HPTC Biogas Plant

High Performance Temperature Controlled Biogas Plant

BME GmbH y Deimel 1 y 84329 Wurmannsquick y Germany

Ph +49(0)9954 90 240 F +49(0)9954 90 241 Email bme_gmbh@t-online.de

Rottaler Modell HPTC Biogas Plant

Table of Contents
Background of the Rottaler Modell (RM) HPTC Biogas Plant ....3 RM HPTC Biogas Plant in Brief..................................................4 Advantages of an HPTC Biogas Plant .......................................5 Feedstock and its Biogas Potential ............................................6 Feedstock Production with Energy Crops ..................................7 Why Temperature Controlled? ...................................................8 Basic Equipment of a HPTC Biogas Plant .................................9 Economics ................................................................................10 Checklist for the Engineering of an HPTC Biogas Plant ..........11 For questions to the HPTC Biogas Plant please contact: ........12

Rottaler Modell HPTC Biogas Plant

Background of the Rottaler Modell (RM) HPTC Biogas Plant

HPTC High Performance, Temperature Controlled Availability of energy is critical to economic and technical development. In developing countries, the majority of the people have no access to energy and have therefore no opportunity for developing and improving their lives. To change this situation BME GmbH developed the high performance temperature controlled biogas plant (HPTC) for the production of gas for cooking and in combination with a genset for the production of electricity from biogas. The HPTC biogas plant is a high performance, small and modular biogas unit. Due to the special engineering and design a very high biogas production is possible. Different volumes and capacities are possible. The design is adapted to the demand and circumstances of the living conditions in rural areas especially in developing countries.

Production of thermal and electrical energy from biomass or organic waste and production of fertilizer. Different locally available biomass as organic waste from households, markets, kitchen waste, villages or restaurants or from residues from food processing, but also biomass from the fields can be used as feedstock for the HPTC biogas plant. Due to the special design high fibrous material can be digested also. Local resources in rural areas can be used for the production of energy crops such as grass, sorghum or other available local plants. New jobs can be created for the feedstock production and also for the operation of the HPTC biogas plant. Availability of cooking gas and electricity causes development and enriches the whole region. The value remains in the community.

Rottaler Modell HPTC Biogas Plant

RM HPTC Biogas Plant in Brief

HPTC High Performance, Temperature Controlled
Applications at Products Boarding schools, school kitchens Villages Restaurants Cooking gas for households or big kitchens for schools or orphan homesor similar applications Electricity: The biogas can be used in a genset to replace up to 80% of the diesel to produce electricity. Bio-Fertilizer: The digested feedstock is after the digestion a highly valuable fertilizer. Gras, Sorghum, Market waste Agricultural waste, Food processing waste Fish waste Kitchen waste Oil press cake Please see also attached list. Two-stage digestion system with 1) Hydrolysis and acidification 2) Methanisation 10-15 times higher than the manure biogas plants due to 1) temperature control 2) hydrolysis and acidification 3) high calorific feedstock 25 m3 Ca. 60 m per day (20 m net digester volume x 3 m biogas per m digestion volume per day) Methane content: 55-60% 60 m biogas x 60% =36 m methane. Equivalent to 26 kg LPG or 90 kg wood (100% dry) or 36 litre diesel Controlled temperature, 37C, insulation and solar heating system Plastic bags with a 3 layer material Flame arrester for blocking fire backstroke Overpressure Valve for regulating the gas pressure in the gas system Solenoid valve for blocking the gas flow to the genset while not producing electricity 7 days

Feedstock

System

Performance

Digester volume Biogas production

Temperature Digester/Biogas bag material Safety devices

Installation time

Rottaler Modell HPTC Biogas Plant

Advantages of an HPTC Biogas Plant

Various kinds of biomass are suitable The small biogas plants in developing countries are known for the digestion of cattle or pig manure. The HPTC biogas plant can use the same feedstock and is not limited to these kinds only. All kind of organic waste market waste, agro-processing waste, etc is a good feedstock for the biogas production. Further more the farmers can produce also energy crops like gras, sorghum or maize for biogas production. Below you can see different kinds of feedstock available for digestion in HPTC biogas plants.

