Biogas Journal English Issue Spring_2018 by Fachverband Biogas e.V.

www.biogas.org

Spring_2018

German Biogas Association | ZKZ 50073

GaS Journal

english issue

The trade magazine of the biogas sector

Digestion of manure prevents enormous greenhouse gas emissions P. 6

New treatment concept creates liquid methane and CO2 as dry ice P. 13

About financing biogas projects by climate funds

S. 21

Including cou ntry reports from France a nd Uganda

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Editorial

Biogas Journal | Spring_2018

The crux of the matter: A feasible project vs. a financeable project Dear Readers, Over the course of my work as a consultant for international cooperation and business development and during my travels, especially to developing and emerging countries, one thing has become very clear to me: successfully achieving sustainable and affordable financing for a feasible biogas project is far from a sure-fire proposition. In countless talks with private sector stakeholders, public sector representatives and financial service providers – and in discussions on panels or listening to colleagues’ presentations, the prevailing mutual understanding is that, in this context, a feasible project doesn’t automatically have to be a financeable one. The reasons are manifold: In the vast majority of cases, when trying to secure project funds in these countries, project developers and investors face very high interest rates, often higher than 20% p.a., while the credit periods are rather short (sometimes less than 18 months), and the equity share required is far greater than the German standard, generally 20%. From an external perspective, interested project developers, investors and enterprises from Germany may be a bit hesitant to get involved after assessing the framework conditions with regard to the reliability and sustainability of the political, socio-economic and climatic contexts as well as the favorability of the business development environment – simply because they lack knowledge of local conditions and have limited experience in such countries.

However, especially in developing and emerging countries, there is an enormous, largely untapped potential for biogas technology. In addition to the growing markets in these countries, there is great interest in proven biogas technology and expertise from Europe, which presents an opportunity, particularly for companies in the German biogas industry. Especially in these markets, German Development Cooperation (GIZ) has a long history and extensive experience in implementing projects and programmes financed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and carried out by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, by sequa or by the KfW Banking Group. Development cooperation services include a portfolio of options for partnerships and financing, including feasibility studies and support for the implementation of pilot projects, in order to ease market entry for German companies in the biogas industry looking for opportunities abroad. Both the department of international affairs of the German Biogas Association and the so called EZ-Scout (development cooperation scout), are the one-stop-shop for German/ international partners looking for support in terms of partnership and financing for biogas projects abroad. In this regard, you might find my view on the opportunities and challenges of the Ugandan biogas sector on page 30 especially interesting. In this international is-

sue of the Biogas Journal, we look not only beyond Europe, but also across the border to France, our European neighbour (page 26), with its promising biogas sector. Those of you interested in special topics like BioLNG may want to start reading on page 10. Further topics covered in this issue include the production and use of biogas in the context of biological farming (page 18), climate protection based on the anaerobic digestion of slurry (page 6) and, last but not least, an article titled “The climate funds can start arriving – Biogas is ready”. I hope you enjoy reading this issue and that you discover some new insights, both for you, personally, and for your business in the international world of biogas. If you would like to hear about something that wasn’t included in this issue of the Biogas Journal or suggest a specific topic for one of our upcoming issues, do not hesitate to contact us. Of course, we also welcome positive feedback.

Sincerely Yours,

Dipl.-Eng. Markus Fürst Advisor International Cooperation and Business Development (EZ-Scout) Department of International Affairs – German Biogas Association

English Issue

Biogas Journal | Spring_2018

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The newspaper, and all articles contained within it, are protected by copyright. Articles with named authors represent the opinion of the author, which does not necessarily coincide with the position of the German Biogas Association. Reprinting, recording in databases, online services and the Internet, reproduction on data carriers such as CD-ROMs is only permitted after written agreement. Any articles received by the editor’s office assume agreement with complete or partial publication.

English Issue

Biogas Journal | Spring_2018

Editorial

3 The crux of the matter: A feasible project vs. a financeable project By Markus Fürst (Dipl.-Eng.) German Biogas Association

4 Imprint

Germany

6 Low climate footprint makes manure biogas plants outstanding By Ansgar Lasar

10 Biogenic liquid gas – Still at demonstration level By Martin Bensmann (Dipl.-Ing. agr. (FH)) 13 Producing liquid methane (LBM) and solid carbon dioxide as dry ice By Korbinian Nachtmann 18 “The biogas plant was the right decision” By Martin Bensmann (Dipl.-Ing. agr. (FH)) 21 The climate funds can start arriving – Biogas is ready By Alexander Linke and Clemens Findeisen

Country reports 26 France Ambitious biomethane expansion plans By EUR ING Marie Luise Schaller

13 C OVERPhoto: Markus Fürst Photos: Guenter Fischer/imageBROKER/OKAPIA, Marie-Luise Schaller

30 Uganda Welcome to Uganda! By Markus Fürst (Dipl.-Eng.)

26 5

English Issue

Biogas Journal | Spring_2018

Low climate footprint makes manure biogas plants outstanding Germany has set ambitious climate protection goals. By 2050, the national greenhouse gas emissions are to be reduced in comparison to those in 1990 by at least 80 percent. In the German climate protection plan for 2050, the anaerobic digestion of manure in biogas plants plays a significant role for the agricultural sector. This article explains why this is so and describes what the climate footprint of a manure biogas plant looks like.

here’s still a long way to go to achieve an 80 percent reduction by 2050. Currently, the reduction stands at 28 percent, which is primarily due to the decline in the eastern German coal industry directly following reunification. This special circumstance will not be repeated as such. The most important building block for reaching the German climate target is turning away from the consumption of fossil energy sources, i.e. discontinuing the burning of coal, oil and gas to produce energy. The future belongs to renewable energies that result in as few greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as possible. In this regard in Germany, the number one source of renewable energy production is on-shore wind and in foresight off-shore wind. In comparison to wind power, the potential for energy production based on the anaerobic digestion of manure is low. Still, the fermentation of manure plays an important role in the climate protection plan for the agricultural sector, and justifiably so.

German agriculture to reduce GHG emissions by 12 million tonnes by 2030 The German climate protection plan reports emissions of 72 million tonnes (t) CO2e for agriculture in 2014. That is about 8 percent of the total GHG emissions produced by Germany. According to this plan, German agriculture is supposed to reduce emissions by 12 million tonnes CO2e in the period between 2014 and 2030. To do so, the plan lists various measures (see Box: Targets and measures for German agriculture according to the climate protection plan for 2050).

Due to the reduction of ammonia emissions and excess nitrogen, a guaranteed decrease in GHG emissions is expected and the target may even be exceeded; and despite the reduction, appropriate fertilising based on need is ensured. Increasing the fermentation of manure is the safest method for decreasing GHG emissions. When manure is open-air stored, methane and nitrous oxide emissions are released, which have CO2 equivalents (CO2e) of 25 and 298 respectively with regard to GHG emissions. Storing manure in gas-tight conditions in the biogas plant prevents these emissions and the methane obtained in this way can be used to produce energy. For this reason, the fermentation of manure has a doubly

Low emission spreading methods improve the effects of fertilising, reduce unpleasant smells and result in fewer GHG emissions.

Targets and measures for German agriculture according to the climate protection plan for 2050 Specific target: Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from 72 million t C02e/year in 2014 to 60 million t C02e/year 2030. Specified measures with a determined climate protection effect: ffReduce ammonia emissions from stables, manure storage areas and fertiliser application ffReduce excess nitrogen when fertilising ffIncrease manure fermentation ffReduce fuel consumption Specified measures without a determined climate protection effect: ffIncrease the percentage of organically farmed fields Measures not directly specified and without a determined climate protection effect, but which are essential to reaching national targets: ffDecrease livestock population

P hotos: Ansgar Lasar

By Ansgar Lasar

English Issue

Biogas Journal | Spring_2018

Covering the digestate storage (at left, next to the digester) prevents most ammonia emissions. A gas-tight covering is required to prevent methane emissions.

positive effect on climate change. Greenhouse gas emissions from the storage of farm fertilisers are prevented and the methane obtained can be used replace fossil energy sources, e.g. coal, in the production of electricity. Transferring the accumulated manure into the gas-tight biogas plant as soon as possible after they are generated reduces the greenhouse gas emissions that occur during the production of animal products by up to 15 percent. This means that fermenting manure is the greatest method for reducing greenhouse gases in livestock farming, though it has only been used to a limited extent up to now. According to reports on greenhouse gas emissions, in 2015 about 17 percent of the accumulated manure was fermented in biogas plants. There is certainly more potential for increasing this percentage if the economic and social contexts allow it. Economic incentives are possible in terms of feed-in compensation. Society must set priorities. If, for example, the society supports pasture grazing, then cutbacks should be made with regard to the fermen-

production methods. The electricity that is most harmful to the environment is produced in lignite-fired power plants. But GHG emissions also result from the production of renewable energies. For Animal manure is pushed into the cross channel in front example, they occur in of the stall. From here, the manure accumulated each day the manufacturing of is pumped directly into the digester. This minimises GHG photovoltaic and wind emissions and maximises gas yield. power plants. For biogas plants based on renewable raw materials (energy crops), tation of manure, and preventable GHG the cultivation of these also has a negative emissions accepted. This example clearly effect on the climate footprint. demonstrates that farmers are like decathFermenting manure also releases greenletes who cannot deliver top performances house gases. The emissions are generated in all disciplines. over the entire production chain from the Another measure, according to the climate initial storage, the digester, CHP, digestate protection plan, is increasing the percentstorage and in additional transportation. age of organically farmed fields. This could The unique advantage of the fermentation even decrease GHG emissions on a nationof manure is the prevention of GHG emisal level. But if the reduction in production sions during manure storage, where more volume is outsourced to foreign countries, GHG emissions are prevented than are genthe decrease in GHG emissions is questionerated in the biogas plant. able when seen from a global perspective. Figure 2 shows the reduction in GHG emisIn total, all of the measures listed here sions per tonne of dry matter of various will not be sufficient to prevent 12 million manure types. Particularly high emissions tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions. The savings are achieved with slurry and cattle target can only be achieved by additional manure. It doesn’t make much difference reductions in livestock populations. Outfor the total GHG emissions from nitrous sourcing production to foreign countries, oxide and methane if the manure is stored however, is not a reasonable solution to the beneath a slatted floor or in an open tank. global climate problem. In general, the quicker the manure that Anaerobic digestion of manure has been generated is removed from the prevents more greenhouse gas barn into the gas-tight biogas plant, the emissions than it creates greater the avoidance of GHG emissions. Figure 1 shows the GHG emissions per kiloIn addition, the fresh manure produces a watt hour of electricity generated in various greater gas yield. The prerequisite, how-

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English Issue

Biogas Journal | Spring_2018

Methane in the biogas is 25 times more damaging to the climate than the carbon dioxide generated by burning it, so use a gas flare (see red oval)!

ever, is for manure not to be contaminated with “inhibitors” such as antibiotics or disinfectants that affect the bacteria as during methanisation. The Chamber of Agriculture calculated the climate footprint for the biogas plants presented in this issue. The programme developed by the Chamber of Agriculture for this purpose is based on the calculation standard agreed upon across Germany for the climate footprints of individual agricultural operations, known by its German abbreviation “BEK” (for more information – in German – search for “KTBL-BEK” online). All of the principles used for the

Measures for optimising the climate footprint of manure biogas plants What?

