Biogas Utilisation

Combined Heat & Power (CHP)
CHP generation is a standard utilisation of biogas from Anaerobic Digestion and it is considered an efficient method of energy production. A gas engine is coupled directly to a generator to produce electricity and the efficiency of the system is maximised by fully utilising the heat energy created from both the engine and its exhaust gases. To extend the service life of a gas engine, biogas must be dried and the content of trace gases such as hydrogen sulphide, controlled in accordance with manufacturer’s maximum limits. An engine based CHP plant has an efficiency of up to 90% and typically produces approx 35% electricity and 65% heat energy..

Heat Utilisation
An important factor in the economic efficiency of a biogas plant is the utilisation of the produced heat energy. A proportion of the heat is typically used for heating the digesters (process heating) and approximately 2/3 of all produced energy can be used for external needs. Other examples of heat use include space heating, material drying district heating and even cooling using an absorption chiller.