Jobs Boost as Waste Plants Open - BBC News

5 October 2011 Last updated at 12:31 

The anaerobic digestion plant in Cumbernauld will process 60,000 tonnes of food waste a year Waste Management group Shanks has opened two major recycling and recovery facilities in the west of Scotland, creating 40 jobs.

An anaerobic digestion (AD) plant in Cumbernauld will process 60,000 tonnes of food waste a year, generating enough power for more than 3,000 homes.

A materials recycling facility (MRF) in Blochairn will process 150,000 tonnes of waste and recyclables a year.

Shanks said about £20m had been invested in the two plants.

The AD plant, which is a joint venture with Cumbernauld-based Energen Biogas, will treat organic waste from local authorities and food waste producers, maximising the amount of recyclable material recovered from food waste.

The MRF plant will serve municipal customers, such as North Lanarkshire and East Dunbartonshire councils, as well as commercial and industrial clients.

It has been designed to achieve a 95% recovery rate from resources such as cardboard, paper, aluminium, glass, wood and metals.

The remaining waste will be converted into solid recovered fuel (SRF) for heat and power.

A total of 39 jobs have been created across the two sites - 33 at Blochairn and six in Cumbernauld.

'Zero waste' goal

Shanks UK managing director Ian Goodfellow said: "At Shanks, we are continually investing in recycling and recovery technology to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill and incineration.

"Scotland's vision where all waste is seen as a resource is one we are firmly aligned with and we are very pleased that with the opening of these new plants we can contribute to making a zero-waste Scotland a reality."

Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead said Shanks' new facilities demonstrated that sending rubbish to landfill was "increasingly becoming a thing of the past".

He added: "Minimising the amount of waste we create in the first place is the best course of action, but from the waste we do produce we need to recycle and recover as much value as possible."

Energen Biogas operations director Robert Etherson said AD plants provided "a fantastic opportunity" to grow the renewables industry in Scotland and improve resource efficiency.

He added: "I believe we really are at the forefront of a revolution in sustainable waste management in Scotland where AD technology will play an increasingly large role."

Both plants have started to receive waste from customers and Shanks expects Cumbernauld to be operating at 100% capacity in a year's time.

Customers include Glasgow Airport, Strathclyde University and NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde.

Shanks is an international waste management group with more than 4,000 employees across its operations in Belgium, Canada, Netherlands and the UK.

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United Plantations plans more biogas plants - Malaysia Star

TELUK INTAN: United Plantations Bhd (UP) plans to add more biogas plants in one or two years at its palm oil mills in Malaysia and Indonesia to save energy cost.

Vice-chairman/executive director (corporate affairs) Datuk Carl Bek-Nielsen said the company reduced 25% of fossil fuel usage yearly at its Perak plantation by relying on electricity generated from its biogas plant in Teluk Intan.

 Lim says in view of the fuel-price volatility, plants will enjoy significant cost-savings as the energy generated will reduce the dependency on fossil fuel.

“Currently, we have three biogas plants in the country and they help a lot in terms of cost-savings. Though it is costly to set up a biogas plant, the impact that we receive is really worth it,” he told reporters during a media visit to UP's plant here.

He said the cost of building a biogas plant was about RM7mil and the group had invested RM20mil for its existing three plants.

Meanwhile, Dr Lim Weng Soon, director of Malaysian Palm Oil Board's engineering and processing research division, urged more palm oil mill operators to build biogas plants to boost revenue.
“Mills can use steam or/and electricity generated from the biogas plant for their own use. In view of the fuel-price volatility, plants will enjoy significant cost-savings as the energy generated will reduce the dependency on fossil fuel,” he said.

Under the Palm Oil National Key Economic Area of the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP), the country is targeting 500 biogas plants by 2020.

Lim said Malaysia was on track to achieve the target. “There are currently 46 in operation, 22 under construction and another 46 in planning stage.”
Lim said the three states with the highest number of plants are Sabah (10), Johor (nine) and Perak (eight). Of the commissioned plants, 18 are generating electricity for their own use. [Also see http://anaerobic-digestion.com ]

 Independent mill: One of United Plantations Bhd?s three biogas plants.
The biogas plant under the ETP are expected to generate about RM2.9bil in gross national income and create 2,000 jobs by 2020.