Grass

Maize / Sunflower

Sorghum

Straw

Dry grass

Stems (banana i.e.)

Stems (cutted)

Leaves

Vegetable

Organic waste

Everywhere! feedstock is available. In the suburbs of cities or remote villages. The HPTC offers the opportunity to produce biogas everywhere. Independently from livestock! Local Waste Management Waste is a nuisance everywhere. There is no use and everyone dump it the results are bad smell, diseases and water pollution. With the HPTC the organic fraction of the waste can be used for producing energy and fertilizer. Coincidentally the bad smell can be avoided. Productive Use Development especially in rural areas is blocked almost by a lack of energy. The typical manure biogas plant doesnt produce enough biogas for the operation of a genset. The HPTC provides enough biogas to run a genset for 10 hours a day. The electricity fuels milling machines and other productive applications. Savings for the Rural Community Diesel is the main fuel for electricity production in remote regions. Diesel is expensive and electricity from diesel drains the money from the villages. The HPTC uses local produced feedstock. Electricity from HPTC gives income for the local farmers and provides job opportunities for the local people. 5

Rottaler Modell HPTC Biogas Plant

Feedstock and its Biogas Potential

The biogas potential of the feedstock differs from each other. Some organic substances produce less biogas, some have a high biogas production rate. The daily feeding rate of the HPTC biogas plant has to be adjusted to the available feedstock and depends on how much biogas or electricity should be produced for the daily use. Daily Feeding Rate The table shows the feeding rate of the feedstock for the daily maximum biogas production of 60 m biogas per day. The biogas has a methane content of 60% and this results in a daily methane production of 36 m.
Feedstock cattle manure (liquid) cattle manure (solid) Grass (fresh) Market waste Vegetable waste/market waste Fish processing waste Food waste (from canteen kitchen) Park and garden waste (fresh) Organic waste (domestic) Oil seed residue (pressed)
Source: Figures KTBL, own calculation

Feeding rate kg/day 1030 330 470 400 400 270 185 175 90 65

Dry Matter % 8 25 21,1 25 25 30 40 42 75 92

Volatile Solids % 80 80 91 90 90 90 98 97 90 97

Biogas m CH4/kg VS 0,55 0,55 0,4 0,4 0,4 0,5 0,5 0,5 0,6 0,62

Methane yield per day m CH4 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36

One m of methane has an energy content of 10 kWh; this is the same as 1 litre diesel or 1 m natural gas. The maximum dailys biogas production can replace 26 kg LPG (liquified petroleum gas) or 36 litres diesel or 90 kg of wood (100 % dry) To produce a methane yield of 36 m per day feeding rates between 1030 kg and 65kg per day are necessary depending on the kind of feedstock.

vegetable waste

fish waste

market waste

grass

Rottaler Modell HPTC Biogas Plant

Feedstock Production with Energy Crops

Beside waste energy crops can be a source of feedstock for biogas production. The table shows an example how to calculate the farmland demand to run a HPTC.
Qty. unit

Methane production per day Methane production per ton of grass Grass as feedstock per day Grass as feedstock per year Grass yield per ha and year Area demand for grass production

36 77 0,470 172

m m tons tons

40-60 tons 4,3 ha

Fig.: Gas bag installation in Mombasa

With 1 ton of fresh grass 77 m methane can be produced. To reach the daily maximum biogas yield around 420 kg of fresh gras as feedstock has to be harvested and fed to the biogas plant. For one year the HPTC needs 125 tons of fresh grass. The yield of one hectare grassland is 40 tons per year. To run an HPTC around a year 4,3 hectares of land are necessary. With 4,3 hectares of land a village can produce enough biogas for cooking of 50 families a boarding school can replace the fire wood for the kitchen a genset with the elcectrical capacity of 12 kW can run 10 hours a day and gives electricity for 120 families (100 watt/family) or drives machines for productive use like grain mills or oil mills. During the dry season the fresh grass can be replaced by grass silage, which is produced during the rainy season.