Why?

Transfer the manure into the biogas plants as quickly as possible after generation

It prevents greenhouse gas emissions when storing manure and improves gas yield

Inspect the plant for gas leak tightness and maintain the CHP

It reduces gas losses and increases electrical power yield

Maintain a sufficient gas buffer for unexpectedly high gas yields and CHP

It prevents greenhouse gas emissions and saves resources

Burn off excess gas only with a gas flare

Methane in the biogas is 25 times more damaging to the climate than the carbon dioxide generated by burning it

Store digestate such that there are no gas leaks

It reduces the greenhouse gas emissions from the fermentation residue storage area and allows residual gas to be used

Use incidental heat for house and/or farm

It reduces greenhouse gas emissions and costs generated by the consumption of natural gas or heating oil, for example

Maintain sufficient digestate storage area and use low-emission appliying methods

Fertilising based on need reduces fertiliser costs and greenhouse gas emissions

calculations, e.g. emissions factors, emissions sources and allocation methods, are documented here and are available to the public. In the programme, the data recorded and the analyses can be seen on the screen or printed out. The data required for calculating climate footprints are generally known to the operators of the plants. This was of particular importance in the programme’s design. With a dozen or so data sets from individual operations, informative climate footprints can be calculated taking all of the important factors into consideration. Recording the data usually takes no longer than an hour. Then users can “play” with the programme. If the operation’s data for the target year changes, the programme immediately shows the effects on the climate footprint and on cost-effectiveness. This way, the effects of a particular action can be quickly determined, such as bringing very fresh manure into the biogas plant, making digestate storage gas-tight or using the generated heat for the living quarters. This can form the basis of a continuous improvement process.

Improvements in the climate footprint and in cost-effectiveness go hand in hand Important measures that result in an improved climate footprint are summarised in the chart. The goal of the measures is to reduce gas losses and increase current yield. Many measures are lucrative for biogas

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Biogas Journal | Spring_2018

Figure 1: Greenhouse gas emissions for electrical power generation in g CO2e per kWhel plant operators simply due to costeffectiveness. In terms of the measures, then, improving cost-effectiveness is compatible with improving the climate footprint. Up to now, agriculture has only seldom made use of this connection. Consequently, the climate footprint provides plant operators with three benefits.

1070 919

430 300

55 Lignite (brown coal)

Hard coal (blackcoal)

Natural Gas

Energy crops for biogas

Photovoltaics

10 Wind power

Manure for biogas -100

Source: Data for lignite, hard coal, natural gas, wind power and photovoltaics from the Emission Balance of Renewable Energy Sources in 2014, German Enviroment Agency. Energy crops for biogas and manure biogas, our own calculations according to BEK. For manure taking the prevented greenhouse gas emissions when storing manure into consideration.

Figure 2: Prevented greenhouse gas emissions related to farm fertiliser storage by transferring in to the biogas plant 950

1000

1. It shows what the climate footprint looks like and how it can be improved. 2. It provides information about the cost-effectiveness of climate protection measures. 3. It can demonstrate the climate protection achievements to the public. The Chamber of Agriculture can now prepare these informational climate footprints based on input that is manageable for the operations to provide.

585 480

Author Ansgar Lasar 100 Pig manure

Pig dung

Cattle manure

Cattle dung

Poultry droppings

Climate Advisor Chamber of Agriculture of Lower Saxony Mars-la-Tour Straße 1-13 26121 Oldenburg, Germany

t CO2e prevented per t dry matter if the farm fertiliser is transferred into the biogas plant within one month of generation.

Phone: +49 4 41/801-208 Email: ansgar.lasar@lwk-niedersachsen.de www.lwk-niedersachsen.de

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English Issue

Biogenic liquid gas – Still at demonstration level A ferry operated by liquid natural gas (LNG), Romsdalsfjord, on the way into the harbour, Molde, Norway

Bio-LNG is produced from raw biogas in Norway’s capital, Oslo, but not only there: There are now initial pilot plants in other countries, both within and out of Europe. By Martin Bensmann (Dipl.-Ing. agr. (FH))

s many as 15 years ago, Norway’s neighbour, Sweden, began processing raw biogas to produce biomethane to use as a transport fuel. Thus, landfill gas, sewage gas and biogas were transformed into a regenerative energy source for more environmentally friendly mobility. No wonder that Sweden is now starting to liquefy biomethane to produce bio-LNG and bioLBG. For example, the German company AIR LIQUIDE Advanced Technologies GmbH in Düsseldorf has constructed such a plant in Lidköping. This city is located on the south-east side of Lake Vänern on the Kinneviken (Kinne Bay). The Swedish Biogas International (SBI) company commissioned a biogas plant there in 2011, which ferments, inter alia, food waste. The annual capacity totals 60,000 tonnes of biowaste. The plant supplies 6 million standard cubic metres of biomethane per year. SBI was taken over by the Finnish company Gasum Oy in April of 2017. Pressurised water scrubbing is used to produce the biogas (800 Nm³/hour). This is done by Gasum Oy Subsequently, the biomethane is fed into the LBG plant, where it is liquefied. The plant can produce 13 tonnes of LBG per day. The processed LGB is transferred into a compressor unit at -162 °C, where the liquefied gas is stored in mobile containers. The Swedish company FordsonGas brings the bio-LBG onto the market. The containers filled with bioLBG are transported to fuel stations by truck. FordsonGas operates 48 bio-LBG fuel dispensers in Sweden.

The BIOfrigas Sweden AB company is also located in Sweden. Its headquarters are in Gothenburg in the south-western part of the country. The LBG process is called CryoSep 35. The technology is housed in a container (2.3 x 12 metres) and weighs about 15 tonnes. With the CryoSep process, 35 to 45 cubic metres of raw biogas can be processed per hour. According to information from the manufacturer, this ultimately produces 15 to 20 kilogrammes of LBG per hour. In the first step of the process, hydrogen sulphide, hydrogen, siloxane and volatile organic compounds are removed at -90 °C. In the second step, carbon dioxide is separated at -120 °C. Over 99 percent of the CO2 is stored at 6 bar and -20 °C to -30 °C. In the third step, the gas is liquefied at -165 °C.

Pilot project near Paris Also active in the market is the French company Cryo Pur, with headquarters in Palaiseau, south of Paris. Since mid-2015 it has been operating its first LBG plant in the context of the “BioGNVal” project. The pilot plant is situated next to the region’s second largest sewage treatment plant, which is located in the greater Paris area in Valenton. The LBG plant is designed for raw gas in the amount of 120 normal cubic metres per hour. The daily capacity of bio-LBG is one tonne per day. In addition, 1.6 tonnes of liquid CO2 can be obtained per day. The extraction of these two raw materials is supported by the ENGIE, INVECO and Thermo King

P hoto: Guenter Fischer / imageBROKER / OKAPIA

Biogas Journal | Spring_2018

English Issue

companies. ENGIE was represented by the subsidiary GNVert, which sells bio-LBG service stations. IVECO manufactures trucks and provides the first heavy trucks with LNG technical equipment. Thermo King is known for manufacturing truck trailer extensions with refrigeration units. These cooling experts have developed a new cooling system that no longer operates with diesel. In contrast to a cooling compressor that runs on diesel fuel or electricity, in the cargo space of the refrigerated truck body the new system takes over the work on the liquid CO2, precooled to -50 °C. Cryo Pur is a cryogenic biogas treatment and liquefying process. In Valenton, the raw biogas leaves the sewage treatment plant containing about 60 percent methane and about 40 percent CO2. The gas also contains a few trace gases. The raw gas is passed through an activated carbon filter which removes the hydrogen sulphide from the raw gas. In the subsequent section of the plant, the gas is cooled down to -40 °C. This freezes the water vapour contained in the gas and the volatile organic acids and siloxane are trapped in the frozen vapour. When it flows through two heat exchangers, the water vapour thaws again. In the next step in the treatment, the gas is cooled down to -75 °C. Further elimination of the residual water vapour and siloxane and volatile organic acids can occur here. The next step is the separation of CO2. The gas is cooled down to -120 °C. The CO2 is alternately frozen and thawed again by passing through two heat exchangers. This reduces the CO2 content in the gas to less than 0.3 percent. Now the biomethane can be liquefied. This happens at a pressure of 14 barg (bar gauge) and a temperature of -120 °C. The first commercial plant, with a daily capacity of 3 tonnes of LBG per day, is supposed to be commissioned in Northern Ireland this year. According to Cryo Pur, the integration of gas treatment and liquefaction results in cost savings, makes plant management easier, and improves energy efficiency in LBG production. Based on company information, the process only requires 0.6 kilowatt hours of energy per cubic metre of raw biogas for the treatment and liquefaction of the gas in order to produce the LBG at 15 bar(a) at -120 °C. The energy required increases to 0.7 kWh/Nm³ of raw gas if the LBG is produced at 2 bar(a) and -160 °C. The LBG equipment can be scaled as desired. It is used in biogas plants that produce between 100 and 2,000 Nm³ raw gas per hour. During operation, the process offers enough flexibility for the gas flow to vary by 50 and 120 percent.

