Description
The POM-BIOGAS project will investigate possibilities of the organic fraction of municipal and industrial waste utilization for renewable energy production. The project in needed in order to increase the contribution of biogas energy in the overall energy supply. The objectives of the project include optimalisation of the substrate composition to achieve highest quality of the biogas, optimalisation of the biogas production process at the pilot installation and determination of the best possible uses for the biogas and digestate. The implementation of the project will result in the development of a pilot installation to the anaerobic digestion of organic fraction, improving energetic use of the biogas and providing for agricultural application of the digestate. Moreover the project will contribute to the minimalization of the landfilled organic fraction, thus increasing the recycling level. The society and environment will benefit from the project. All project partners have a strong track record of implementing large European projects, also on biogas production as well as excessive experience and technical and administrative capacity to manage and implement the scheduled activities. This is expected to strengthen the co-ordination and support quality control.
Summary of project results
The objective of the "Pomeranian Biogas Model" project was to investigate the possibility of using the organic fraction of municipal and industrial waste for uninterrupted and environmentally friendly production of biogas. The methane fermentation process is well-mastered and managed for agricultural substrates, while still being a challenge for municipal waste, due to technical, economic and social barriers. Anaerobic processing digestion of organic waste fraction, separated from municipal and industrial waste and representing industrial waste, reduces the volume of waste sent to landfills, produces biogas and contributes to a reduction of methane emissions. An important aspect of the developed process is the recovery of nutrients from digestate, to be used in its dehydrated dewatered form as an easy for distribution fertiliser. Conducted studies have shown that Pomorskie features significant sources of organic waste available for methane fermentation. The heterogeneous nature of municipal waste could hinder the implementation of the technological process due to the presence of undesirable substances, as well as the varying nutrient content. Organic waste tends to putrefy quickly, thus the necessary hygienisation effect is obtained by applying the thermophilic methane fermentation (55°C) process and/or biomass thermolysis. The efficiency of methane fermentation was tested in reactors of three sizes: 0.5 dm3, 10 dm3 and a pilot plant with a battery of two bioreactors 1000 dm3 each (both designed and manufactured in the Dept. of Chemical Technology of GUT). Research carried out on model waste batches has made it possible to develop methods and collect experience, which will allow the process parameters for waste fermentation to be determined. The results show the potential for applying the activated sludge process in the treatment of fermentation sludge liquor from dewatering of the digestate, which is an effective and economical method of removing biogenic elements or its further treatment for recovery of nutrients processes. A key factor in the economic aspects of a biogas plant investment is the cost of biogas production, in particular the selection of a substrate mix. In the case of small biogas plants, co-generation using the heat in the vicinity at near-by consumers is the most effective way for utilising biogas. For large biogas manufacturers, as it is better to enrich and supply methane to the grid or use it as a transport fuel.
Summary of bilateral results
As a result of research and analysis activities, lasting more than three years and performed by means of cooperation between scientists and experts from Poland and Norway, solutions have been developed for efficient ecological waste management, aimed for production of energy, respecting the environmental, social and economic factors, which have been summarised in the final publication of the project’s results. The main objectives of the project included: • optimizing the composition of the substrate in order to achieve the highest quality of the obtained biogas • biogas production process optimization, in a deliberately constructed and built pilot plant • new approach to the processing and use of biogas and digestate. These objectives have been grouped into four thematic areas: • Waste substrates • Biogas installations and technology • Use of biogas and • Use of digestate. The conducted studies have shown that the Pomorskie Voivodeship features significant sources of organic waste (municipal and industrial), available for methane fermentation. The identified biomass amount and conducted AMPTS tests support co-fermentation of bio-waste. Cooperation within this consortium resulted in gaining extensive knowledge in the biogas production and utilization of digestate from thermophilic fermentation of the organic fraction of municipal waste. Additionally, the professional expertise and long experience of the Norwegian partner provided some ready solutions to be implemented and tested for the newly developed biogas production process. As a result of this beneficial cooperation, an innovative technology for the biogas industry was developed.