European Biogas Initiative to improve the yield of agricultural biogas plants (EU-AGRO-BIOGAS)

The EU-AGRO-BIOGAS STREP project targets the area SUSTDEV-1.1.1 “Cost-effective supply of renewable energies” and in particular the topic “Innovative approaches to improving the yield of medium to large scale biogas plants” of the work programme to the EU 6th Framework Programme for Research, Technology and Demonstration. The main objectives of this project are to - develop and demonstrate a standard methodology to assess the methane yield of several regionally available raw materials as substrates for an agricultural biogas plant, - to develop and demonstrate an automatic monitoring, management and early-warning system for agricultural, medium to large scale biogas plants and - to optimise and demonstrate innovative approaches to improve biogas yield and energy output at agricultural biogas plants. The consortium combines know-how from universities, applied research institutions and companies. To ensure an efficient technology transfer into demonstration activities at full scale commercial agricultural biogas plants, selected operators (SMEs) of medium to large scale agricultural biogas plants have already agreed to provide access to their plants, being the main beneficiaries of the project. Objectives: 1.To optimise the planning and operating process of agricultural biogas plants based on the European online substrate atlas-database and standardised methane energy valuation model with the aim to reduce investment costs (including quality control) 2. To optimise the biogas production through a demonstration of an innovative feeding technology to bring in the substrate or mixtures into the agricultural biogas plant 3. To monitor, identify and benchmark the main influence factors during the technological process in agricultural biogas plants based on already available data and newly monitored medium and large agricultural biogas plants (16 biogas plant operators have already agreed to co-operate) 4.To test, implement and demonstrate a newly developed monitoring, management and early-warning system for agricultural biogas plants and new and innovative technological solutions under full-scale operating conditions in agricultural biogas plants 5. To improve the degree of efficiency in the fermenter of about 35% 6. To increase the biogas yield of about 40% 7. To optimise and guarantee quality and safety of digested material 8. To improve, optimise and demonstrate several selected conversion technologies which will lead to an improvement of the degree of efficiency (CHP, heat utilisation) 9. To reduce the investment and operational costs of medium and large agricultural biogas plants of about 20 to 30% 10. To disseminate and present the demonstration projects to planners, investors and farmers as potential users and to provide inputs for the future development of energy policy and legislation