P hoto: BIOfrigas Sweden AB

Biogas Journal | Spring_2018

converted into electricity since 1987, supplying about 8,000 households. The LBG plant was built in 2009 for 15.5 million dollars (a good 13 million euros today) with the participation of Linde and the Waste Management company. About 22 tonnes of LBG are produced daily in the plant. This represents enough fuel to operate about 300 refuse collection vehicles per day in California. According to the operators, the LBG fuel prevents 30,000 fossil CO2 emissions per year. The Altamont landfill will likely produce gas for 30 more years, gas which can be used as LBG. In the region around the San Francisco bay, Waste Management of Alameda County (WMAC) operates one-third of its refuse collection vehicles with natural gas. WMAC has announced that its entire fleet of vehicles will be converted to gas operation. The natural gas liquefaction equipment from Linde compresses and purifies the biogas: It is desulphurised and CO2, N2, alcohols and other contamination are separated as well. In a final step, a heat exchanger cools the gas down to -162 °C and liquefies it into LBG. The electrical current required for this process also comes from landfill gas: During combustion it produces water vapour, which drives an electrical generator. The liquid natural gas is transported to the service stations in tanker trucks. “In the USA, LGB is at its most profitable as a fuel. The market provides additional value in the form of renewable fuel credits, known as renewable identification numbers (RINs). Moreover, the use of LBG is supported in guidelines and legislation”, reports Eric Bass, Product Manager for gas at Linde North America.

Landfill gas is transformed into bio-LBG

Marine LNG

The bio-LBG idea is being pursued not only in Europe, but also in North America. Back in 2009, the Linde North America company built a gas liquefaction plant at a landfill site in Livermore, California, near San Francisco. Gas from the landfill near Altamont has been

In cooperation with the Emden Institute for Environmental Technology (EUTEC), the University of Applied Sciences at Emden/Leer pro-

Liquefaction unit of BIOfrigas Sweden AB in the container.

English Issue

Biogas Journal | Spring_2018

P hoto: Cryo Pur

Here an example: It takes two hours and 15 minutes for a ferry to travel from Emden to Borkum. Per hour the ferry requires 255 kilogrammes of LNG. For a one-way trip, it uses a total of 575 kilogrammes of LNG, which is equivalent to 800 standard cubic metres of biomethane. This would require 0.16 hectares of silo maize. Because the ferry travels back and forth twice a day, it would require 180 hectares of silo maize per year. According to the authors of the study, the treatment and liquefaction of biogas is complex and expensive. For this reason it would make sense to feed the decentrally produced biogas into existing natural gas grids and then liquefy it at another location as a mixture with natural gas. This currently seems like the ideal solution, unless stationary service stations are available at prices that are considerably less than a million euros.

Demonstration LBG plant in the greater Paris area in Valenton.

duced a study titled “Perspectives and Potentials of Low Emission LNG in North West Germany”. The authors write that up to now, little operational experience has been gained regarding small liquefaction plants. A storage tank is necessary on site and the logistics have to be established. The positive environmental aspects are eroded by the disadvantages associated with storage and logistics. In Lower Saxony, there are currently about 1,546 biogas plants in operation with an overall installed total electrical capacity of 885 MW. Based on this information, it can be determined that the plants produce about 3.5 billion standard cubic metres of raw biogas per year. This amount is equivalent to 3.5 billion litres or 1.4 billion kilogrammes of bio-LBG that could be obtained from the raw gas annually.

Author Martin Bensmann (Dipl.-Ing. agr. (FH)) Editor, Biogas Journal German Biogas Association Phone: +49 54 09/90 69 426 Email: martin-bensmann@biogas.org

English Issue

Biogas Journal | Spring_2018

Electrical energy

Helium cycle

Copper wires

Biogas

Water, ammonia, hydrogen sulphide

Residual water, ammonia and hydrogen sulphide

Step 1: Remove contaminants

Step 2: Pre-cool biogas

Gaseous Liquid

Methane, liquid

Methane, gaseous

Purified biogas

Solid

Carbon dioxide, solid Step 3: Separate carbon dioxide

Step 4: Liquefy methane

Biogas pre-cleaning

Cryogenic head unit

Heat exchanger

Helium compressor

Electrical power supply

Figure 1: Schematic diagram of gas purification and cryogenic processing (3)

Biogas upgrading

Producing liquid methane (LBM) and solid carbon dioxide as dry ice A new treatment concept will enable biogas plants to store the biogas they produce efficiently, in a compact space, which will make the plants more flexible and energy efficient. This has become possible due to an innovative, low-temperature liquefaction unit that separates the carbon dioxide portion as dry ice and liquefies high energy methane at normal pressure. By Korbinian Nachtmann

he drastic cuts in the amendment to the Renewable Energy Act (EEG) of 2014 removed a significant basis for the further expansion of the use of biogas to generate energy” (1). Above all, those in the biogas industry who have been affected agree unanimously with this quote by Prof. J. Karl. Since the legal framework has changed, it is no longer readily apparent that the classic operation of biogas plants with renewable raw materials is economical or cost-effective. But if new plants are to be constructed or if biogas plants that will lose their comfortable EEG support in the coming years are to continue to operate, new, comprehensive and innovative utilisation concepts for the gas that is produced are required. In addition to reducing expenses, income must increase in order to

continue to ensure economical operation. The unpressurised, low-temperature process for biogas upgrading presented here is pursuing this approach. With this method, the two primary components of biogas, methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2), are transformed into liquid CH4 and solid CO2. In this way, in addition to CH4, which is used to generate energy, a second product, dry ice, is produced. Successfully marketing this product can more than compensate for the costs of the complex treatment process. Liquefying methane results in benefits such as a lower space requirement for storing large amounts of energy and simple transportation without having to use the existing pipeline infrastructure. This means that using the energy can be disconnected with regard to place and time from the place of production.

English Issue

Biogas Journal | Spring_2018

Figure 2: Detail view of a heat exchanger

in Figure 1), a nearly pure gas mixture of CH4-CO2 is obtained from the raw biogas. The gas mixture is then supplied to the low-temperature unit. This pre-cleaning has the primary goal of excluding malodorous and toxic substances from the end products. Dry ice containing H2S would severely limit the uses of the dry ice and, therefore, its marketability.

Carbon dioxide becomes dry ice

Right to left: Pre-cooler (1), desublimating heat exchanger with observation window (2) and condenser (3) (2).

Feasibility proven in the laboratory From 2014 to 2017, scientists at two Bavarian universities, Weihenstephan-Triesdorf and Landshut, researched the unpressurised, low-temperature treatment in a cooperative development project and developed a functioning laboratory system. Fermenting molasses and maize silage produces biogas that deliberately contains impurities with a hydrogen sulphide content of over 1,000 ppm (parts per million) as well as significant percentages of mercaptans and ammonia (NH3). The four-stage process (see Figure 1) begins with the separation of these impurities. In the gas treatment process, which can be customised for individual conditions, the biogas is purified with a gas washing bottle and a combination of iron pellets that function without oxygen and activated carbon filters down to the detection limit (< 0.2 ppm) of hydrogen sulphide (H2S), of ammonia, and of other impurities. This is followed by a multi-stage dehydration process using a gas cooler, a condensate separator, silica gel and zeolites (2). After the first treatment step (Step 1

In three heat exchangers arranged in a series (Steps 2 to 4 in Figure 1), the purified biogas is gradually cooled down to -162 °C while the pressure remains nearly constant at atmospheric pressure. The cooling achieves a phase transformation in the gas molecules. The components of the gas react very differently with respect to their chemical structures: Carbon dioxide desublimates at temperatures below -78.5 °C, changing directly from a gas into a solid state, into so-called dry ice. At these temperatures, methane remains in its gaseous state. Only at temperatures at or below -162 °C does methane condense, becoming liquid. Any contaminants, such as nitrogen or oxygen, remain in the gaseous state at these temperatures, so they could be separated from the methane that is now liquid. While the first heat exchanger increases the efficiency of the overall process as a pre-cooler and “emergency filter” for remaining contaminants such as NH3 or H2S (Step 2), dry ice is produced in the second heat exchanger (Step 3). With clever process management in combination with the variation of physical properties of the heat exchanger, the CO2 can be frozen into flakes or crystals. The CO2 flakes fall from the heat exchanger like snow and can be removed from the laboratory system. This prevents the purification unit from freezing and allows the facility to operate for long periods without thawing the system parts, a technically complex process that requires a great deal of energy. In the final step, further cooling liquefies the pure methane. Figure 2 shows a detailed view of the three heat exchangers used in the trials.

Highly pure products are obtained The purity of the two products, methane and dry ice, demonstrates how well the treatment method works (Figures 3 and 4). Both are highly pure, which means they contain only minimal admixtures of other molecules. The methane percentage in the product gas reaches purity levels of 99.8 vol% CH4 and higher. At the same time, hardly any gas is lost from the system, which means that methane slip is also minimal (cf. (4)). In order to be able to guarantee continuous analysis of the gas composition, volume flows of less than 1 litre of biogas per minute are not possible in the technical process used in the laboratory system. An even greater level of purity for the two products, CO2 and CH4, is expected at lower volume flows and lower flow speeds are expected as a result. Similar good values

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Biogas Journal | Spring_2018

CH4-concentration [%]

Figure 3: Methane concentration after cryogenic processing

Test 1 Test 2 Test 3 Test 4 Test 5 Average value

Time [min]

Replace your agitator and cut your costs !

Test series with synthetic biogas from 55 vol% CH4 and 45 vol% CO2 at a consistent overall volume flow rate of 1,000 ml/min (2).

Figure 4: Carbon dioxide concentration after cryogenic processing

CH4-concentration [%]

Test 1 Test 2 Test 3 Test 4 Test 5 Average value

Improve the efficiency of your biogas plant and reduce your energy costs. Simply replace your old 18.5 kW submersible agitator with one of Stallkamp’s extremely efficient 11 kW models and save up to 4000 Euro p.a.* without losing any performance. In the majority of cases the exchange will pay off within the first year. Don’t hesitate and contact our specialists!

Time [min] Test series with synthetic biogas from 55 vol% CH4 and 45 vol% CO2 at a consistent overall volume flow rate of 1000 ml/min (2).

were measured with separated carbon dioxide: Here an average purity of 98.5 vol% was achieved. The remaining 1.5 vol% consists primarily of nitrogen molecules from the rinsing procedures and the diffusion losses of the gas holder bag. As evidence of good separation, note the very low methane content in the dry ice which, on average, does not even reach 0.01 vol%. The visible fluctuations within the CO2 and CH4 measurement curves (Figures 3 and 4) are caused by the carbon dioxide crystals falling from the inside of the second heat

exchanger (see Figure 5). These desublimate at the beginning of the trials on the floor of the storage container. A weakening of this effect can be detected with as the time of the trial progresses and the cooling of the storage container increases.

