Photos of Mini Biogas plant, Anaerobic Digester

Photos of Biogas plant (Anaerobic Digester) in action

Biogas plant (Anaerobic Digester) Experiment

Concept The purpose of this project is to discover ways to produce Biogas with alternate sources by using our local resources this project can help students to basics of Anaerobic digestion and production of bio-gas by different organic wastage, basic task is to design, fabricate, and test a simple waste digester and gas collection system.With this system you can examine various facets of the anaerobic digestion process. 

Biogas plant (Anaerobic Digester) in action

Biogas plant (Anaerobic Digester) in action

Habab idrees with Biogas plant (Anaerobic Digester)

Biogas plant (Anaerobic Digester) in action

Biogas plant (Anaerobic Digester) in action

Biogas plant (Anaerobic Digester) in action

Biogas plant (Anaerobic Digester) in action

http://paksc.org/pk/diy-projects/item/764-biogas-plant-experiment.html

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Energy experts believe that seaweed holds enormous potential as a biofuel

The team at the Berkeley, California-based Bio Architecture Lab engineered a form of E. coli bacteria that can digest the seaweed’s sugars into ethanol. – Reuters Photo

WASHINGTON: Energy experts believe that seaweed holds enormous potential as a biofuel alternative to coal and oil, and US-based scientists said Thursday they have unlocked the secret of turning its sugar into energy.
A newly engineered microbe can do the work by metabolizing all of the major sugars in brown seaweed, potentially making it a cost-competitive alternative to petroleum fuel, said the report in the US journal Science.
The team at the Berkeley, California-based Bio Architecture Lab engineered a form of E. coli bacteria that can digest the seaweed’s sugars into ethanol, it said.
Unlike other microbes before, researchers found it can attack the primary sugar constituent in seaweed, known as alginate.
“Our scientists have engineered an enzyme to degrade and a pathway to metabolize the alginate, allowing us to utilize all the major sugars in seaweed, said Daniel Trunfio, chief executive officer at Bio Architecture Lab.
The advance “makes the biomass an economical feedstock for the production of renewable fuels and chemicals,” he said.
A company spokesman told AFP that the lab currently has four aquafarming sites in Chile where it hopes to “scale up its microbe technology as the next step on the path to commercialization” in the next three years.
Seaweed is seen as an appealing option for biofuel because, unlike corn and sugar cane, it does not use arable land and so does not compete with crops grown for food.
Less than three percent of the world’s coastal waters can produce enough seaweed to replace some 60 billion gallons of fossil fuel, according to background information in the article.
At peak production, seaweed could produce 19,000 liters per hectare annually, about twice the level of ethanol productivity from sugarcane and five times higher than the ethanol productivity from corn.
Funding for the research came from the US Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency, a grant from InnovaChile, and Norwegian oil giant Statoil

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Chesterfield BioGas Appoints MD

Chesterfield BioGas Appoints MD

UK - Biogas upgrading and refuelling equipment manufacturers Chesterfield BioGas Ltd (CBG) has appointed Stephen McCulloch as Managing Director.

He joined the organisation as Sales Manager in 2008 when it was first formed as a division of Chesterfield Special Cylinders Limited (CSC). Prior to that Stephen had been in production and sales management positions at Doncasters Group Ltd.
When CBG became a separate operating company within the Pressure Technologies group in Autumn 2010, Stephen became Director of Business Development. It was around this time that a biogas upgrading plant supplied by CBG was at the heart of the system which made the first injection of gas produced from waste into the UK national gas grid.
Based in Sheffield, CBG provide solutions for the cleaning, storage and dispensing of biomethane, produced from wastewater treatment and anaerobic digestion of organic waste. The company also manufactures and installs permanent and temporary fuelling stations for vehicles operating on compressed natural gas.
Now, as MD, Stephen will drive the company’s growth derived from an increasing flow of projects in the UK. Staff numbers are progressively increasing as CBG has rapidly established itself as a market leader in this sector of renewable energy in the UK.
He has also recently assumed the Chairmanship of the Biomethane-to-grid Working Group at the Anaerobic Digestion & Biogas Association (ADBA) - a leading trade body in the renewable energy from waste sector.
TheBioenergySite News Desk

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New success for city green energy business

