I don't have any projects to show them," Biomass-SP technical adviser Datuk Leong Kin Mun told Business Times in an interview recently.

 

The appeal of renewable energy plants is well documented. The plants are friendlier to the environment and a lot cheaper to run over the long term as their fuel, unlike natural gas or coal, are virtually free. Owners can get such plants certified as good for the environment and sell the papers, known as carbon credits, on a climate exchange.

Leong said most of the investors were from the EU and very keen on funding anaerobic-digeston projects, where gas from fermented wastes is trapped and used as fuel, and could invest about RM3 million to RM4 million per venture.

But the industry has not heard about Biomass-SP. Malaysian Palm Oil Council chief executive officer Tan Sri Yusof Basiron believed that many palm oil millers would be interested to partner these green investors but believed that many are not in the know about their existence.

"We are definitely looking for opportunities. Everyone has money. We are looking for opportunities with or without banks' support. So my advice to them is to do their homework and spread the word around," he added.

But Leong said businessmen in Malaysia, especially those who own palm oil mills, have low-risk appetite when it comes to investing in biogas projects as they are afraid that the investment will disrupt the day-to-day running of their palm oil plantation, while the rest is not interested.

"Unless the government comes up with some sort of policy, I am afraid that the biogas project would remain an unpopular venture among the palm oil millers," he said.

Renewable energy is in line with the country's overall policy to reduce dependence on fossil fuel and increase the use of renewable resources in its energy-generation capacity to 2,000 megawatts (MW) in 2020.

Leong said the palm oil industry, being the country's major plantation crop with a total of 417 palm oil mills and plantations, covering 4 million hectares of land, holds the key role to meeting such objective.

Apart from generating electricity from solid wastes like empty fruit bunches and palm kernel shell, power generation can also be achieved through the capture of palm oil mill effluent (POME) biogas.

"Based on fresh fruit bunch yield in 2009, an estimated 57.42 million tonnes (1607.76 million m3) of POME are produced annually. In terms of total power generation capacity, this translates into potential power output capacity of 261.1 megawatts.

"At the current rate of 21sen/ kWh Tenaga Nasional (Bhd) is buying renewable energy, the potential of electricity sales is worth RM394.8 million. Upon implementation of the feed-in tariff system, the higher renewable energy purchase price could be an added incentive for palm oil millers to convert their POME biogas to electricity," he added.

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Safety Solutions Tailored to Biogas Plants - Biomass Power and Thermal

In late 2009, a study carried out by the Commission for Plant Safety of the German Federal Environment Ministry revealed critical defects in more than 60 percent of biogas facilities inspected. The study inspectors, which also included TÜV SÜD experts, detected weaknesses not only in the gas and ventilation systems, and regarding explosion protection, but also in component design, structural engineering and organizational measures.

This result confirms that stakeholders in practice still tend to underestimate the scope of required safety measures. Ensuring the safe operation of biogas facilities requires consideration of questions related to the gas, the electrical and the pressure systems. Other significant issues are related to fire safety and lightning protection, and to the layout and planning of escape routes and emergency response plans. Potential hazards to health and the environment also need to be limited.

Responsibility Rests with the Operator

Biogas plants process large quantities of combustible and toxic gases which pose increased fire, explosion or suffocation hazards in case of faults in design, materials or control. In the event of an incident at the plant, people may be injured, property damaged and the environment (air and water) polluted.

In this context, the operators of biogas plants have a high level of responsibility: Their duties include conducting the necessary inspections, ensuring safety and health documentation of sufficient explosion protection and expert training of employees. Operators violating these duties risk that the operation of their plants is no longer in compliance with the law, which may result in a shutdown of the plant and in restriction or even loss of insurance coverage.

Targeted Safety Assessment

Generally, agricultural biogas plants comprise a reception pit for collecting and preparing the slurry, a fermenter in which the biogas is produced, a final digestate storage tank and a combined-heat-and-power (CHP) unit in which the biogas is converted into electricity.

Biogas consists of methane (50 to 80 percent), carbon dioxide (20 to 50 percent), hydrogen sulphide (0.01 to 0.4 percent) and traces of ammonia, hydrogen, nitrogen and carbon monoxide. The constituents of ammonium and hydrogen sulphide are two aggressive chemicals that are constantly in contact with the tank walls, pipes and valves. Given this, the materials used for these components need to be highly resistant to chemicals and maintain this resistance over long periods.