Different than existing processes The process introduced here is among the desublimation or freezing methods. Based on thermodynamic conditions, these methods do not demonstrate the efficiency of the rectification process (multiple distilla-

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Figure 5: Formation of solid carbon dioxide crystals The advantage here is a lower susceptibility to error and support for process reliability as well as the prevention of health hazards that occur due to malfunctions of pressurised gas containers. In addition to the elimination of complex compression and pressure reduction phases, the heat exchangers do not need regeneration. The higher operational and investment costs can be more than compensated for by the greater income from marketing the products – liquefied biomethane (LBM) and solid carbon dioxide – instead of gaseous methane and liquid CO2.

Practical relevance

5 mm

5 mm Testing started at 11:00 a.m. Photo at the top: Image recorded at 5:00 p.m. Photo below: Image recorded at 5:10 p.m.; note that most of the larger crystals at the heat exchanger wall are missing (2).

tion procedures; CO2 is separated from the biogas flow in liquid form), but they do have other advantages, such as easy process execution without additional compression stages.

Instead of permanently producing baseload electricity without completely using the heat generated, during the summer months part of the volume of existing plants can be supplied to the treatment system. Moreover, when constructing new plants, it would be possible to feed all of the biogas into the treatment system. The liquefied biomethane produced in this way requires significantly less storage space. By separating the percentage of CO2 and liquefying the percentage of CH4, the biogas volume is reduced by a factor of 1,000. This means that one cubic metre of raw biogas becomes one litre of LBM, an energy source that is flexible with respect to use and easy to transport and has an upper calorific value of about 6.4 kilowatt hours per litre produced (exactly a factor of 1,000 for biogas with a methane percentage of 58 vol%). Storage and utilisation that is disconnected from the place and time of production are easy to implement and can help even out peak load situations in the overall energy system with renewable energies, even when there is no wind or little solar radiation. Alternatively, due to the high energy density of the LBM, transportation of the liquefied methane stored in cooling tanks is also possible: At another location, the energy carrier can be used in a more efficient application such as a gas and steam power plant, for example. Moreover, liquefied biomethane could also be used as fuel for trucks; ultimately, the mobility sector is far from achieving the target values for the use of renewable energies. Many trucks powered by liquid natural gas and liquefied biomethane are already is use in the Netherlands, the People’s Republic of China and the USA. In addition, the cooling energy of LBM can be used during transportation to cool freight.

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Biogas Journal | Spring_2018

Anlagenbau

In this process, the sale of dry ice is seen as a crucial factor for success, which must likely be taken over by a gas supplier. This is the case because if calculations are made using a treatment capacity for about 25 m³ of raw biogas per hour, this means more than half a tonne of dry ice per day (theoretically, 25 m³ of raw biogas per hour represents the smallest plant size and is approximately equivalent to a biogas plant with an electrical capacity of 50 kW). The marketing of dry ice in blocks and pellets for treating the surfaces of workpieces or for cooling food is promising for generating considerable income. But even in countries that are less developed, where interruptions in the cold chain can be an existential problem, transportable cooling energy produced by dry ice is seen as extremely valuable. The question as to whether there are long-term prospects for ongoing sales of dry ice in large amounts in industrial countries must be investigated.

Summary The principle of low-temperature liquefaction with dry ice production was successfully implemented and optimised at a laboratory scale: An adapted, multi-stage gas purification process that also functions in the absence of oxygen completely eliminates the percentage of hydrogen sulphide and other impurities with the use of iron preparations and activated carbon filters. With a clever selection of both process and materials in a multi-stage heat exchanger system it is possible to separate the carbon dioxide as snow (see Figure 5) and to establish a continuous process sequence. In the subsequent liquefaction step, a high level of purity is achieved in the methane, depending on the application purpose. The transport of LBM allows for a broad spectrum of possible application areas. LBM can be used a substitute for fossil fuels such as diesel or petrol. This lowers climate-related emissions significantly; in comparison with compressed natural gas (CNG), the operating range is doubled. In addition, it is possible to use LBM with the corresponding purity as an industrial raw material. LBM can be used for peak current generation in gas-fired power plants or for the combined production of electricity and heat in highly advanced gas and steam power plants. This enables the provision of need-based, CO2-neutral energy in precise-

ly those situations in which volatile electricity producers such as wind power and photovoltaics are not available. The author would like to thank Prof. H. Bernhardt (at the Chair of Agricultural Systems Engineering, TU Munich) for scientific guidance and the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs, Energy and Technology for providing grant funds. The project was executed by W. Betz, F. Federmann, K. Nachtmann and Prof. J. Hofmann (Landshut University of Applied Sciences) and by S. Baum, M. Fuchz, C. Perez and Prof. O. Falk (Weihenstephan University of Applied Sciences). A detailed, scientific description of the trials carried out in the context of the project was published in German and English and can be downloaded free of charge from the Internet (see (3)).

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Sources (1)

Karl, J., 2016, Notice of Call for Papers, 2nd Research Colloquium on Bioenergy, Straubing

(2)

Nachtmann, K., 2017, Mechanical Examination of the Crystal Formation Process of Desublimated Carbon Dioxide from Variable Gas Mixtures under Atmospheric Pressure on Solid Surfaces, Dissertation, TU Munich

(3)

Nachtmann, K., Baum, S. et al. 2017, Efficient Storage and Mobile Utilisation of Biogas as Liquefied Biomethane; Landtechnik 72(4), 179-201, DOI: 10.15150/lt.2017.3163

(4)

Kaltschmitt M., 2009, Energy from Biomass, Principles, Technologies and Processes (Energie aus Biomasse, Grundlagen, Techniken und Verfahren), 2nd edition, Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg

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“The biogas plant was the right decision” Biogas plant in Hallerndorf, operated by five organic operations in cooperation with the Düsseldorf energy provider NATURSTROM AG.

In Germany there are currently about 180 biogas plants operating on farms where production is based on organic principles. These farming businesses either meet the conditions of EU regulations on organic production or implement the stricter guidelines of agricultural associations such as Naturland or Bioland. What is clear is that biogas plants significantly help organic operations improve their nutrient management. By Martin Bensmann (Dipl.-Ing. agr. (FH))

othar Braun-Keller from Leibertingen in the Sigmaringen district, state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, is passionate about being a farmer. In 1988, he converted his farm to organic production and since then he is a member of the Bioland association. His farming business includes 250 hectares and he has a herd of 120 feeder cattle. He put his first organic biogas plant in operation in 1996 with an installed electrical power output of 45 kW. Back then, he produced the biogas exclusively from farmyard manure. “In the mid-1990s, I was travelling in southern Germany quite a lot and visited 40 to 50 biogas plants. At that time, I was composting biomass for the Sigmaringen district and gaining experience in this area. This was the beginning of my experiment in composting manure. But the results were not satisfactory. In addition, the nitrogen and carbon losses were too high. Fermenting the manure in the biogas plant seemed to me to be a better option. Thus, I started to build up this segment of the business”, remembers Braun-Keller.

Heat for the community network Today, his biogas plant, which was expanded in several stages, provides gas for 450 kW of electrical capacity, 360 kW of which is produced by a so-called satellite CHP in the community of Leibertingen. The CHP’s waste heat is fed into the community’s local heating

network. The biogas CHP covers 50 percent of the network’s heat demand. The digester does not have an agitator. It was designed based on the principle used by plant manufacturer Sauter. This means that a pump system and controlled nozzles are used to irrigate the substrate surface in the digester with liquid substrate, which is removed from the container at the bottom. This circulation does not result in thorough mixing; instead, the various fermentation processes take place in different zones within the digester. By varying the intensity of the irrigation by section, the fermentation can be controlled. Due to the fact that the digestion material is not completely homogenous, active biomass particles are located primarily in the upper area of the digester, and almost all of the substrate taken out of the lower layer is putrefied sludge. The post-digester, however, is equipped with an agitator.

Better nutrient management improves yields in the field “The biogas plant was the right decision”, stresses Braun-Keller. “As early as the first year after integrating the biogas plant into the farming business, the yields we achieved were 20 to 30 percent higher due to the improved nutrient management on the fields”. Fertilising the grassland with the digestate also resulted in positive effects on yield.

photo: NATURSTROM AG

Organic agriculture

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In addition to farmyard manure, Braun-Keller also ferments 60 to 65 percent grass and/or clover and alfalfa. Sometimes he also uses whole-crop silage from grain if grain fields have been damaged by hail. Fifty percent of the feedstock used comes from his own operation. The family farm acquires the rest from up to 15 other suppliers, most of which are organic operations. Ninety percent of the input material comes from organic operations. “If we just use the clover as they do in organic operations without livestock, simply leaving it on the field, the overall ammonia and carbon losses are greater than if we use the crops in the biogas plant. There is a highly volatile proportion of the carbon that is broken down in the first ten days, no matter if we ferment the biomass or compost it in the field. For this reason, fermentation does not present any problems”, says the practicioner, who was the speaker of the expert committee for renewable energies in the Bioland association and who is still a member of that committee. It’s just the opposite. In his farming business, he achieves better nitrogen availability, which allows him to produce more plant mass, which increases the root biomass in the soil, thus removes more CO2 from the atmosphere and stores more carbon in the soil, which, taken together with digestate fertilising, has a positive effect on the soil’s humus content.

Disappointed by the new German Renewable Energy Act (EEG) The Braun-Keller family is disappointed by the new 2017 EEG Act because it does not offer even organic farms an option to operate biogas plants cost-effectively. “Even existing plants that loose the guaranteed EEG compensation after 20 years won’t have a chance without at least 30 to 50 percent heat utilisation”, he predicts. Soon he will be providing another local heating network with what’s left over from his CHP waste heat. In addition, a wood chip boiler is supposed to be installed on his farm, which will also feed into the local heating network . The highly active farmer can also envisage making transport fuel out of his biogas. He’s thinking in the direction of methanol. Though its calorific value is just half that of diesel, however, he could use this fuel by making just a few modifications to the diesel generator. The top priority on the Braun-Keller farm, however, is food production. Generating power from biogas has to serve the production of food. Braun-Keller demonstrates that it is possible to link food production and power generation in a smart way while adhering to the conditions of organic agriculture.