Chesterfield BioGas Ltd (CBG) has today secured a contract to supply and install upgrading equipment for the UK’s latest project to use gas from renewable waste resources and inject it directly into the national gas grid.
The contract win is seen as a good deal for the company, a subsidiary of Pressure Technologies plc (PT).
The system in Stockport, like the first successful UK venture of its kind in Didcot which opened in October 2010, will feature, at its heart, an upgrading unit designed and manufactured by CBG’s partner, Greenlane® Biogas of New Zealand.
The modular ‘Kanuka’ unit will take the raw biogas produced by anaerobic digestion of food waste from local hotels and restaurants and, using the proven water-wash process, upgrade it to 98% pure biomethane. The unit is capable of processing up to 300 cubic metres of gas per hour and features a newly patented water-flooded screw compressor.
The facility, which will open in Autumn 2012, will be operated by Fairfield Bio Energy - a partnership between green energy firm Bio Group Ltd and Centrica, the owners of British Gas. It will generate enough renewable gas to supply the natural gas requirements for 1,400 homes.
CBG’s contract, including ancillaries and remote monitoring services, is worth approximately £1m.
CBG’s Managing Director, Stephen McCulloch, said of the contract win, “This is a considerable vote of confidence in our technology and performance. Our unit uses the proven Greenlane® water-wash process which is successfully operating at over 60 sites around the world.”
“CBG established a firm working relationship with Centrica in the course of our work at the first UK project, which opened in Autumn 2010, and we are delighted to be their preferred supplier once again.”
Describing the success of the first system in Stockport, he added, “Our first project at the Thames Water site at Didcot used raw biogas captured during the treatment of waste water. The fact that the new Stockport site will use gas derived from a completely different waste material is a significant testament to our upgrading system and its versatility in coping with variable inputs from the anaerobic digestion process.”
Group Chief Executive, John Hayward, was just as enthusiastic and said in a company statement, “Chesterfield BioGas is firmly established as the market leader in upgrade technology in the UK. As the only UK-based supplier and installer of this type of technology, we have the experience and expertise to manage projects to the exacting engineering and health and safety standards demanded by large utility companies and gas grid operators. We look forward to further progress in this market over coming months.”

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Biogas is probably the best kept secret in the renewable energy industry.

Biogas is probably the best kept secret in the renewable energy industry.
Organic waste is one of the untapped sources of natural energy available today. “It's a simple solution that can be deployed in as quickly as three days but people don't know too much about it”, says Jonathan de Magalhães, Managing Director of Ubuntu Energy Solutions. While biogas is used all over the world --India for example has more than 4.5 million digesters–harnessing biogas energy in South Africa is practically unknown. Only a small number of digesters have been built successfully and commissioned to date – a loss to the renewable industry sector in the country since biogas fulfils all of the criteria relating to environmental sustainability, requires a relatively low technological input and is cost effective to implement.
Biogas typically refers to the gas which is produced by the biological breakdown of organic matter. Organic waste, such as dead plant matter, animal manure and kitchen waste, can easily be converted into biogas in a simple biogas digester. Biogas consists mainly of methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2). Biogas can be used as fuel for cooking, lighting, water heating as well as being able to run biogas generators to produce electricity.
Biogas provides a clean, easily controlled source of renewable energy from available organic waste for a small labour input, replacing firewood or fossil fuels, which are becoming more expensive as demand outweighs the supply.
Additionally, a biogas digester treats the organic waste and prevents it from taking up precious space in our landfills or over-burdened sewerage plants. In South Africa the waste disposed of in landfills produces unwanted landfill gas (Methane CH4) and leachate emissions. Furthermore, there is pressure on the country's aging sewerage system. According to de Magalhães, generating biogas presents a Win-Win -Win solution because it offers:
Easy disposal and treatment of Organic Waste

- Black Water Treatment: By feeding the black water (sewerage) into the biogas digester, additional organic waste as well as much needed water, will increase the yield of biogas from the digester daily. Additionally, in environments that would normally require a septic tank system, the cost saving of not needing the septic tank can be used to offset the costs of the biogas system.
- Organic waste, such as grass cuttings, animal manure, kitchen waste and almost any other type of similar waste, can be used to generate a usable form of energy.
- As the biogas digester is a closed system, there is no leakage of the organic waste into the surrounding environment. This can significantly reduce, or even eliminate, the need for an Environmental Impact Study.
Reduction of associated Energy Costs

- The biogas generated by the digester system can be used for water heating, space heating, cooking, lighting or running a biogas generator for electricity generation. Or any combination of these.
- By using biogas instead of traditional resources, such as electricity or gas, to provide this functionality, energy costs can be significantly reduced, providing a quick Return on Investment (ROI) for biogas solutions.

