ECOLOGY - ENVIRONMENT

RE-BIOMAS - Pilot Plant for the Production of Biogas

from Biomass

1. GeneraI
The Re-Biomas plant has been specially designed for the study of the anaerobic fermentation process resulting in the
formation of methane gas (biogas) from organic waste material (biomass).
In the field of the so-called soft technologies, anaerobic fermentation plays a primary role on account of the contribution it
can make to the solution of major problems to do both with the energy crisis and with the disposal of organic waste materials.
The Re-Biomas pilot plant has been conceived so as to illustrate effectively the functional parameters which determine the
quantity and properties of the biogas produced as well as the criteria governing system operation, in particular in terms of
safety.
Thus, this unit can be viewed as a valuable teaching tool for the understanding of both the processes and the technology
adopted in the design of real systems.
2. The anaerobic fermentation process
Through the degradation of complex organic molecules, anaerobic fermentation makes it possible to transform organic waste
materials (such as solid organic waste, agro-alimentary refuse materials, animal faeces) into valuable materials: a fertiliser
and a gas, referred to as biogas, 70% of which consists of methane.
Biogas production varies as a function of the nature and quantity of material processed; on average, it comes to ca 0.3 - 0.4
Nm3 of biogas per kg of solid matter treated.
The average composition of the gaseous product (biogas) is as follows:
CH4 methane (6070%);
CO2 carbon dioxide (2832%);
H2S sulphurised hydrogen, NH3 ammonia, etc. (23%).
The lower calorific power of this gas is of about 5200 + 6000 kcal/Nm3 depending on the percentage of methane.
The remaining liquid and solid parts are excellent fertilisers for use in farming.
The effluent liquid, in hot areas (ambient temperature 2528C) is an excellent basis for the cultivation of aquatic plants
which can be used as animal feed.

DIDACTA Italia S.r.l. - Strada del Cascinotto, 139/30 - 10156 Torino - Italy
Tel. +39 011 2731708 - Fax +39 011 2733088 - http://www.didacta.it - E-mail: info@didacta.it
The anaerobic fermentation process is also an effective clean-sing means, with an efficiency, in terms of BOD6 reduction, of
up to 80+85%.
3. Composition
The pilot plant consists of:
Basic system (Code 949100);
Optional thermostat-controlled refrigerator for the BOD equipment (Code 949104);
Optional thermo reactor for COD analysis (Code 949103);
Optional kit for the measurement of the concentration of gas (Code 949101);
Automatic Data Acquisition System SAD/RE-BIOMAS, consisting of
- Electronic transducer kit (Code 914244);
- Signal conditioning and A/D conversion unit (Code 914323);
- Data acquisition and analysis software (Code 914345)

Fig. 1 - General synoptic

1. Reactor of non-toxic plastic material, with capacity of 14. Feed tank outlet valve
about 100 I 15. Low pressure gas storage volumetric tank with safety
2. 2000 W variable power electric heater valve
3. Feed tank, 200 l capacity with agitator 16. Reactor feed pump
4. Recirculation and mixing pump 17. Tank with acid and basic solutions for pH control n the
5. U manometer to measure operating pressure in the reactor
reactor 18. Electrical equipment including controls, measurement
6. Gas vent valve to adjust operating pressure in the indicators, and, when the SAD/RE-BIOMAS is present,
reactor the signal conditioning and A/O conversion unit
7. Siphon type discharge for different operating pressures V1 Solenoid valve interlocked with a timer to control flowrate
8. Degasser - settling tank V2 Recirculation and mixing solenoid valve
9. Safety flame trap V3 Sludge recirculation valve
10. Active carbon trap V4 Basic corrective solution solenoid valve
11. Gas meter and leak detector with alarm LI Level indicators
12. CO2 removal column TIC Reactor temperature control thermostat
13. Silica gel filter drier PC Personal Computer, to be provided when using the
SAD/RE-BIOMAS
4. Description
Basic system - Code 949100
The RE-BIOMAS pilot system is described through the synoptic scheme illustrated in fig. 1.
The plant can be fed from a tank (3) fitted out with an agitator to blend the solid parts. The feed tank can be filled with a
solution specially prepared for the tests or with organic waste liquids, sludge, etc. It is also possible to introduce nutritious
substances into the tank and/or to vary the pH value before starting the tests.
The fermentation process itself begins in a reactor (1) which is fed by means of an electrically operated pump (16). A
programmable timer makes it possible to control the solenoid valve (Vi) and hence to vary reactor feed rate.