A biogas plant at a Naturland farming business Arthur Stein, who hails from Scharlhof in Röhrmoos in the upper Bavarian district of Dachau, north of Mu-

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Arthur Stein, farmer, in front of his biogas plant, constructed on his organically operated farm in 2010.

nich, is also familiar with the positive aspects of biogas plants in organic agriculture. In 1986, Stein joined the Naturland association. Today, he farms about 230 hectares organically. In his livestock operation, he raises heifers for other organic dairy cattle farmers. His biogas plant was connected to the grid in 2010 with an electrical power output of 2 x 100 kW. The two CHPs are next to the biogas plant. Heating pipes supply the local primary school, the nursery, the day nursery and the farm itself with heat from the waste heat from the biogas plant. “As farming business with a great deal of land, we asked ourselves what we could do with our clover crop that would make sense. Biogas production is a good idea because this way we can make better use of the nutrients from the clover. In addition, the biogas plant represents another source of income and, operationally speaking, we achieve a certain independence from external energy sources”, says Stein, explaining some of the advantages. Originally, the biogas plant was supposed to be operated with grass and liquid manure. “We tried to use grass from farming businesses in the area. In return, the digestate was brought back onto the fields. However, for

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economic reasons that has its limitations. Harvesting the grass is expensive and not very cost-effective. Moreover, grass is difficult to ferment. The whole incorporation and stirring equipment has to be designed for it. Particularly with regard to the material and the electrical motor, the stirring equipment must be more robust”, Stein points out. To improve cost-effectiveness, he uses up to 30 percent maize silage or whole-crop silage from grain from conventional cultiva-

Biogas Journal | Spring_2018

makes economic sense. On the contrary, he fears that existing plants in organic farming businesses will be shut down after their respective compensation periods run out due to the negative economic prospects.

Study results A wide variety of accompanying effects are connected with constructing biogas plants in organic farming businesses. These accompanying effects were more closely examined in trials in Gießen and Hohenheim. Dr. Kurt Möller of the University of Hohenheim summarised the results in a 2011 publication, excerpts of which are reproduced here: Cultivation systems without livestock – In organic cultivation systems with no livestock, mobile ferArthur Stein tiliser can be produced with fermentation. The modified management caused significant increases in the yield of non-leguminous plants (+16%) and their nitrogen uptake (+19%) and a significant increase in the raw protein content of grain (0.6% absolute) as well as a reduction in the nitrate leaching potential (approx. 20%) and a reduction in soil-borne nitrous oxide emissions (approx. 40%). The reasons for this included greater nitrogen inputs via biological N2 fixation, more consistent nitrogen supply within crop rotation ( law of diminishing returns), greater nitrogen supply to non-leguminous plants to the detriment of leguminous plants, and the greater nitrogen effectiveness of digestates in comparison with the non-fermented raw material. In this way, the fermentation of crop residues from crop rotations without livestock enabled “safe” temporary storage of nitrogen during the winter and a better distribution of nitrogen in the cultivation system. Cultivation systems with livestock – In organic cultivation systems with livestock, the comparison of the farmyard manure system versus the unfermented liquid manure revealed lower yields (-5%) and lower nitrogen uptake (-8%) in the farmyard manure system. At the same time, the risk of nitrate leaching (+6%) and the total amount of gaseous nitrogen losses (+19%) were greater.

“For us, this amount of external feedstock is just right, though, because with the maize we ensure the plant’s operational reliability” tion. He is allowed to do so – at least until 2020. Afterwards, according to the current statute of the Naturland association, he will not be allowed to use any more feedstock from conventional agriculture. “For us, this amount of external feedstock is just right, though, because with the maize we ensure the plant’s operational reliability. We use more maize in winter, but not 100 percent. In winter, the maize provides the gas for the high capacity utilisation of the CHP so that we can also supply the heat for the heating network”, explains Arthur Stein. He mows the clover four times a year and ensiles it. Due to the fact that the biogas plant supplies so many nutrients, he can supply not only his field crops but also his clover crops. He gives part of his fodder grain to an organic farming business that raises turkeys and also has a biogas plant. In return, Stein also receives digestate from them. This means that the nutrients do not leave Stein’s farming businessbut return to complete the cycle. However, when he sells his potatoes and edible grains, the nutrients do not return because the sewage sludge from the community’s wastewater is not permitted to be used on the fields of organic farming businesses. Stein is certain that a few more organic farming businesses would like to build biogas plants. However, based on the current 2017 EEG Act, this no longer

In comparison with unfermented liquid manure, the fermentation of liquid manure alone did not demonstrate any effects with respect to nitrogen yields with top dressing. A significant effect on yields was only measured when it was incorporated immediately. No effects on the risk of nitrate leaching were determined. Ammonia losses after spreading fermented liquid manure, however, were greater. The incorporation of products from secondary harvest (e.g. intermediate crops, waste potatoes, etc.) resulted in a considerable increase in the mobile nitrogen fertiliser pool (+54%), a reduction in the risk of nitrate leaching (-8%) and more efficient nitrogen use by non-leguminous plants (+12%). With regard to the climate footprint of the entire cultivation system, the calculated climate emissions per hectare of cropland were highest in the farmyard manure system in the systems with livestock. Considerably lower emissions were calculated for the liquid manure system; this difference is primarily due to the high nitrous oxide emissions, which, based on today’s knowledge, leak out of open piles of farmyard manure. The fermentation of liquid manure results in an additional improvement of the greenhouse gas balance because trace gas emissions during storage (e.g. methane) are prevented and credits are given for avoiding the use of fossil fuel energy sources. The greenhouse gas balance improves even more if intermediate crops and crop residues are integrated into the fermentation concept. In this respect, the highly detailed final report regarding the joint project for biogas plants in organic agriculture, sub-projects 1 through 3, is recommended. This report was supported by the Expert Agency for Renewable Raw Materials (Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe e.V.) with funds from the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture. The report was published in September 2015.

Author Martin Bensmann (Dipl.-Ing. agr. (FH)) Editor, Biogas Journal German Biogas Association Phone: +49 54 09/90 69 426 Email: martin.bensmann@biogas.org

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Photos: www.landpixel.de

Biogas Journal | Spring_2018

The climate funds can start arriving – Biogas is ready “What was once unthinkable has now become unstoppable”, said former UN General Secretary Ban Ki-Moon in December 2015 about the Paris Climate Accord, which went into effect on 4 November 2016. One of the essential elements for achieving the climate targets is financing. The biogas industry is doing a great deal to reduce CO2 emissions. But can biogas projects be financed and implemented with the various, new climate funds as well? By Alexander Linke and Clemens Findeisen

ince 1992, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) has been the relevant international legal framework in the area of climate protection. In 2015, a breakthrough happened in Paris during the international climate negotiations; three long-term targets were resolved there: 1. To limit global warming to considerably less than 2 degrees and to at least 1.5 degrees, if possible, in comparison with the pre-industrial level.

2. To give adapting to climate change the same political emphasis as reducing greenhouse gas emissions. 3. To redirect financing flows toward development related to climate resilience and low emissions. Furthermore, the core of the climate accord is shaped by the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) with which the sig-

natory states have obligated themselves to national climate protection measures. And finally, climate financing will become increasingly important in order to be able to meet the respective targets. New opportunities for the biogas industry?

CO2 reduction thanks to biogas plants With an installed electrical power output of approx. 4 gigawatts in 2016, the 9,000 biogas plants in Germany were able to save about 19 million tonnes of CO2. In addition to replacing fossil energy sources, this also prevents uncontrolled methane emissions that occur during the storage of biomass and leak out into the atmosphere. In this way, credits can be generated by fermenting residual substances, based on the negative emissions per produced kilowatt hour due to the use of biogas technology. According to the German Environment Agency, from 1990 to 2015, methane emissions in Germany decreased by 2.6 million

tonnes to 2.2 million tonnes. The reduction of emissions in the area of waste disposal was particularly large. The amount of waste intended for the landfill also decreased strongly due to the use of biogas technology. Based on this background, couldn’t biogas contribute a great deal to reaching the new, ambitious climate targets? Are climate funds already available? What is climate financing, exactly? Are there already functioning climate instruments that promote and finance renewable energies and, in particular, biogas? In the broadest sense, climate financing refers to all financing flows that support the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and adaptation to the negative effects of climate change with the advent of climate change and environmental catastrophes. In the context of the climate negotiations, the concept of international climate financing is used in a more narrow sense. In this case, the term refers to the transfer of public financial resources (and the private

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Biogas Journal | Spring_2018

resources mobilised in this way) of the donor countries to developing and emerging countries to support measures for adaptation and reduction. As yet, there is no internationally accepted definition of climate financing, so measurements of it are inconsistent. The reason is that elements of such a definition are in dispute due to controversies in the international climate negotiations. For example, the question as to whether only public financing flows should be part of climate financing or if private financing flows can be included, or if only financing flows from industrial nations to emerging or developing countries should count.

Amounts in the billions are to be transferred Financial contributions from industrial countries to developing and emerging countries are an important component of climate financing. At the 2009 climate conference in Copenhagen, the international community agreed to mobilise 100 billion US dollars (USD) by 2020. For example, in 2015 Germany agreed to double bilateral climate financing to 4 billion euros by 2020. The global climate financing architecture is very complex and changes constantly. The most important publicly financed elements of the global climate financing architecture include the following: ffBilateral channels: The majority of public climate financing is provided via bilateral channels. This means

that governments provide financial resources from their national budgets. This is implemented either as government commitments or in their own climate funds, such as the International Climate Protection Initiative (IKI) in Germany or the International Climate Fund in the United Kingdom. These resources are primarily made available by national implementing organisations for technical cooperation such as the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH or through financial cooperation as in the various divisions of the KfW Banking Group in Germany (e.g. the KfW Development Bank or the German Development and Investment mbH (DEG). ffMultilateral channels: Governments make budgetary resources available via UN organisations as well – multilateral development banks (MDBs) and funds: ZZThe financial mechanism of the climate framework convention includes the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the climate funds it manages: the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF) and Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF) as well as the GCF. ZZOther climate funds, such as the Adaptation Fund included in the Kyoto Protocol, and funds outside of the climate framework convention, e.g. the Climate Investment Funds (CIFs) of the World Bank.