Provides further Cost Savings or a Passive Income

- As the process of biogas generation uses the bacteria in the organic waste, the organic slurry found at the end of the process can be easily managed, and all organic smells are contained within the closed digester system. This organic slurry can be used as a natural fertiliser for nearly all agricultural applications, reducing any costs associated with purchasing traditional fertilisers.
- This 100% natural organic fertiliser can also be sold to agricultural farms and nurseries, either in its liquid form or pre-dried and pelletized, providing an additional form of income from the biogas digester.

Biogas digesters are used all over the world, and the technologies have made leaps and strides, especially over the past three years. The first biogas system was installed in India in 1859. South and south-west Brazil are characterised by intensive livestock farming. Rio Grande do Sul, the southernmost Federal state in Brazil, has an abundance of pig farms. The manure produced in large quantities by pig farming is used for biogas production.
According to de Magalhães, generating biogas offers a better Return on Investment (ROI) than solar or wind systems. “It's easy to install and deploy, and is very low in maintenance, probably only requiring some attention once every 5 to 7 years. For these reasons, biogas digesters would work well in rural villages, farming communities and game lodges,” says de Magalhães.
But even the average family in Johannesburg could use their organic household waste in a biogas system. “As long as you have enough feedstock to put into the biogas system, such as blackwater, grass cuttings, and a reasonable amount of kitchen waste, then you can generate your own biogas. Even with a small system with enough organic feedstock, combine this with some solar panels and an intelligent inverter system, and you could get about 80% off the grid, all things considered.” says deMagalhães.“There is no smell because it is a closed system, and the payback period could easily be under 10 years, which is much shorter than a solar-powered system.”
However, amidst all these advantages, there have been no government initiatives in South Africa to assist those wishing to deploy biogas systems.
To learn more about biogas technology, be sure to attend the annual Africa Energy Indaba being held from February 21 to 23, 2012 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

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Exploring Biogas, An Untapped Source of Clean Renewable Energy

When most people think of clean technology and renewable energy, they think of the two industry stars: solar and wind power. In addition to their promise to replace fossil fuels, they're iconic and aesthetically pleasing. But other clean technology solutions have the potential to shine and make equal, if not greater, contributions to our success in weaning off fossil fuels. One of the most promising of these solutions is biogas.
This article focuses on the untapped power of biogas. First, we'll discusses why biogas is a real solution to our energy challenges today and why it's on the verge of transitioning from proven, popular biowaste conversion technology in Europe to a star role in the North American renewable energy economy. The second part presents how companies like Harvest are poised to transform the national clean tech landscape.
Attending lectures on renewable energy from 2009-2010 at Stanford University, I was impressed with graphs of the booming solar and wind power industries in Germany. However, I was surprised to learn from the German government’s publication of Renewable Energy Sources in Figures that solar power produces only 0.3 percent of Germany’s electricity and heat. Wind power performs slightly better at 2 percent. The real star of Germany’s impressive renewable energy industry is biomass: energy harvested from the flow of carbon above earth’s crust. The lack of discussion around biomass was surprising given the lecture hall filled with students discreetly eating their lunches and the sound of leaf blowers collecting yard debris in the background. We were unknowingly surrounded by the kind of materials that Germany uses to supply almost 8% of its electricity and heat.