In assisting independent millers to fund the development of their biogas plants, an existing Green Technology Fund of RM1.5bil is being set up by the Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry.
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Imtech: 67 million euro orders for sustainable biogas plants and upgrading of ... - Reuters (press release)

Gouda - Imtech N.V. (technical services provider in Europe) announces that it has been commissioned by various English water companies to realise sustainable biogas plants and upgrade waste water facilities in the UK. As a result of these orders valued at more than 67 million euro, clients will reduce their carbon footprint and deliver more sustainable services to their customers.

René van der Bruggen, CEO Imtech: 'In the UK, Imtech possesses virtually unique expertise at the interface between waste water treatment and energy. Our strong position in the market for waste water treatment is further confirmed by these new orders and a recently won prestigious environmental award for the biogas plants realized for the water company Welsh Water. As part of our growth strategy 2015, this expertise will also be exported to other European countries in which Imtech operates, such as the Netherlands.'

From waste to energy
Imtech's unique understanding of both the (waste) water and energy sectors has resulted in further growth in the market for waste water treatment. Imtech is a specialist in treating bio-solids, a residual product from the waste water treatment process. These bio-solids undergo sustainable treatment based on innovative enhanced anaerobic digestion technology in high-tech biogas plants. This process maximises the biogas produced, which is then converted into renewable energy. It also creates a high grade fertiliser product. Biogas plants recently completed for the water company Welsh Water in Cardiff and Afan have won the prestigious Construction News Environmental Project of the Year Award.

Imtech received a substantial new order from Anglian Water. Together with its partner Galliford Try, Imtech will deliver sustainable biogas plants at Basildon and Cliff Quay that will have a total treatment capacity of approximately 25,000 tonnes of bio-solids per year. Both partners are jointly responsible for the design, engineering, construction, commissioning and optimisation of the plants that will generate more than 17 GWh of sustainable electricity per year.

The plants will become operational in 2013. Anglian Water has challenged Imtech to deliver innovative co-generation facilities at four different locations that will generate a total of over 80 GWh of sustainable electricity by 2015. As part of a framework contract for water company Welsh Water, a technological upgrading of a biogas plant will be carried out at Five Fords that processes 10,000 tonnes of bio-solids per year. For the same customer, Imtech will be improving the waste water treatment at various other locations in Wales. A framework contract was signed with water company Veolia Water for refurbishing and expanding its existing potable water and waste water facilities across the UK.

Imtech Profile
Imtech N.V. is a European technical services provider in the fields of electrical solutions, ICT (information and communication technology) and mechanical solutions. With more than 27,000 employees, Imtech achieves annual revenue of around 4.5 billion euro. Imtech holds strong positions in the buildings and industry markets in the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, Eastern Europe, Sweden, Norway, Finland, the UK, Ireland and Spain, the European markets of ICT and Traffic as well as in the global marine market. In total Imtech serves 21,000 customers. Imtech offers added value with integrated and multidisciplinary total solutions that lead to better business processes and more efficiency for customers and the customers they, in their turn, serve. Imtech also offers solutions that contribute towards a sustainable society, for example in the areas of energy, the environment, water and mobility. Imtech shares are listed on the NYSE Euronext Amsterdam, where Imtech is included in the Midkap Index. Imtech shares are also included in the Dow Jones STOXX 600 index.

Source: Imtech N.V. via Thomson Reuters ONE

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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)

Global Biogas Plants Market to Reach $8.98 Billion by 2017

The Global Biogas Plants Market is to Reach $8.98 Billion by 2017, according to New Report by Global Industry Analysts, Inc. -

Biogas is a clean gas obtained from biomass, a renewable energy resource derived from food processing wastes, sewage treatment sludge, as well as animal and human excreta. Narrowing cost differential between fossil fuels based electricity generation and biogas energy in recent years has further augmented interest in renewable resources. Today, biogas competes on par with petroleum-based fuels in terms of performance, cost, and other additional benefits such as reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Biogas is primarily used as a fuel for cooking and lighting purposes in various countries, whilst a key motivating factor for development of liquid biofuels is to replace petroleum fuels. Advances in biotechnology, molecular science, and microbiology contributed to enhancements in biogas yields production, which led to the development of commercial biogas plant. Biogas plants can convert energy crops, organic industrial and municipal solid waste, and manure, into efficient fertilizer and reduce the odors associated with traditional manure management. In terms of both consumption and production of biogas, Europe is ahead of the other nations mainly due to increased government regulation for environment friendly initiatives. Although, Europe dominates biogas production, the trend is also catching up fast in countries like Japan, Australia, New Zealand and the US. The Asia-Pacific biogas plants market is displaying strong appetite for growth, thanks to the continuous infrastructure development and business expansion in the region, especially in the emerging markets such as China and India.