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Most of these funds are managed by multilateral or national institutions and often applications for the subsidies or financing resources cannot be made directly by private companies. International or national implementing organisations can submit project suggestions that then may provide support or financing for private companies in the execution phase. New initiatives, such as the NDC partnership initiated by Germany, also help achieve an overview of the various financing and support opportunities.

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ffRegional and national institutions in partner countries: Some developing and emerging countries have established their own climate financing institutions in order to access and manage international climate financing. Examples include the Amazon Fund in Brazil, the Indonesia Climate Change Trust Fund (ICCTF), the National Environment Fund of Benin, the Rwanda Climate Change and Environment Fund (FONERWA), the South African Green Fund and the CDM Fund in China.

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ZZMultilateral development banks provide a variety of financial and consulting instruments and sometimes function as implementing organisations for climate financing resources. They can also combine their own resources (that they have from the international capital market) with shares from public climate financing (“blending”).

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One example of a specific project from climate funds listed above is the “Extended Biogas Program” in Nepal, which is financed by the Climate Investment Fund and processed through the World Bank. The World Bank is cooperating with the state agency “Alternative Energy Promotion Centre” (AEPC) in the implementation. In the context of this project, both private companies and communities are supported during development and implementation of off-grid biogas projects.

It takes effort to find the right sponsor Identifying and taking advantage of appropriate international climate financing sources is a great challenge for both many developing countries and private investors due to the great amount and wide variety of ways to access funds. Furthermore, the effort required to apply for and process international climate financing funds is not to be underestimated. In addition to public resources from the national budgets of industrial and developing countries, private investment also plays an extremely important role in climate financing. There are many different players in the private sector, who invest in climate protection and adaptation measures with their own resources or make their own capital available. These players can be classified into two groups: Companies in the “real economy” (e.g. national or international industrial companies, small and

mid-sized companies, project developers) as well as financial backers (banks, leasing companies, equity funds, microfinancing organisations, institutional investors, foundations, insurers). The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is currently the newest and largest multilateral climate fund. Currently (as of July 2017), the GCF has capital commitments of 10.3 billion USD, works together with 48 accredited entities and has committed to funding 43 projects up to now (equivalent to a funding volume of 2.2 billion USD). Private companies cannot apply directly for funds from the GCF; only “accredited entities” are permitted to do so. These institutions must undergo a strict verification and acceptance process first (http://www.greenclimate. fund/how-we-work/tools/entity-directory).

Biogas project developers should contact the EBRD Only accredited entities can submit funding proposals to the GCF. For example, the GCF approved a project of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) for financing sustainable energy projects in selected countries of the MENA region, south-east Europe and Central Asia. The EBRD receives climate financing resources directly from the GCF, blends this funding with its own resources and invests this capital in renewable energy projects, including biogas as well. Companies with promising project ideas that are interested in funding can directly contact the EBRD

or local partner banks of the EBRD in the respective countries. The following international climate financing facilities and instruments are interesting from a German perspective: ffInternational Climate Protection Initiative (IKI): since 2008, the IKI of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUB) has been financing climate and biodiversity projects in developing and emerging countries in a targeted manner; it is an important element in German climate financing. ffNAMA Facility: This organisation provides funds for nationally appropriate mitigation actions (NAMAs). This facility receives financial support not only from the BUMB, but also from Great Britain, Denmark and the EU Commission. ffClimate partnerships with the economy (DEG): With this program, the DEG supports the transfer of technology and expertise in order to promote the development of an economy that protects the climate. ffdeveloPPP.de: With develoPPP.de, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) supports projects by private countries in developing and emerging countries that are meaningful in terms of development politics.

English Issue

ffTo date, the “upscaling” instrument of the DEG has financed only those projects totalling up to 500,000 euros. Now this sum will be increased to 2.5 million euros. This represents a super opportunity for biogas projects in developing and emerging countries.

CDM market is not currently interesting Up to now, direct access to international climate financing has been difficult for the private sector, e.g. for project developers in the biogas industry. Some years ago, this was different because the CDM marketbased mechanism was available to private project developers as a source of financing based on the Kyoto Protocol. Due to the severe drop in prices for emissions certificates, the CDM market does not currently offer any suitable financial incentive for project developers. Currently about 8 percent of all registered CDM project are classified in the category “Methane avoidance”. As already mentioned, most of the climate financing facilities work with international or national implementing organisations, e.g. multilateral or bilateral development banks. Development banks, however, often provide direct loan financing only to large-volume investment projects. Nevertheless, smaller investment projects can possibly be supported by local partner banks that are refinanced via credit lines from development banks. In addition to credit programmes, access to risk capital (e.g. equity capital or sub-

Biogas Journal | Spring_2018

ordinated loans) could also be interesting for biogas companies. One example here is the “Asia Climate Partners” fund (ACP), in which the ADB is also an investor. This private equity fund provides risk capital for renewable energy, resource efficiency and environmental technologies in Asia. Up to now, this fund has not been financed with climate funds, but the ADB recently applied to the Climate Investment Fund for an increase in funding for mezzanine financing.

“GEEREF Next” – Learning about this global fund as a source of financing Another example is the “GEEREF Next” fund established by the European Investment Bank (EIB) and also financed by the Green Climate Fund (GCF). It is a global fund (“fund of funds”) that invests in private equity funds in developing countries with a focus on renewable energy and energy efficiency. Also exciting for developers of renewable energies and, in particular, biogas projects in developing and emerging countries are project preparation programmes, such as the Private Finance Advisory Network (PFAN) and the Finance Catalyst Programme (part of the Africa-EU Renewable Energy Cooperation Programme RECP). PFAN, for example, supports promising projects in the early stages and offers mentoring for the development of business plans in order to increase chances for successful financing and implementation. Over 296 energy projects in the areas of biogas,

Links to further information:

biomass, wind, solar, transport, energy efficiency and hydropower are already in the acceptance pipeline. 86 of these have already been approved for financing. A similar programme is Finance Catalyst, which consults with project developers to help them make project approaches “bankable” and to make access to commercial sources of financing easier. Conclusion: The significance of international climate financing for the implementation of renewable energy projects will continue to increase. However, the international climate financing architecture is currently complex and confusing. The most important recommendation for biogas companies is to inform themselves continually regarding relevant new projects and programmes and to contact the implementing organisations early on. Multilateral, bilateral and regional development banks and equity capital funds are especially important because they are always interested in well-prepared projects even without international climate financing. Because the investment volume of many renewable energy projects (primarily PV and biogas) is often too small for direct loan financing for the project or company by development banks, lines of credit from local commercial banks play a significant role. Approach such international financing institutions and funds professionally with a well-planned and prepared application. Important requirements here are a convincing business plan, a reliable local partner and, if necessary, the support of external consultants. The momentum of climate financing is currently quite high, so the German biogas industry must continuously stay on the ball.

EU Global Climate Change Alliance (GCCA): https://www.gcca.eu/ NAMA Facility: http://www.nama-facility.org/

Authors

Global Environment Facility (GEF): https://www.thegef.org/

Alexander Linke

Green Climate Fund (GCF): http://www.greenclimate.fund/home

Climate and Environment Advisor

International Climate Initiative: https://www.international-climate-initiative.com/

Centre of Excellence for the Climate and Environmental Policy

Climate partnerships with the economy (BMUB): https://www.deginvest.de/Internationale-Finanzierung/ DEG/Unsere-L%C3%B6sungen/Klimapartnerschaften/index.html

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit

Private Finance Advisory Network (PFAN): http://cti-pfan.net/

Phone: +49 61 96/79 11 94

The Finance Catalyst: https://www.africa-eu-renewables.org/finance-catalyst/

Email: alexander.linke@giz.de

(GIZ) GmbH

Upscaling (DEG): https://www.deginvest.de/Internationale-Finanzierung/DEG/Unsere-L%C3%B6sungen/Up-Scaling/

Clemens Findeisen

NDC Funding and Initiatives Navigator: http://www.ndcpartnership.org/initiatives-navigator

(GIZ) GmbH

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit Email: clemens.findeisen@giz.de

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Biogas Journal | Spring_2018

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France

Ambitious biomethane expansion plans In France, the area used for agricultural purposes is considerably larger than in Germany. As a result, the potential for agricultural biogas plants is great – as are the efforts to reuse waste and residues based on the principles of recycling as bioenergy. Before the presidential election, the final course was set with legislation and implementation guidelines. So things look pretty good for our neighbours as far as biogas and biomethane go.

Paris

By EUR ING Marie Luise Schaller

he new president, Emmanuel Macron, promises continuity with regard to the energy transition. Nicolas Hulot is the Minister of Ecological and Solidary Transition. Responsible for environmental protection and with all the necessary expertise, he wants to advocate for the energy transition, but he also does not want a sudden shut down of nuclear energy. His predecessor, Ségolène Royal, set ambitious goals with the Energy Transition for Green Growth Act passed in 2015. But the biogas industry was left in the lurch for quite a while with regard to compensation for converting biogas into electrical power. The conditions were asserted in the draft, but had to be delayed for evaluation by the EU until they were finally announced in January 2017 – at the same time as the long desired extension of the period for electricity from biogas plants from 15 to 20 years. This was taken as an important milestone. However, government and industry representatives doubt if the goals will gain traction. They criticise that

movement away from nuclear energy is too half-hearted and lenient because there are no clear specifications for the transition. The closure of Fessenheim, which was promised for 2016, was delayed until 2019. We’ll have to wait and see how the new government will now deal with the uncertain planning for the nuclear power plant.

Existing plants and expansion potential In 2016, a total of 548 biogas plants were in operation, primarily in the area of combined heat and power generation. About half of them are agricultural operations. In 26 plants (5 percent, 10 plants in 2016), biomethane is produced and fed into the gas grid. They cover 0.05 percent of gas consumption. France continues to move ahead primarily with biomethane. In accordance with legislation, the “green gas” percentage in the gas grid is supposed to increase to 10 percent by 2030. Also ambitious are the specifications in the state target figures: Based on the current 0.215 terawatt hours (TWh, at the end of 2016) of

photo: GROUPE VOL-V

Biogas Journal | Spring_2018

Biomethane plant of the VOL-V Group in Quimper/Bretagne.

