Project details
Project ID number: 2020-2.1.1-ED-2023-00251
Name of beneficiary: Bay Zoltán Applied Research Public Benefit Nonprofit Limited Liability Company
Project title: Development proposal to increase the efficiency of biogas plants
Contracted amount of aid: 100 000 000
Rate of support: 100 %
The planned duration of the project: 2023.09.01.-2025.08.31.
Project description
Hungary imports 85% of its natural gas consumption, so we need to consider any solution that would allow us to reduce gas imports. The first part of the 2000s paved the way for the expansion of biogas plants and technologies in Hungary, but operators are facing a number of problems due to the backwardness of the support system and technological shortcomings.
A rethink of the new National Energy Strategy 2030 is underway, taking into account EU requirements. According to the original timetable proposed in this document, the domestic biogas potential has a realistic potential to replace 1% of our natural gas consumption by 2030, i.e. 85 million m3 per year. The authors of the strategy forecast a further increase by 2040, so that the domestic biogas potential could reach 100 million m3 by then. However, the potential for biogas production is much greater than this, with up to 25% of our fossil gas imports being replaced by increased production.
This project aims to develop technology that will help achieve this goal. A review of national and international studies has shown that one of the barriers to the uptake of biogas plants is the high ammonia content of digested sludge, which is a particular problem for large-scale slaughterhouse waste processing plants. The disposal of ammonia sludge is subject to strict conditions: although it can be used in agriculture as a soil resource substitute, there are concentration and disposal time limits, so biogas plant operators need to build up significant sludge storage capacity (lagoons). The saturation of lagoons ultimately affects the operation of power plants and thus electricity production. If sludge disposal cannot be managed by the plant, the biogas – and hence electricity – production capacity will have to be reduced. According to some estimates, a reduction in ammonia content could lead to an increase in biogas-derived electricity production of around 10-30% at domestic level.
By developing a prototype unit for ammonia removal from digested sludge of biogas (agricultural and municipal) power plants, we offer an innovative solution that effectively contributes to increasing the production capacity of biogas plants and reducing operating costs. The technology developed in this project will allow for the optimum utilisation of high ammonium nitrogen sludge, allowing the continuous operation of biogas plants, avoiding the problem of disposing of high ammonium nitrogen sludge and thus avoiding or reducing the need to build high cost storage capacity. In addition, the ammonia extracted from the digested sludge is used as a secondary raw material in fertiliser production, further increasing the potential for economic recovery.
Technological development will take into account the above problems and challenges in order to strengthen the role of biogas plants and increase their efficiency. The solution to be developed will enable biogas plants to operate at their maximum potential, while minimising operating costs and contributing to sustainable energy production and environmental protection.
The development will be carried out in two phases, where the first phase will involve laboratory-level development, the results of which will be used to build a semi-industrial prototype, which will be tested under relevant operational conditions. The RDI activity is aimed at product development and therefore the optimisation of operating costs and efficiency studies will be part of the project.
