Biogas and electricity out of waste and mud

The researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for ceramic systems and technologies in Germany succeeded building a biogas production unit based on organic waste, which combined with a battery produced by the same Institute is transformed into electricity.

The IKS researchers in cooperation with several IMM-ss have perfected an installation, using as a raw material the corn strains. The classical installations can process only a part of the vegetal waste because they are harder to transform in biogas then the grains like wheat and corn.

The strains have a high content of cellulose and cannot be fermented directly. In the installation produced by IKTS the cellulose is decomposed in enzyme before the fermentation processes is started.

Another advantage of the installation is that it drops with 50-70 % the length and duration of decomposing of the waste. The biomass ferments on a regular basis during 80 days in order for the biogas to result. With the new gear the biomass is prepared and the fermentation process is reduced to 30 days.

The researchers have found a solution able to optimize the conversion of the biogas into electricity this procedure was presented at the Hanover Science Fair in 2009.

Another biogas source could be the mud farms like the one collected by the Bromma Station in Stockholm where annually are produced around 10000 tones of sewer mud.
Since the ’70 this mud was treated with anaerobic fermentation producing biogas and in such installations the mud is biologically treated in anaerobic conditions.
The product is biogas and a secondary solid product. The station separating the methane from the carbon dioxide, water and residual substances is responsible for the quality of the biogas resulted from the production and its level of purity.
The Stockholm stations delivering pure biogas since 2004 are impatiently waiting a viable options that will allow them to convert the biogas into electricity.

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