University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU) - Research portal

Navigation/Search

Project partners: Agrana Bioethanol GmbH, Josef Reither-Str. 21 - 23, 3430 Tulln, Austria.
Contact person: Elvis Makic;
Function of the Project Partner: Partner; BPE Technisches Büro für Kulturtechnik und Wasserwirtschaft, Dipl.-Ing. Dr. Leopold Prendl, Am Kellerberg 31, 2325 Himberg-Pellendorf, Austria.
Contact person: Dr. Leopold Prendl;
Function of the Project Partner: Partner; Technical University Vienna, Institute of Water Quality and Waste Control_x000D_ , Karlsplatz 13/226, 1040 Wien, Austria.
Contact person: Dr. Vanessa Parravicini;
Function of the Project Partner: Partner

Funded by: Agrana Bioethanol GmbH, Industriegelände Pischelsdorf, 3435 Pischelsdorf, Austria; Klima- und Energiefonds, Leopold-Ungar-Platz 2 / Stiege 1 / 4.OG / Top 142, 1190 Wien, Austria; University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Institute for Environmental Biotechnology, Austria

Abstract: A biogas plant treating thin stillage is integrated into a bioethanol plant. The focus lies on an economic and sustainable optimised process. The aim is on the one hand to establish a constant and stable anaerobic process including a nitrogen sink (aerobic treatment or ammonia stripping). On the other hand the produced digestate is treated via evaporation, membranes or aerobically. The purified process water is reused in the yeast fermentation of the bio-ethanol plant. The nitrogen in the proteins is made available by anaerobic digestion as an assimilable nitrogen source to the yeasts, apart from that the water and other nutrients are recycled into the bioethanol plant to achieve a nutrient cycle. In addition, other points have to be investigated: degradation of metabolites from yeast fermentation, influence on animal feed quality, effect of recirculated process water on yeasts, economic significance of process.

Keywords: interdisciplinary natural science; environmental research; ecological engineering; environmental protection; process engineering; power economics; interdisciplinary technical sciences; environmental technology; energy research; biotechnology; environmental economics; energy saving (measures for); renewable resources (energy);; bioethanol; biogas; digestate treatment; nutrient cycle; stillage;