The lower explosion limit (LEL) of methane is 4.4 percent, the upper explosion limit 16.5 percent. In combination with the oxygen in the air, methane concentration in this range can produce an explosive gas mixture. These explosions can cause severe ecological damage, serious injuries to people and damage to property. To ensure effective explosion protection, the gas sensors in the plant should be adjusted to 20 percent of the LEL, equivalent to methane concentration of 0.88 percent.

Carbon dioxide causes dizziness in concentrations between 1 and 5 percent, and rapidly leads to suffocation in concentrations of over 9 percent. People should not be exposed to concentrations higher than 30 to 100 parts per million. Hydrogen sulphide is particularly hazardous. It is perceived as disagreeable at a concentration of 50 milligrams per cubic meter (mg/m3). Concentrations of 150 mg/m3 cause irritation of mucous membranes. And at levels over 500 mg/m3, hydrogen sulphide causes olfactory paralysis and is fatal within minutes.

Apart from suffocation, fire and explosion hazards, leakage of fermentation substrates into water as a result of an incident in a biogas plant may cause severe environmental pollution. In view of the fact that the composition of liquid substrates is hard to control, operators face the challenge of having to dispose of the liquid digestate cost-effectively while also ensuring groundwater protection. As the digestate contains large quantities of water, transportation over long distances does not make good economic sense. Instead, local disposal should be given preference wherever possible.

Individual Assessment

The following applies to agriculture in particular: no two biogas plants are the same. As the responsibility rests with the operators, they must have precise knowledge of the specific requirements applying to their plants and must be able to assess possible hazards in accordance with the applicable laws, which in Germany include the Ordinance on Industrial Safety and Health, the Occupational Health and Safety Act and the Hazardous Substances Ordinance.

Operators must ensure systematic implementation of these occupational health and safety measures. The plant operators must also create an explosion protection document which comprehensively assesses the explosion hazards. An important factor in this context is that the room in which the plant is installed is considered an explosion hazard zone, unless the gas-carrying parts of the plant, including the gas extraction elements and the CHP unit, are permanently technically leak proof in service.

Gas storage tanks with flexible membrane roofs or storage bags must undergo direct leak testing. The pressure applied in this test should be at least 1.5 times the maximum operating pressure or equivalent to the preset value at which the pressure-relief valve opens, whichever of the two values is the higher. It is important that the gas storage tank is appropriately gas-tight and resistant to pressure, chemical media, ultraviolet radiation, temperature and weather influences.

Protection equipment (suitability, wiring) and the planning of the structure and technical systems (material selection and design) must be customized to the specific plant and inspected at regular intervals. Extraction systems, also those installed outside the biogas plant, reliably prevent incidents such as leaking of toxic gases.

Safety and Efficiency

Frequently, comprehensive hazard assessment also helps to uncover hidden potential for savings in the operation of a biogas plant. The objective is to realize the best possible plant design within the framework defined by ordinances, standards and technical rules. By doing so, operators can assess the efficiency and competitiveness of their existing plants more precisely on the one hand, while gaining valuable information for possible future extensions or modernizations on the other.

In this type of systematic assessment, organizational measures are increasingly joining aspects of technical safety in the focus of attention. However, in agricultural biogas plants, organizational measures have frequently not yet been given sufficient emphasis. In the case of an incident at the plant, weaknesses in escape and rescue routes and in the emergency preparedness and response plans of the plant in particular may jeopardize human life.

Emergency response plans first include basic rules on how to behave in the case of a fire (publicly displayed notice). Second, they must establish concrete instructions for all employees on site, addressing measures such as fire prevention and what to do in the case of a fire.

To ensure an effective alarm system, the sensors of automatic gas and fire detectors must be correctly positioned, calibrated, wired and serviced. Practical tests of the alarm systems and emergency drills with staff are imperative in this context. Ensuring that the alarm signals will actually reach all people on the premises is critical in this context.

When planning escape and rescue routes, special attention must be paid to the transition areas between rooms and buildings. Lockable doors in escape routes must be equipped with a specific mechanism ensuring that the door can be opened from the inside even if locked. Manually operated doors must always open in the direction of escape. In addition, steps must be taken to ensure that emergency lighting is both independent from the main supply and explosion-proof (in line with the relevant ATEX zone) and that emergency routes are sign-posted throughout.

Discussing and coordinating the rescue and escape plans with the local fire service is also highly advisable. During plant operation it is imperative that the escape routes are kept free from blockage by objects. This applies all the more as all material stored there may increase the fire loads.

Conclusion

In addition to a detailed and comprehensive occupational health and safety program, the operators of biogas plants must also increasingly focus on system-related and organizational safety measures. The task at hand is to find the ideal plant solution in terms of safety and cost-
effectiveness, while ensuring compliance with ordinances, laws and regulations. TÜV SÜD's experts have long-standing experience in the assessment and inspection of biogas plants and advise operators on plant optimization.

