Benefits of biogas

Benefits of using biogas in business

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Biogas as a fuel to replace natural gas or bunker oil

Biogas replaces natural gas and bunker oil in existing boilers in food industries. For such a replacement to be profitable, the plant must operate year-round.

And if there is an option to replace fossil fuel in the existing boilers, then it is always more profitable than power generation since there is no need to purchase a generator.

Successful examples from our experience include a distillery in Chimiseny, Moldova, and Rugani Carrots, a baby food factory, in Gauteng, South Africa. Both plants completely transitioned to biogas from fossil fuels.

Biofertilizers

Biofertilizer is a by-product of a biogas plant. Its value is determined by the content of the active elements N-P-K. The quality of this fertilizer is better than that of manure or dung. For example, dung contains nitrogen but it is chemically bound in the form of a protein. During decomposition under natural conditions, the protein loses up to 50% of its nitrogen. Fermentation is accelerated in a biogas plant and all nitrogen is restored to ammonium form.

Electric power

It is possible to generate 2.4 kWh of electric energy out of 1 m³ of biogas in a cogeneration gas-piston power plant (at 60% methane in biogas). Electric energy can be sold to the grid at a green tariff or used for one’s own needs.

Heat

Although not specifically burned for heat production, waste heat is recovered from engine cooling and from the exhaust gases in co-generators.

Ecology

Biogas production prevents the release of methane into the atmosphere. Its capture is the best way to prevent global warming. A biogas plant is the most active cleaning system, and it produces energy.

Any other cleaning system consumes energy. Additionally, a biogas plant converts waste into biogas and biofertilizers.

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Biomethane

An additional system for enriching biogas-to-biomethane is installed for fueling vehicles or supplying gas to the gas grid. After CO2 removal the resulting gas becomes an analogue of natural gas (98-99% methane CH4). The only difference is in its origin.

Cost savings for wastewater treatment plants during the construction of new enterprises

When building a new farm or a new food processing enterprise, there should always be sewage treatment plants, sewage ponds or waste treatment sites. Funds spent on such passive cleaning systems do not pay off.

In the absence of a biogas plant, the size of lagoons to store manure would be twice as large. Organics form colloids that trap water. Organics goes into biogas and effluents do not form colloids after a biogas plant.

Therefore, the volume of lagoons is less. This reduced volume of lagoons is a benefit of the biogas plant. The classic waste water treatment facilities for farms already include receiving tanks and separators.

These facilities are also available in biogas plants. Therefore, evaluating the economic efficiency of a biogas plant, it is more accurate to take these facility costs out of the budget.

We introduce biogas plants for various industries

Find out more about the biogas plant implemented by Zorg Biogas