Case Joutsa biogas plant

Transcription

1 Case Joutsa biogas plant - for municipal biodegrable waste and waste water sludge with plastics removal and hygienisation - with biogas upgrading unit and fuelling station - turn-key project with remote maintenance services Joutsa Biogas plant was designed and constructed by in year 2014 as a turn-key project. The plant is mainly owned by the local waste management entrepreneurs but also by local companies and Joutsa municipality as well as by private individuals. The target for the owners was to get a biogas filling station in Joutsa. Now the station is available at any time for anyone with CNG/CBG car. Biowaste to the plant is collected from households and supermarkets from area of 4-5 municipalities so now people are really using the energy of their own wastes. In addition to the biowaste Joutsa biogas plant also utilizes the sewage sludge from the local municipal waste water treatment plant. Table 1 shows the key figures of Joutsa plant. 1

2 Table 1. Key factors of Joutsa biogas plant. Annual capacity. Energy production capacity Upgraded gas production capacity Heat production capacity Biomass intake capacity 3500 MWh 3000 MWh 500 MWh 7500 tons Fermenters 750 m3 main fermenter and 1500 m3 post fermenter (which is also gas and digestate storage). Mesophilic process. Feedstocks - Biowaste from households, supermarkets and food industry - Municipal Sewage sludge Plastic packing separation yes Pasteurizing unit yes Operation 1 persons at weekdays Metener supervision over internet Energy utilization - Heat production for the plant s own use (process heat, heating the reception hall) - Selling the upgraded gas for vehicles at the Joutsa biogas plant s public filling station. Biogas percentage in the sold gas 100 % (no CNG back up) Digestate utilization 100 % as fertilizer, can be used on the fields directly from the biogas process, no post-maturation needed 2

3 Picture 1. Joutsa biowaste reception and processing hall (brown building). Main fermenter (smaller one at the back) and post-fermenter (bigger one) with digestate delivery point for farmers to pick up the fertilizer. Picture 1 shows the main structures of biomass processing in Joutsa biogas plant. Biowaste from households, supermarkets and food industry (picture 2) is taken in to the reception hall where it is processed according to the regulations in European Union (food biowaste must be shredded and pasteurized for 1h in 70 C). Plastics are removed automatically during the process so that there is no plastic in fertilizer (=end product). Sewage sludge (from municipal refinery nearby) comes to the Joutsa biogas plant by pipeline and is also pasteurized according to the legislation. Picture 2. Household biowaste in the Joutsa biogas plant. Picture 3 and 4 shows what is done with the energy. Raw biogas is upgraded in Metener upgrading unit which capacity is 60 m 3 raw biogas / hour. In addition to upgrading unit raw biogas is 3

4 conducted to the boiler. Produced heat is used for keeping the temperature at the 37 degrees C in the main fermenter, for the pasteurizing and for heating the floor of the biowaste receiving and processing hall. Upgraded gas is delivered by pipeline to the biogas filling station (situated 500 meters away from the biogas plant), where it is compressed to 250 bar and filled to the cars and trucks. In the picture 3 waste management truck is filled with 100 % biogas in Joutsa station. These trucks bring waste to the Joutsa biogas plant and at the same time they fill the trucks with biogas. So logistics is also ecological in the plant. That is important when the carbon footprint of the whole bioenergy production chain is estimated. In many university studies biogas is proved to be the most sustainable bioenergy resource available. Picture 3. Metener biogas upgrading unit next to biowaste reception hall and main fermenter. Picture 4. Local waste management truck at the Joutsa filling station. 4

5 The biogas plant is operated by 1 persons who are weekdays (Monday to Friday 8-16 hours) at the plant as they take in the waste streams. Metener is supervising and controlling fermentation process, upgrading and filling station over the internet and by several on-line cameras at the weekends and in case of problems. Metener offers also remote controlling as well as maintenance for several biogas plants according to the scheduled maintenance program. Picture 5. Remote controlling of one biogas process. 5