English Issue

biomethane supplied to the grid, by the of 2018 this amount is supposed to reach 1.7 TWh, and 8 TWh by the end of 2023. At the end of 2016, a maximum capacity of 410 gigawatt hours per year (GWh/a) was achieved, which increased to 440 GWh/a by the end of March. But this achievement will still not meet the ambitious goals. At the end of 2016, 241 biomethane projects with an annual capacity of 5 TWh were still “on standby”. The feasibility study for connection to the gas grid is currently carried out by the network operator, most often Gaz Réseau Distribution France (GRDF). Afterward, about two to five years to commissioning are estimated. According to GRDF (January 2016), about 100 feed-in plants could be connected by the end of 2018, making it possible to achieve the expansion targets.

Opportunities and challenges

photo: Marie-Luise Schaller

Biogas Journal | Spring_2018

Scania brought buses operated with natural gas as well as a truck to Expo Biogaz 2017 to demonstrate the existing technical solutions in the industry for using utility vehicles driven by biogas. A bus by MAN was also exhibited. In Paris, 20 percent of the buses are to be converted to biomethane within 10 years.

Cédric de Saint Jouan has been working in the area of renewable energies for 20 years and specialises in project financing. His company group, Vol-V, with subsidiaries in several large cities in France, is an independent producer of electricity and gas and develops, finances, builds and operates wind power, PV and bioenergy plants. The founder and president of the think tank “France Biométhane” has this to say about the current development opportunities and obstacles: “France has great potential in biogas as well as good support mechanisms and public investment assistance. The expansion of the biomethane sector enjoyed welcome growth in 2016,

even though much more must be possible. Unfortunately, the financing of the projects is still severely limited and banks are hesitant. The extension of the period from 15 to 20 years as for electricity from biogas is necessary”. Despite the recent simplifications in legal approval procedures, the requirements remain extremely strict. For example, the operating permit lapses if the plant does not start operation within a period of three years after the decision is granted. For this reason and due

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Biogas Journal | Spring_2018

P hoto: François-Xavier Létang

Létang biomethane plant, Sourdun.

to the banks’ reticence, many promising plant projects are currently pursued with too much hesitation, according to de Saint Jouan. Further, the most important element in the financial applications is the

plant manufacturer’s guarantee of biogas yields. In addition to the attractiveness of German technologies, a guarantee of performance can be a crucial sales argument, says de Saint Jouan.

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François-Xavier Létang, a farmer in Hermé, east of Paris.

Motivated farmers François-Xavier Létang, a farmer in Hermé, east of Paris, and his brother Thibault are implementing their fourth biomethane project. Their success is based on the recognised rules of good practise, such carefully studying the gas grid connection conditions and realistically estimating the substrate supply and the area needed for spreading the fermentation residues. “In an ongoing operation, pro-active, regular maintenance is critical for ensuring optimum operation. That is not always easy to arrange together with field work. A maintenance contract and biological monitoring service are important cornerstones, but the cleanliness of the plant counts too and is often a visible indication of the plant’s performance”, says François-Xavier Létang. To protect against production capacity losses he also has insurance. Létang also calls for an extension of the contract periods from 15 to 20 years. He also criticises the regional differences in investment support as well as the lack of subsidies for grid connection costs. An increase in the amount of the daily substrate batch from 30 to 60 tonnes would enable production of 250 Nm³/h and a significant increase in cost-effectiveness. He thinks that the network-related advantages of biogas, which can be stored in the gas network as a renewable energy, should be weighted more strongly instead of having to consider massive battery units for stor-

English Issue

Biogas Journal | Spring_2018

ing regenerative electricity. The extremely low prices for fossil energy sources are, of course, another hurdle.

the plant operator, it is possible to use the wastewater of 200,000 residents to operate 40 buses.

Smart allocation mechanisms for the transportation transition

Biomethane is worthwhile

France has set up a biogas register for guaranteeing the source (garantie d’origine, GO). Of the 26 biomethane plants, 24 are connected. Eighty percent of this certified bio-natural gas is used as fuel (BioGNV), thanks to targeted support. Normally, dealers must pay 75 percent of the profit into a fund from which part of the additional costs for the biomethane is financed. However, if biomethane with a guaranteed source (GO) is used as BioGNV, the gas dealer keeps the corresponding profit. Incidentally, the subsidies for biomethane are no longer funded by a charge imposed on gas customers. Since 2017, a fraction of the internal taxation for lignite/hard coal and coke is used. The biomethane suppliers benefit. The multiple year planning of the energy programme PPE proposes that three percent of the heavy-duty vehicles operate with natural gas by 2023. The preference for using this fuel is based on a recommendation of the French renewable energy association ADEME, with reference to the particular benefits for environmental protection with the use of natural gas in the transportation sector. In point of fact, replacing fossil fuels is not only advantageous with respect to the CO2 balance (80 percent of CO2 emissions are prevented), but in contrast to diesel vehicles, 90 percent of the nitrogen emissions are prevented in addition to nearly 100 percent of the sulphur and fine particulate emissions as well as noise emissions. If the natural gas is liquefied as well, the tank volume is also reduced to a ninth of what it otherwise would be. Cryogenic processes are applied here, i.e. cold temperatures. In this way, the CO2 separated in the production of biomethane can be liquefied and used as “green CO2”. This is being tested for the first time at an industrial scale in the pilot project “BioGNVAL” in a large wastewater treatment facility south of the greater Paris area. With cryogenic treatment technology, some of the biogas from the treatment plant is being transformed into liquid bio-natural gas (BioGNL). According to information from

The market for using this fuel is undergoing promising development. This city of Paris is requiring that the regional transportation authority RATP increase the current inventory of 90 biomethane operated buses to 900 by 2025. The supermarket chain Carrefour and IKEA furniture stores have also announced a conversion to biomethane. If the CO2 separated in biomethane production is also treated cryogenically and stored as a liquid, it can be used as a refrigerant in cooling facilities. In this way, more diesel fuel can be saved in refrigerated transport. The operational experience of both small and large French biomethane plants is extremely positive. The actual system availability of 97 percent is two percent higher than that which must be guaranteed by the operators. This means that proven technologies can be used to advance innovations. For this reason, the progressive plant in Valenton was one of the first places visited by the new Prime Minister Edouard Philippe and Environmental Minister Hulot. The national biogas trade fair, Expo Biogaz, which took place in Bordeaux from 31 May to 1 June 2017, focused on BioGNV and the development of projects in the south-west, where the greatest potential lies. Overall, those taking action on the market are highly motivated and continue to fight for reasonable changes in the framework conditions. Following this development is worthwhile as is keeping up the discussion in groups of experts and project developers, building on the Expo Biogaz in Bordeaux.

Author EUR ING Marie-Luise Schaller

48691 Vreden Germany

Geman-French Consultant Email: mls@mlschaller.com www.mlschaller.com

English Issue

Biogas Journal | Spring_2018

Welcome to Uganda! Kampala

Surprisingly to many, the East African country of Uganda already has some experience in the area of biogas. Anaerobic digestion and the use of biogas were first introduced in the 1950s. Since the early 1980s, biogas technology has continually made inroads at both the household and institutional levels – however, as of today, only few plants have been erected with a commercial background in mind. In 2014, stakeholders from Uganda’s private sector established a national biogas association to lobby government for better legal framework conditions, to support the sector’s business development and to expand international cooperation – with a focus on Germany. The author shares his insights on the challenges and opportunities of an emerging market. By Markus Fürst (Dipl.-Eng.)

elcome to Uganda” is a sentence you will likely hear more than once during your visit to this beautiful and prospering country. Not only are Ugandans very friendly hosts – they are also very proud of the “Pearl of Africa”, as the famous explorer and writer Ernest Hemingway called their country: situated at the equator in the eastern part of Africa, it has a mild tropical climate with sufficient rainfall and mean yearly temperatures around 20°C, so it is one of the few green African countries where the vegetation is frequently lush. About 800 km inland from the Indian Ocean, the landlocked country is bordered by Kenya to the east, South Sudan to the north, the Democratic Republic of Congo to the west,

Tanzania (and Lake Victoria) to the south, and Rwanda to the south-west. Uganda covers an area of 241,551 km2 (1); the land area alone covers 197,323 km2 (2). The climate is generally tropical and rainy with two dry seasons (December to February and June to August). Nevertheless, there are also rather arid regions with limited access to water and peak temperatures over 40°C, especially in the scarcely settled north-eastern region of Karamoja, where mainly nomadic herdsmen live with their families.

Biogas in Uganda In the 1950s, members of the Uganda Missionary Society introduced the anaerobic digestion technology and built the first two biogas plants in Western Uganda.

photos: Markus Fürst

UNBA members explaining the use and benefits of biogas during Energy Week 2016.

English Issue

Biogas Journal | Spring_2018

A truck load of firewood used to run a school kitchen (Ntare Secondary School, Mbarara).

NEW: WANGEN

Today, the country has more than 8,000 biogas sites, most of them in the central, western and south-eastern regions, and many of them situated in the so-called cattle corridor which stretches across the country from the south-east to the west. However, the vast majority are domestic plants attached to single households and small scale farms with digesters up to 40 m3 in size. To date, only an estimated 60 commercial and institutional sites with digester volumes of up to 300 m3 are operating in Uganda. While domestic plants often produce just enough energy for the cooking needs of a single household, institutional sites are often installed at schools or universities with often more than 1,000 students, creating a replacement for large amounts of firewood. The layout typically integrates the school’s toilets and uses bio-waste and feedstock from school plantations or neighboring farms, including cattle dung or pig slurry. However, only about a dozen biogas plants are actually producing electrical power in the range of up to 50 kWel. Clearly, Uganda’s commercial and industrial biogas sector has been rarely addressed up to this point, which leaves multiple options for businesses and investors in the future. To take the Ugandan biogas sector to the next level by implementing commercial and industrial biogas projects, stakeholders from the Ugandan biogas sector established a national association: Founded in April 2014, the Uganda National Biogas Alliance (UNBA) now serves as the national umbrella organization of the Ugandan biogas sector, aiming to unite and support all stakeholders and the existing regional

associations in the biogas sector. Since 2007, four regional associations have been established, which currently cover nearly all regions of Uganda. Members of both the umbrella and the regional associations include engineers, construction companies, dealers and interested stakeholders, amongst others, along with major national enterprises from within and outside the sector as associate members, improving its name recognition. Since early 2017, the German Biogas Association (Fachverband Biogas e.V.) has been in close contact with UNBA – offering accompanying advice and seeking to establish a bilateral partnership, e.g. under the umbrella of the so called Chamber and Associations Partnership Programm (KVP).