Source: Germany’s BMU

In this article, I highlight an especially promising form of bioenergy used extensively in Germany and many other countries: biogas. Biogas turns today’s organic waste into tomorrow’s energy. Pizza crusts, fallen leaves, animal wastes, cornhusks, and many other feedstocks can be digested to generate biogas and then turned into nutrient-rich compost or fertilizer pellets.
Biogas­, a mixture of methane, carbon dioxide, and trace amounts of other gases, can be used for electricity and heat production, upgraded into a vehicle fuel, or fed directly into the natural gas grid. Not only is this technology flexible, it is available today, and does not need years of subsidy-fueled research to be viable.
Germany has built a robust biogas industry. Projections for 2011 in Germany show biogas sourced from agricultural feedstocks producing 17 million MWh of electricity, representing 3% of total production. Their 6,800 anaerobic digestion plants supply nearly 5 million homes with power, create €6 billion in revenue, and employ 20,000 people. The projected growth of this industry for 2020 shows 25,000 digesters supplying Germany with 76 million MWh, or 17% of electricity production, powering 22 million homes, creating €26 billion in revenue, and employing 85,000 people. These projections do not include biogas available from food or municipal waste, so the potential impact of the entire biogas industry is even larger than the projections listed above.
In comparison, the United States has a far more extensive agricultural system than Germany with fourteen times the expanse of cropland and eight times as many cattle. The German biogas industry can be modeled as applied to land and cattle resources to the United States. If the United States had followed Germany’s path of development for a biogas industry, in 2011 a network of 88,000 digesters would have produced 223 million MWh of electricity, representing over 5% of total electricity production. This would have powered 20 million homes, created $26 billion in revenue and employed 260,000 people. Instead the United State’s biogas industry can boast a meager 171 digesters, which produce well under 1% of total heat or electricity production.
The United States should put its vast quantities of agricultural residues to use and embrace a biogas industry. Digesters, a scalable technology, can be built on farms of all sizes and create additional income for the millions of farmers in the United States. A biogas industry would help agricultural communities stay afloat in the fast paced economy of the 21^st century. In addition to agricultural waste, the United States also produces huge amounts of organic waste in other forms such as leftover food, yard debris, and sewage. Millions of tons of these wastes are discarded each year, incurring costs for both collection, transportation to distant landfills, and disposal. Conversely, using our apple cores, tree trimmings, and even our sewage to generate biogas could produce over 30 million MWh of electricity, while saving cities and towns money on waste management and creating jobs and revenue.
Germany provides a model that demonstrates how biogas can offer great benefits to society with significant agricultural resources like the United States. In addition to benefitting rural areas, biogas can cut costs and simplify waste management for urban centers. Now, as I munch my lunch and listen to leaf blowers, I imagine how these organic materials could fuel our future.
Taking the Next Step Towards a Fuel at our Fingertips


The first part of this editorial applied a new lens to lunch and explored the untapped potential of biogas. Germany provided a model for this energy resource – organic materials – that can reduce fossil fuel dependence while contributing to rural and urban economies. This second section takes a closer look at biogas as a vehicle fuel and its benefits to the environment.
Biogas is a flexible fuel in today’s car economy. It can be used to produce electricity to power electric vehicles and it can also be processed into a vehicle fuel comparable to biodiesel and ethanol. In 2011 the Honda Civic CNG became the first natural gas vehicle available in the United States which means it can run on upgraded biogas.
Biogas reduces greenhouse gas emissions associated with fossil fuels. Biofuels use carbon that is already part of the cycle above the earth’s crust, limiting greenhouse gas emissions. When anaerobic digestion plants are applied to the organic fraction of municipal waste, not only does the resulting captured biogas energy offset fossil fuels, it reduces greenhouse gas emissions associated with organic materials in landfills. If organic waste is left in landfills, it produces methane as it breaks down (methane is a potent greenhouse gas if emitted to the atmosphere directly). While many landfills have gas capture systems, the methane can still escape, and of those that collect the gas not all generate useful electricity or fuel.
Compared to other biofuels like ethanol or biodiesel, biogas is preferable when derived from energy crops due to higher gross and net energy yield, as well as dramatically better greenhouse gas profile. Looking at the German bioenergy industry reveals that the same area of land produces double the gross miles, and yields nearly three times the net energy as ethanol.

In summary, biogas efficiently uses materials that would frequently be disposed of, is flexible in its applications, supports rural development, cuts waste management costs, can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and has a higher energy yield when applied to energy crops. The United States has poured billions of dollars into research and direct subsidies for liquid biofuels to find a temporary replacement for gasoline. In that search we may have overlooked a renewable natural resource lying quite literally at our fingertips: Biogas.
Source: www.eponline.com/articles/2012/01/12/exploring-biogas-an-untapped-source-of-clean-renewable-energy.aspx

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