Rottaler Modell HPTC Biogas Plant

Why Temperature Controlled?

A constant temperature is crucial for many biological processes. Biogas bacteria come from cattle stomaches, which are mammals and require a constant body temperature of 37 oC. The biogas plants in developing countries are designed to digest cattle or pig manure without any technical controll or heating system. Therefore the biogas yield per m digester volume and day is very low. And these systems cant digest waste, energy crops and other high calorific feedstocks. Temperature controll for the HPTC Temperature is one important key for a high performance digestion system and therefore a high biogas production. Also temperature is important for a stable biology in the digester. To maintain a constant temperature on the mammal level without mayor fluctuations to digester bag is insulated on the top. A solarthermal heating system with heating coils in the digester heats the liquid.

Temperature in the Digesters

Activity at T oC in % Activity at 35 oC

150 100 50

Thermophilic digestion Temperature: ~ 55 oC

thermophilic mesophilic

Mesophilic digestion Temperature: ~ 35 oC

50 60
o

20

30

40

The picture shows the performance curve of biogas plants depending on the temperature level. The optimum temperature ar at 37 oC and 55 oC. Above and below the performance is reduced.

Solar heating systems for HPTC biogas plants in Kenya and India

Rottaler Modell HPTC Biogas Plant

Basic Equipment of a HPTC Biogas Plant

The Standard HPTC Biogas Plant is composed of: 25 m digester bag (with insulation) 20 m biogas storage bag two 4 m hydrolysis units overflow unit to store the recirculate / fertilizer solar heating system to heat the digester (heating pipes, circulation pump, solar control system) desulphurisation pump bio filtering system for filtering the hydrolysis gas generating in the hydrolysis unit gas pipes pipes (gas pipe, hydrolysis pipe to the digester, overflow of the digester) over pressure valve and condensation trap others (roofage), civil engineering, ground work operating instructions and manual

Digester bag

Services: installation of the HTPC biogas plant workshop and training of the local staff
Gas storage bag

start up

Genset

Overflow units / Digester bag unit

Rottaler Modell HPTC Biogas Plant

Economics
The following calculation shows the comparison to LPG.
Revenue or Energy Savings in Comparison to LPG
quantity unit country

Biogas production per day Methane content Methane production per day Weight of methane Methane production per day Volume of 1 LPG cylinder Price of 1 LPG cylinder Methane production in LPG cylinder equivalent Value of the biogas production in comparison to LPG per day Value of the biogas production in comparison to LPG per year

60 60% 36 0,72 25,9

m m kg/m kg Kenya Kenya

13 kg 23 US$

2,0 cylinders LPG 45,9 US$

16.738 US$ 13.391

Investment in a 25 m HPTC Biogas Plant

Cost in

Material and Installation Operating Costs Feedstock Energy crop production per ha in Hectare per year Operator Salary per month in

30.000

860 200 4,3 600 50 1.460

Profit per year Payback period

11.931 2,5 years

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Rottaler Modell HPTC Biogas Plant

Checklist for the Engineering of an HPTC Biogas Plant

Questions Comment Amount

Which feedstock is available? Is the feedstock available throughout the year? If not, is there any possibility for conservation and production of silage? Biogas usage: thermal or electrical use? Local electricity price? (money per kWh) Local LPG price? Electricity: Describe the demand curve during the day. Highest demand? Operator: Is a person as operator available? Temperature curve throughout the year Soil: Which soil is at the planned site? Sandy, clayey, rocky, firm, profound How is the groundwater level? Is the site free from floods? Are craftsmen locally available for the construction? Other relevant comments?

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Rottaler Modell HPTC Biogas Plant

For questions to the HPTC Biogas Plant please contact:

Dipl.Ing.agr. Walter Danner
bme_gmbh@t-online.de

Dipl.Ing.agr. Ulrich Gams

ugams@yahoo.de

BME GmbH Deimel 1 84329 Wurmannsquick Germany +49 (0) 9955 90 240 +49 (0) 9954 90 241 bme_gmbh@t-online.de

Created by BME GmbH 2/2008

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