The recent worldwide economic recession has not had much impact on the global biogas plants market, as the prospects for such emerging renewable energy technology are stored for future. The growing clamor over cleaner and environmental friendly energy technologies is offering new market opportunities for alternative energy solutions such as biogas. However, biogas plant market is resilient and not immune from the business cycle. Recent turmoil in the global credit markets, and substantial reductions in asset value across business enterprises and households resulted in reduced energy requirements and difficulties in obtaining finance for biogas and other renewable energy projects. This coupled with poorly performing foreign markets and high substrate prices that reached its peak in September 2008, scuttled all previously set targets. At the same time, the cost of natural gas delivered to electric power plants declined in 2009 to nearly half the 2008 level and that coupled with significant expansions of pipelines capacity had cast downward pressure on biogas prices. Government stimulus packages proved to be the silver lining from the downturn in the global economy. Various government policies, in terms of subsidies, incentives and investments by the biopower companies shielded the biogas plants market from the devastating effect of crisis.

As stated by the new market research report, Europe and United States accounts for a lion's share of the global biogas
plants market. Biogas plants market is primarily localized in Europe, with Germany accounting for a major share of the global production and consumption, while the UK, Italy and Spain represent other significant regional markets. While the continued difficult economic scenario is a factor to consider, the industry trends bear out an optimistic assessment, as fundamental market drivers for renewable technologies continue to remain strong. Innovations will continue in processes and feedstocks, while companies, government, and academic institutions pour in funds and expertise to support research and development in the field of renewables.

Benefits of Using Biogas Plants

One of the most recent inventions of energy sources include the biogas plant which produces methane from animal waste and sewage. It is an anaerobic digester that produces fuel from energy crops which are mainly produced for the production of bio fuels rather than for consumption purposes.




Biogas Plant - Wide Range of Uses

A biogas plant has two components mainly the digester and a gas holder. Waste materials are dumped and decomposed in an air tight container called the digester. The bacteria inside the tank decompose the waste materials and form gases like methane, carbon monoxide, nitrogen and hydrogen. These gases are further stored in the gas holder and later on used for vehicle propulsion and heating purposes.

Biogas plant can be constructed in different ways depending on a number of factors like the amount of gas required, the type of digester and the amount of waste available. There are mainly two types of digesters-the continuous feeding systems and the batch feeding systems. The continuous feeding systems feed liquid wastes to the digester whereas the batch feeding systems require solid waste materials.

This particular gas has a number of uses in the modern world. It is used for producing electricity in a cost efficient manner. Moreover, this gas is known to be environment friendly. Biogas  is also considered and used as the best alternative to Compressed Natural Gas or CNG. In many places this gas is also used for cooking food. Today a great number of vehicles are also fuelled by this gas.

Benefits of Using a Biogas Plant

There are substantial benefits of using a biogas plant and some of them are as follows:

Best Fertilizer: this gas plant produces excellent fertilizer rich in nitrogen by processing cow dung. Fertilizer is produced from the biogas digester from organic waste. Such fertilizers contain a large amount of nitrogen than the other conventionally produced fertilizers.

Eco-friendly: biogas plant helps to promote an environment friendly atmosphere by recycling waste products thereby reducing the greenhouse effects. By proper recycling of harmful waste materials, the natural resources are preserved for future generations.

Easy to produce: with the help of these plants, it is easier to produce fertilizers especially in the rural areas. It can be produced quickly and cost efficiently.

Effects on overall health: there are many health benefits related to these gas plants as it recycles waste materials. Studies reveal that the growth of these plants helps to reduce many diseases like respiratory problems, lung diseases, eye infections and so forth. Many of the rural homes use this gas for cooking purposes as it does not produce fumes and smokes thereby reducing health problems.

Excellent fuel: high in calorific value, this gas is used in many vehicles as it is tantamount to diesel. This gas is also rich in methane so it is widely used in cars and other vehicles.

There are a variety of biogas plant manufacturers in the online business portals who supply high quality products of different sizes and prices.

Author has wide knowledge of B2B Marketplace and Business industries. For more information on biogas plant and water treatment plant, visit online business directory Dir.indiaMART.com