Biogas Safety first!

General requirements
4. Hazards
Biogas plants are complex process engineering systems
in which a range of different hazards can occur.
Essentially, the hazards can be divided into health
hazards and environmental hazards.
Possible hazards at biogas plants include fires and
explosions, for example, but also dangerous substances
(e.g. processing aids), electric current and
not least biogas itself also presents risks. Attention
also needs to be paid to mechanical hazards in certain
parts of the plants.
Figure 2 shows the principal hazards in relation to
the respective parts and components of a biogas
plant. In this diagram the focus is on health hazards.
Figure 2: Overview of hazards in biogas plants
7
13
6
8
12
5
11
4
10
1
2
9
3
Electrical
hazards
Hazardous
substances
Explosion
hazards
Fire hazards
1 Feeder
2 Dosing station for
processing aids
3 Potential equalisation
4 Access opening
5 shut off valve
6 return valve
7 Air injection for the biological
desulphurization
14
8 Gas storage
9 digester
10 observation window
11 low pressure monitor
12 Over- and underpressure protection
13 blow off pipe
14 condensate trap
Mechanical
hazards
10