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Biofuels in Perspective

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Steam<br />

2<br />

1<br />

Energy crops (& manure)<br />

DOSING UNIT<br />

DOSING SCREW<br />

MIXER/<br />

FEEDING PUMP<br />

Residue<br />

Ton/year<br />

DRANCO-<br />

FARM<br />

DIGESTER<br />

1.200 m 3<br />

EXTRACTION<br />

SCREWS<br />

Biomass Digestion to Methane <strong>in</strong> Agriculture 189<br />

Biogas<br />

3<br />

Residue<br />

4<br />

1 2 3<br />

GAS<br />

STORAGE<br />

ENGINE/<br />

GENERATOR<br />

Heatexchanger<br />

Steam<br />

12.500 250 3.400 9.350<br />

Electricity<br />

(500 kW)<br />

Heat<br />

(565 kW)<br />

STORAGE To field<br />

Figure 10.16 A cont<strong>in</strong>uous dry fermentation process for feedstocks conta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g more than 25 % of dry<br />

matter. (Courtesy OWS, Belgium.)<br />

rates. Thermophilic digestion also yields higher degrees of degradation, result<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> an<br />

<strong>in</strong>crease of 5 to 10 % of biogas production per ton.<br />

10.4.4 Biogas Utilization<br />

Biogas is an energy resource that can be used for many applications if the gas quality is<br />

adapted to the specific requirements (Figure 10.17). Today biogas is used <strong>in</strong> all German<br />

biogas plants <strong>in</strong> comb<strong>in</strong>ed heat and power units (CHP) us<strong>in</strong>g dual-fuel <strong>in</strong>jection eng<strong>in</strong>es or<br />

gas eng<strong>in</strong>es after desulphurization and removal of water. The electricity is fed <strong>in</strong>to the public<br />

grid and the thermal energy is ma<strong>in</strong>ly used for the process and heat<strong>in</strong>g purposes <strong>in</strong> the house<br />

and farm but relatively seldom for decentralized public grid heat<strong>in</strong>g or dry<strong>in</strong>g processes. The<br />

efficiency of electricity generation ranges from 30 to 37 % without significant differences<br />

between the different combustion systems of the eng<strong>in</strong>es (Weiland and Rieger, 2005).<br />

For the utilization of biogas as a vehicle fuel and for the feed<strong>in</strong>g of biogas <strong>in</strong>to the public<br />

grid or for the utilization <strong>in</strong> fuel cells much higher quality requirements have to be fulfilled,<br />

The ma<strong>in</strong> parameters that may require removal <strong>in</strong> upgrad<strong>in</strong>g systems are CO2, H2S, NH3,<br />

water and solid particles. The utilization of biogas as a vehicle fuel and the feed<strong>in</strong>g of<br />

bio-methane <strong>in</strong>to the public gas grid have been applied <strong>in</strong> Sweden and Switzerland for<br />

several years and recently also <strong>in</strong> Germany.<br />

A number of technologies are available for biogas upgrad<strong>in</strong>g. Carbon dioxide is ma<strong>in</strong>ly<br />

removed by water scrubb<strong>in</strong>g, pressure sw<strong>in</strong>g adsorption (PSA) and polyethylene glycol<br />

4

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