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Ample opportunities and many challenges Uganda is richly endowed with vast natural resources and a total estimated electrical power capacity potential based on renewable energy resources (RES) of about 5,300 MW. This represents a huge potential to elevate the nation in prosperity and social well-being. However, these resources remain largely unused. So far only biomass (especially bagasse) and large hydropower plants have been developed to some extent along the Nile to provide electricity via a national grid. The renewable energy sources that have remained largely untapped include biogas. Though Uganda has made impressive strides in socio-economic development in the last couple of decades, it is still facing many energy-related challenges that

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Leadership of UNBA and regional member associations during the Annual General Meeting 2015.

Biogas Journal | Spring_2018

Efficiency Programme (PREEEP) of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Uganda country office. Furthermore, the biogas alliance partners with academic institutions for knowledge exchange and technical advice. Among other activities, under cooperation with Ndejje University, Uganda’s best private university, a biogas demonstration plant has been established and a biogas laboratory is about to be inaugurated. threaten to undermine its development: insufficient and poor access to energy; an inadequate electricity supply, inefficient use of the energy available, mainly from biomass; lack of awareness regarding environmental issues; underestimation of the importance of service and maintenance; and low profitability and productivity of enterprises, resulting in a weak job creation. The objectives that UNBA has formulated include tackling these issues to promote biogas by creating awareness among the general public (e.g. at fairs, exhibitions etc.), providing capacity building (e.g. technical and business development trainings) for its about 160 members, lobbying the government to improve legal framework conditions for businesses and upcoming projects, and working on a favorable financing environment. To achieve this, UNBA has partnered with the Uganda National Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Alliance (UNREEEA), a national umbrella association that incorporates all RE sub-sector associations. In addition, UNBA is seeking advice and support from partners like the Promotion of Renewable Energy and Energy

From firewood to biogas Of a population of over 31 million people, about 87% live in rural areas, and 96% of the total population relies on bio-fuel for cooking, namely firewood and charcoal.(4) Of these people, more than 90% do not use improved cook-stoves or clean cooking solutions like biogas. This means that the vast majority is exposed to indoor air pollution, which causes more than 13,000 deaths each year. This total, the majority of whom are children, is increasing. Furthermore, the excessive dependence on biomass fuels by households, institutions and commercial enterprises has led to the rapid destruction of Uganda’s forest resources and the general degradation of the vegetation cover and the soil: From 1990 to 2010 nearly 20,000 km² of the existing Ugandan forest disappeared, or 40% within 20 years’ time. It is expected that by the year 2021, the demand and supply scenario for wood fuel will shift to an acute deficit(5). Not surprisingly, the contribution that both firewood and charcoal make to Uganda’s GDP is estimated at US$48 million and US$26.8 million respectively(6).

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Since the mid-1980s, the Government of Uganda has made significant efforts to popularise biogas technology by including strategies for disseminating information in the plans and activities of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development (MEMD). A number of NGOs, research institutes, universities and individuals have also taken measures to create awareness and promote the use of biogas technology and the residue of the fermentation progress, locally called bio-slurry, to be used as high nutritious fertiliser. However, government objectives and policies regarding the development of renewable energies (RE) and biogas in particular have not been effectively implemented as the legal and institutional frameworks to support new RE investments are still inadequate. Until recently, standard procedures and legal instruments for new RE investments have been lacking. Though several public authorities are involved in RE technology development, their different approaches and the procedures for working together are not well defined. In addition, the technical and institutional capacity in the public and private sectors for implementing and managing RE investments is limited, and the financing mechanisms for supporting investments in RE projects and addressing affordability for consumers are either inappropriate or inadequate. These circumstances are part of a context in which, according to sector stakeholders, the main obstacle hindering the implementation of projects and development of the Ugandan biogas sector is the availability of adequate financing mechanisms and sustainable legal framework conditions. In March 2007, the Government of Uganda approved a new Renewable Energy Policy formulated in order to reinforce the Energy Policy of 2002. Though the latter did not contain clear assertions regarding sustainable biomass supply, it created the foundation for develop-

photo: MM Enviro, Indien

Biogas Journal | Spring_2018

ing the Renewable Energy Policy document (2007), which endorsed a holistic approach toward promoting modern, clean and renewable forms of energy with a target of increasing the use of such energy sources from 4% of total energy consumption at present to 61% by 2017. Among the strategies of the Renewable Energy Policy is promoting the production and use of biogas at the household level and at an industrial scale. The target was to increase biogas units to 100,000 by 2017, which clearly wasn’t met. In 2014, together with MEMD and UNBA, the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) formed a task force. In 2016, this task force submitted final drafts regarding national standards for different types of biogas plants and general issues, such as layout, construction, operation and maintenance, etc. In August 2017, these national standards took effect; however, unfortunately many of which are not mandatory and are used as guidelines only.

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Biogas Journal | Spring_2018

Long-term median for Entebbe/Kampala, Uganda(3) Climate variable

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Min. temp. (oC)

Max. temp. (oC)

Humidity (%)

Rainfall (mm)

146

283

254

111

149

118

Rain days

235

205

208

186

194

187

199

197

204

200

211

Sunshine hours

Meeting of the UNBA national executive committee (NEC).

Commissioning of biogas demonstration plant at Ndejje University (2017).

Taking it to the next level While private sector initiatives have supported to improve the legal framework for biogas projects, to introduce standards, to develop new project ideas, and have increased awareness of the term “biogas” amongst politicians, there is still some work to do. In this respect, a number of promising flagship projects are being discussed. KCCA, for example, the municipal authority of the capitol Kampala (population 2.5 million), collects about 2,000 tonnes of domestic waste per day (it is assumed that another estimated 1,000 tonnes are burnt or dumped elsewhere). Of this waste, 80% is biomass. In this context, KCCA has just commenced a pre-feasibility study to look into the opportunity of establishing a biowaste-to-energy plant, combining a sorting, biogas and composting unit in the city’s industrial area. In addition, a recent fact finding study(7) assessed the local mar-

kets of 13 major cities across the country to evaluate potential sites with the necessary size to provide enough substrates for a larger biogas plant for energy generation. And UNBA, together with industrial partners, is also looking into options for setting up a mid-size pilot plant with a purification and compression/bottling plant for biogas.

from the German biogas sector. With their continuing efforts to promote biogas as an alternative, affordable and renewable fuel source for Uganda’s industry and citizens, the private sector associations stand to share their insights and experience of the local conditions with interested international partners and to give advice on how to successfully implement projects under the given circumstances. And as the German Government seeks to support the German private sector in its efforts to develop new markets in emerging and developing countries, respective ministries like the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) have been tasked to offer and promote developing funds and financing options to support German and international private sector stakeholders alike. In that context, specially assigned and experienced advisors (EZScouts) can offer support and advice. For you to hear “Welcome to Uganda” sooner than you may expect. (1)

Uganda Bureau of Statistical (UBOS), 2009 Statistical Abstracts

(2)

2002 Uganda Population and Housing Census

(3)

http://www.fit-for-travel.de/ueber-300reiseziele/uganda.thtml

(4)

Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development (MEMD), Strategic Investment Plan 2014/15 – 2018/19

(5)

Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development (MEMD), Uganda Energy Balance 2012

(6)

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), 2011

(7)

KfW/GOPAintec: Analysis of lessons learned in Biogas projects in Uganda, September 2016

Author

Welcome to Uganda

Markus Fürst (Dipl.-Eng.)

However, even with the promising results of feasibility studies at hand, many players in the Ugandan biogas sector lack comprehensive knowledge and experience in the development, planning, construction, operation and maintenance of complex industrial scale biogas plants – and feasible financing solutions are not easy to find. In this context, UNBA, with support from UNREEEA and GIZ, has intensified efforts in recent months to establish international collaborations, mainly with enterprises

Advisor, Promotion of Renewable Energy and Energy Programme (PREEEP) Of: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, Kampala (Uganda) on behalf of: Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) Seconded to: German Biogas Association (Fachverband Biogas e.V.) Email: EZ-Scout@biogas.org Phone: +49 (0)8161-98 46 811 +49 (0)163-7334361 +256 (0)772-000038

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Biogas Journal | Spring_2018

We offer our customers all-round support in the complex ﬁeld of biogas production and work with them to develop ecologically sustainable and holistic concepts for the successful operation of biogas plants. We offer our customers consistent, transparent consultancy and support: from substrate growing and analysis through process optimisation with additives from their own production to technical plant controlling. Founded in 2010 as a start-up in the biogas industry, our young team has been growing steadily and has meanwhile specialised in all related ﬁelds in order to record the entire process within the context and to optimise it from a single source.

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In our in-house A1 analytical laboratory, our specialists develop auxiliaries and additives for all phases of agriculture and biogas production. This encompasses our product development and innovation besides fundamental research. SaM-Power stands for ecological sustainability, transparency and holistic economic activity. Consistently objective with focus on maximum occupational safety. Our customers appreciate that and identify themselves with us. Their high expectations have signiﬁcantly contributed to our team‘s ability in inﬂuencing the developments in the biogas market today.

It´s all abboiluitt y bio-availa

It´s all abyout activit The original SaM-Power enzymes

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Prevention of ﬂoating and sinking layers

Transparent composition and adaptation

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Chelate complex in neutral pH range

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No wear of metalic plant components

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Maximum bio-availability

Reduction of quantity of substrates and digestate

Protection against precipitation caused by sulphur

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Activation of the methanogenic organisms in the fermenter

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Don´t pannicic, it´s orga Our natural enzymes – Fermator and Fermator intens and Humator – for use in the fermenter Stable plant operation Optimum growth of the microorganisms involved in the digestion process Stabilisation of the digestion processes

Stabilisation of the microbiological metabolic processes in the fermentation process Long-term increase in fermenter output

, , MAN on, M W i ERU, M er, Champ B SP , H C t l S rner NN Fi O, BO DENS Mogul, MA rd, BorgWa a al Feder on, Fleetgu lds Dona

ART ARE P

Optimisation of the microbiological processes Activation of methanogenic organisms in the fermenter Improvement of ﬂowability

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