Optimising Biogas Plants

Description

Keeping theory to a minimum without sacrificing scientific rigour, this comprehensive guide offers readers a practical approach to boosting the profitability of their biogas plants. The techniques explained allow for an assessment of a biogas plant throughout its entire life cycle, from critical review of the business plan to the selection of retrofits to recover additional income from the process by-products. This • Details how to apply the scientific method to the review of biogas projects, considering technical flaws induced by marketing and human factors like cognitive bias. • Explains a method for the quick startup of digesters. • Proposes a thermodynamic approach to the selection of biogas upgrading solutions, making the choice independent of marketing claims or biased information. • Provides a summary of possible marginal incomes from biogenic CO2, residual heat, and digestate. • Includes the latest technological developments in laboratory measurement instruments and techniques beyond the mere biochemical methane potential (BMP) test. • Includes a guideline to perform a technical due diligence, with examples of the most frequent errors in biogas plant business plans. Building upon the laboratory test techniques published in the author’s complementary book, *Managing Biogas Plants,* this text helps readers who are investing in or managing existing industrial biomass plants to optimize processes and profit.