ENVITEC BIOGAS AG Go-ahead for construction of new gas upgrading plant in Beetzendorf
Lohne, 14th January 2015 - Sachsendorf, Köckte, Forst and now Beetzendorf too: the list of gas upgrading plants from EnviTec Biogas AG is growing longer. The biogas all-rounder from Lower Saxony has just given the go-ahead for the construction of a 385 normal cubic metre (Nm³) EnviThan plant in the district Altmarkkreis Salzwedel in Saxony-Anhalt. Construction began on time with the start of the new year.
For Bodo Meyer, Managing Director of the agricultural cooperative BioEnergie Beetzendorf GmbH, this is now already the third joint construction project with EnviTec. "After erecting two biogas plants in 2011 and 2014 with 625 kW and 837 kW capacities, the EnviThan gas upgrading system is the perfect complement to the green energy strategy of our customer", explains Christian Ernst, Sales Manager for Germany for the Lohne-based company.
The Beetzendorf plant is expected to feed into the existing low-pressure network of Avacon AG starting as early as the third quarter of 2015, when it will be able to supply a maximum of 36 million kWh of green energy. This will make it possible for the plant to supply 1,800 households with gas.
Strong demand for EnviThan gas upgrading also from abroad
For feeding biogas into an existing natural gas network, it must be cleaned and conditioned in advance. This step is completed in Beetzendorf by the innovative biogas upgrading technology EnviThan. For an environmentally friendly and extremely cost-efficient process, EnviTec Biogas equips its upgrading plants with membrane modules from Evonik Industries. "With over 97% of the methane content removed from the raw biogas generated in the biogas plants, the hollow fibre membranes do a particularly thorough cleaning", Ernst continues.
The process exploits the differences in the permeation speeds and solubility properties of gases. Carbon dioxide (CO2) molecules are smaller than methane molecules, are more soluble in polymers and therefore pass through the polymer membrane more rapidly. While the majority of the CO2 and water vapour pass through the molecular screen, the valuable methane is concentrated on the high-pressure side of the membrane. The upgraded methane is then conveyed to the supply station, where it is either further treated by the network operator or fed into the natural gas grid directly.
EnviTec's expertise in the field of EnviThan gas upgrading technology is also in strong demand abroad. Shortly before the end of 2014, the first biogas plant with gas upgrading was successfully put into operation in the English town of Ipsden near Oxfordshire. The English customers had only just given the go-ahead for the construction of the 350 Nm³/h EnviTec biomethane plant along with a 360 kWel co-generation plant in July. With EnviThan biogas upgrading, Icknield Gas Ltd. will be able to supply an annual energy volume of approx. 35 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of biomethane.
Thanks to its efficiency and the high methane content, the membrane process has also met with an enthusiastic reception in the Asian market: in mid-December, a 1,000 Nm³/h biomethane plant was shipped for the Chinese market. This plant is already set to go into operation within the first quarter of this year. Additional plants are in planning.
About EnviTec Biogas AG
EnviTec Biogas AG covers the entire value chain for the production of biogas, including the planning and turnkey construction of biogas plants and biogas upgrading plants as well as their commissioning. The company takes charge of biological and technical services on demand and also offers full plant and operational management. In addition, EnviTec also operates its own biogas plants. In 2011, EnviTec Biogas along with EnviTec Energy GmbH & Co. KG and its 100% subsidiary EnviTec Stromkontor GmbH & Co. KG expanded its business operations into the direct marketing of upgraded biomethane as well as the marketing of green electricity and balancing energy. EnviTec Biogas AG currently operates in 20 countries. In 2013, EnviTec generated revenues of €148.8 million and an EBIT of €2.4 million. The EnviTec Group currently has 345 employees. EnviTec Biogas has been listed on the Frankfurt stock exchange since July 2007.
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