Authors: Johannes Steiglechner
Combustion Systems and Heat Engineering, TÜV SÜD Industrie Service GmbH
Volker Schulz
Biogas Centre of Competence, TÜV SÜD Industrie Service GmbH
+49 (0) 89 5190-1027
feuerung@tuev-sued.de
www.tuev-sued.de/is

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(UK implementation is under the DSEAR. See http://atexanddsear.co.uk/ for UK Gas Safety Regulations Compliance assistance. - Editor)

SoCalGas, Escondido demonstrate biogas technology - Biomass Power and Thermal

Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) and the city of Escondido in southern California have begun testing a biogas purification technology at the city’s wastewater treatment plant that, if successful proved, would allow the gas to be directly injected into a natural gas pipeline.




The above video is not associated with the article, but we thought it would be of interest to our readers.

What makes the system unique in nature is that instead of burning or flaring the methane without generating energy, which is currently done at the facility and is typical at wastewater treatment plants because the gas is not suitable for pipelines, the pressure swing adsorption system takes the raw gas originating from sewage, upgrades and purifies it through a multistate process to meet pipeline-quality gas standards for direct injection. Quebec-based Xebec Adsorption Inc. provided the technology.

Denise King, SoCalGas spokeswoman, said the company has been working with the city for more than a year on the project, which is being funded by the company’s research and development group. “We’re testing this technology and validating that it can consistently, reliably produce methane gas that meets the stringent California gas standards for injection into the pipeline system,” she said. Testing will continue for the next 12 months.

With completion of the demo project, there are a number of options as to what the next step will be, a likely one is that the city will choose to commercialize the equipment and keep it on site, according to King.

If the city makes that decision, some other costs would be involved, including an interconnection with the pipeline system, but it would eventually save ratepayers money.

 “We’re very excited about this project, because it’s the first in California and there’s only one other similar project in the U.S.,” King said. “If the technology proves itself, it would open up a whole new market for renewable natural gas that could be used by electric utilities to create green power. Yesterday [the system] was producing 99.9 percent methane, and that’s exactly what we want and expect.”

SoCalGas has been closely evaluating the potential for a renewable natural gas market, according to King. “We’re looking to help create the market, talking with dairies, wastewater treatment facilities and others that have organic waste. “

The opportunities to transform organic waste into power are seemingly boundless, King points out. For example, Gills Onion, the largest onion producer in California, uses its waste to produce energy to power fuel cells on-site. “In California, there’s probably enough organic waste to produce 16 percent of the state’s energy,” King said. “We think this is a growing market, and we’re working to help make it happen.”

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The Final Product Of Biomass Energy

Utilization of biomass as an alternative energy source has attracted people to promote its use. This is caused by a decline in fossil energy reserves. This is a dangerous point for energy security in the last decade.




To avoid future energy crises, they began to increase use of renewable energy sources such as biomass. More than that, the use of fossil fuels increases the concentration of sulfur and greenhouse gases in nature.

Governments in various countries around the world have adopted policies favorable to the use of biomass as an energy alternative. So that industry players will get a subsidy from the government.

Biomass can be used as energy with a wide variation. Utilization of biomass produces electricity, heat for industrial facilities, home heating and fuels vehicle.

Conversion of biomass for energy is called bio-energy. This conversion can be achieved with some solutions that thermochemical and biochemical technologies. Thermochemical process is divided into three technology solutions are combustion, gasification and pyrolysis.

To understand the meaning of each Technology solution, we can learn from the final product On combustion, have the final product steam, process heat and electricity energy. Each has its own type of function. Steam can be used to drive steam engines, while the heat can be used for processing in the chemical industries.

The final products of electric can be used more flexibly. This product of gasification is the steam, the process of heat, electrical energy and methane gas fuel and hydrogen. Methane and hydrogen can be used as a fuel cell system. This system is increasingly popular as the technology of the future.

Pyrolysis technology solutions, has the final product is charcoal, coal and bio-gas fuel. Charcoal and bio-coal can be an analogy as coal but more environmentally friendly. This is because emissions from the production of bio-coal and charcoal lower than coal. Biochemical process produces anaerobic digestion the technology solution. This technology has the final product of ethanol, water for irrigation, compost and biogas.

Nugroho Agung Pambudi has been writing articles including papers for nearly 3 years now. His journal papers can be reached both international journal and conference. Come visit his latest website at http://www.geothermalheatingandcooling.us which help people find information about geothermal heating and cooling