Livestock manure is a major emitter of the greenhouse gases CH4 and N2O. Production of biogas from manure is a way to prevent these emissions and produce energy that can be used as a biofuel for transport or for replacing natural gas. A major problem in harnessing the potential locked up in Europe’s livestock manure is the poor cost-effectiveness of digesters; also, many farms are located too remotely for connecting to existing (bio-) gas infrastructure. Upgrading biogas improves the business model, but is currently only feasible on a large scale.
This project aims at developing an innovative cost-efficient small-scale gas upgrading system, targeting Europe’s smaller or more remote farms. It combines removal of CO2 with conversion of H2S into harmless elementary sulphur, resulting in a high quality fuel that meets the NPR-ISO/TR 15403-2 standard.
The major innovative outputs of the proposed project are:
- A properly tested and budget friendly small scale biogas upgrading installation which can upgrade biogas produced by small scale biogas installations to gas that meets the quality demands for grid injection or transport fuel.
- A financial feasible business case for small scale biogas installations at farms and waste water treatment installations.
- A servicing program for the biogas upgrading installation which will relieve the farmers and other users of the installation so they can focus on their core business.
- A leasing program of the biogas upgrading installation to reduce the amount of capital needed by the farmer to start a biogas installation. This will help to overcome common financing problems during the building phase of the biogas installation. Furthermore it will reduce the financial risks of the farmer reducing the barriers of the farmer to invest in biogas.