Agricultural biogas plants built after 2003: Monitoring and benchmarks
Abstract
The “Biogas Austria Forum” is a centre of excellence with the aim to optimise biogas production from agrarian biomass. It comprises horizontal and vertical co-operation between partners from research, extension service, authorities, planers, biogas plant operators, and companies that work in the field of biogas production. The multi-disciplinary consortium covers all aspects of biogas production from agrarian biomass. It gives essential impetus for the future development of biogas production. The “Biogas Austria Forum” was initiated by the Division of Agricultural Engineering of the Department for Sustainable Agricultural Systems (ILT). In course of the research project “Agricultural biogas plants built after 2003: Monitoring and benchmarks” the “Biogas Austria Forum” promotes the dissemination of biogas plants that are built according to the actual state of the art. The project mainly concentrates on biogas plants that focus on digestion of energy crops. Energy crops are differ from animal manures in their physical-chemical properties, degradability, and potential methane yield. This requires biogas technology to be adapted to the specific need of energy crop digestion. The limited knowledge currently does not allow to give recommendations on optimum energy crop digestion. Due to the considerable uncertainties, farmers are reluctant to invest into biogas plants that digest energy crops. Huge potentials of renewable energy production are not exploited. The project “Agricultural biogas plants built after 2003: Monitoring and benchmarks” will carry out an area-wide monitoring of technological and management parameters of 40 new biogas plants in Austria. The following parameters will be assessed: technology, substance and energy flows, economic efficiency, work requirement, and management. Two biogas plants will be intensively monitored in detail. During a period of eight month, substance and energy flow and process parameters will be continuously measured. Economic efficiency will be assessed with the computer based programme “ECOGAS”. Costs of energy crop production and incentives given for energy crop digestion will be integrated in the cost analysis. From the results, guidelines will be produced to guarantee a rapid dissemination.
www.landwirtschaftsverlag.com
Project staff
Barbara Amon
Priv.Doz.Dr. Barbara Amon
barbara.amon@boku.ac.at
Project Staff
01.11.2004 - 27.02.2007
Alexander Bauer
Assoc. Prof. Priv.Doz.DI Dr.nat.techn. Alexander Bauer
alexander.bauer@boku.ac.at
Tel: +43 1 47654-93101, 93150
Project Staff
01.11.2004 - 27.02.2007
Bernhard Freyer
Univ.-Prof. i.R. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.Ing. Bernhard Freyer
bernhard.freyer@boku.ac.at
Project Staff
01.11.2004 - 27.02.2007
Jürgen Kurt Friedel
ao.Univ.Prof. Dipl.-Ing.Dr. Jürgen Kurt Friedel
Tel: +43 1 47654-93317
Project Staff
01.11.2004 - 27.02.2007
Martina Fröhlich
Dipl.-Ing.Dipl.-Päd. Martina Fröhlich
martina.froehlich@boku.ac.at
Tel: +43 1 47654-31221
Project Staff
01.11.2004 - 27.02.2007
Marion Ramusch
Marion Ramusch
marion.ramusch@boku.ac.at
Tel: +43 1 47654-31302
Project Staff
01.11.2004 - 27.02.2007
Walter Schneeberger
o.Univ.Prof.i.R. Dipl.-Ing.Dr. Walter Schneeberger
walter.schneeberger@boku.ac.at
Tel: +43 1 47654-73300
Project Staff
01.11.2004 - 27.02.2007
Werner Zollitsch
Univ.Prof. Dipl.-Ing.Dr. Werner Zollitsch
werner.zollitsch@boku.ac.at
Tel: +43 1 47654-93211, 99101, 99111
Project Staff
01.11.2004 - 27.02.2007
Katharina Hopfner-Sixt
Dipl.-Ing.Dr. Katharina Hopfner-Sixt
Sub Projectleader
01.11.2004 - 27.02.2007
BOKU partners
External partners
Bundesanstalt für alpenländische Landwirtschaft
Univ. Doz. Dr. Erich M. Pötsch
partner
Funder
Jenbacher Energy Systems AG
Schmack Biogas AG
RWA Raiffeisen Ware Austria AG
Biogest environmental engineering Ltd.
KWS seeds inc.
Austrian Industrial Research Promotion Fund (FFF)
Nawaros Bioenergy and Raw Material Production Ltd.
THÖNI environmental and energy technology
Pioneer Seeds Ltd.
Industry, production and environmental technology service
Wolf Systembau Ltd.