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The reactor (i) has a large see-through window. The waste material stays in the tank in anaerobic conditions (no oxygen) for
a long enough period of time and part of it changes into gas. The fermentation device may work at temperatures higher than
ambient temperature thanks to a heater (2). Recirculation and mixing are by means of a pump (4).
The pH level in the tank can be controlled automatically because a pH probe controls the solenoid valves (V4) governing the
inflow from the reservoirs containing the corrective solutions (17).
The degassing - settling tank (8) equipped with siphon type discharge is where the gas is separated from the sludge; the
latter can be returned to the fermentation unit to improve process efficiency.
At this point, the gas is subjected to a series of treatments: first of all sulphurised hydrogen is eliminated by an active carbon
trap (10) contactors, then most of the CO2 is removed with the aid of a basic solution (12), and finally the gas is dried by
means of a water absorbing bed (13). Finally the product is stored at atmospheric pressure in a volumetric tank (15).
The pilot plant can work in different manners, each of which illustrates a different anaerobic fermentation technology. For
instance, with a liquid feed, it is possible to obtain:
discontinuous operation;
continuous operation;
operation with sludge recirculation.
When the material used is either solid or semi-solid (e.g. , high organic nature refuse), the system can be used as a lysimeter
for the study of the fermentation process. In this case, the material is fed directly into the reactor (1) and the plant can only
work in discontinuous mode.
The system is equipped with all the necessary instruments to carry out the tests. In particular, it includes:
A pH meter to measure and adjust the pH value in the reactor;
6-location BOD (Biological Oxygen Demand) meter;
Imof cone for the determination of total solids;
U manometer (5) to measure pressure in the reactor (i);
U manometer to measure the pressure of the gas in the volumetric tank (15);
No. 6 Pt100 temperature probes connected to a digital indicator to measure the temperature at different points of the
system;
Produced gas meter;
Gas leak detector with alarm.
The basic system can be supplemented with several optional instruments or with the Automatic Data Acquisition System.
Optional thermostat-controlled refrigerator for the BOD equipment - Code 949104
This unit makes it possible to keep the BOD measuring equipment at a constant temperature of 2OC 0.5C during the
tests, with ambient temperatures between -10 and 50C.
Optional thermo reactor for COD analysis - Code 949103
Designed for 6-location COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand) analysis, this unit is fitted out with a special device to control
testing temperature and duration.
Optional kit for the measurement of gas concentration - Code 949101
This kit makes it possible to take samples and measure the concentration of the following gases:
carbon dioxide;
methane;
sulphurised hydrogen.

OPTIONAL
SAD/RE-BIOMAS Automatic Data Acquisition System
This is used to acquire the data in real time and take full didactic advantage of the gas generation plant.
It makes it possible to acquire all the quantities being examined during the tests performed with the manually operated
version; furthermore, it is able to produce charts leading to a thorough understanding of the operating principles and system
problems of anaerobic fermentation.
The system includes:
Electronic transducer and signal conditioning kit (Code 914344)
Data acquisition and analysis software (code 914345)
The electronic transducer and signal conditioning kit (Code 914344) includes the electronic transducers for the acquisition of
the following quantities:
Pressure n the reactor (P 1);
pH value in the reactor (pH);
Pressure n gas storage tank (P2);
Quantity of gas produced (Q).
 Fig. 2 - SAD/RE-BIOMAS software: Working environment Fig. 3 - SAD/RE-BIOMAS software: Real time diagram
Furthermore, the electrical equipment conditions and converts the signals originated by six Pt100 temperature probes for the
automatic acquisition of the following temperatures:
Temperatures in the reactor (T1, T2, T3, T4);
Temperatures in the heater (T5, T6).
The data acquisition and analysis software (Code 914345) (see fig. 2 and 3) runs in MS-Windows environment and is used
to acquire the data in real time, to process and file them, and to print out on paper or display on screen the characteristic
process parameters and diagrams in the different operating conditions.
The system can be used with:
IBM or compatible PC, min. Pentium, with Hard Disk, SVGA or better graphic board, Mouse, 8 MB RAM min., one USB
serial port;
Graphic printer;
MS-Windows software (XP or later version).

5. Applications
The testing procedures consist of the following steps: feeding the system with a specially prepared organic solution (sugar,
alcohol, or a solution with lyophilised bacteria) or with solid and/or liquid organic waste materials, setting the operating
parameters, and conducting the test up fo the production of biogas.

By means of the measuring instruments supplied as standard with this system students will find that the quantity and the
properties of the biogas produced depend on time of stay in the reactor, temperature and processing methods. The students
can also evaluate the quantities of gas produced with different liquid and solid refuse.

6. Reference manual and guide to the exercises

The system is supplied with an exhaustive manual which describes the systems technical characteristics, illustrates set-up
and utilization procedures, and proposes several exercises to be conducted with the aid of numerical values and reference
charts.

7. Required services
Three-phase electric power - 50/60 Hz - 4 kW;
Water: 1000 l/h - 3 Bar;
Compressed air: 50 l/h - 6 Bar.

8. Weights and dimensions

Weight when empty: 450 kg - laden weight: 650 kg
Dimensions: 2500 x 1800 x 2300 h mm

Cod. R00776/E 0503 Ed. 01 Rev. 01

In any time and without notice, Didacta Italia can carry out any appropriate modification on the product details, always
maintaining their main features, according to the designing and teaching necessity. Page 4