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ANAEROBIC DIGESTION

ANAEROBIC DIGESTION

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Anaerobic digestion (AD) processes plant materials, known as

biomass, into gas to be used for heating and power; the
resultant gas is called methane or biogas and is created by
bacteria which digest biomass and produce methane as a by-
product.
Biomass includes anything that is plant-derived; municipal solid waste,
manure, crop residues, compost, food waste, paper and waste water.
Crops can be grown speci cally for use in AD, as a supplementary
feedstock, or a stabilising material. Biogas has been used in the UK since
1895 when gas from sewage was used in street lamps by the city of
Exeter.

Looking at this in more detail, anaerobic digestion is a natural process

where plant and animal materials are broken down by micro-organisms in
the absence of air as follows:

The AD process begins when biomass is put inside a sealed tank or

digester
Naturally occurring micro-organisms digest the biomass which
releases a methane-rich gas, known as biogas thats used to generate
renewable heat and power. The process helps cut fossil fuel use and
reduce greenhouse gas emissions

The remaining material, known as digestate, is rich in nutrients and

can be used as a fertiliser

Many forms of biomass are suitable for AD including food waste, slurry
and manure, as well as crops and crop residues. However, woody biomass
cannot be used because the micro-organisms can't breakdown the lignin
- the compound that gives wood its strength.
AD is not a new technology, it has been used in the UK since the late
1800s, but an increasing number of AD plants are being built to generate
clean renewable energy. AD is also used to treat waste produced in
homes, farms, supermarkets and industry which helps divert waste from
land ll.

The products of AD are referred to as biogas and digestate. Biogas is a

mixture of 60% methane, 40% carbon dioxide and traces of other
contaminant gases. The exact composition of biogas depends on the type
of feedstock being processed.

Biogas can be combusted to provide heat and/or electricity. Alternatively,

the biogas can be upgraded to pure methane, often called biomethane,
by removing other gases. This pure stream of biomethane can then be
injected into the mains gas grid or used as road fuel.

Digestate is made from left-over indigestible material and dead micro-

organisms. It contains valuable plant nutrients such as nitrogen and
potassium. It can be used as a fertiliser and soil conditioner.

Balmoral Tanks wishes to thank NNFCC, The Bioeconomy Consultants

(http://www.biogas-info.co.uk/), for their kind assistance in preparing the copy for this
page.

Di erent types of AD
The term AD covers several di erent processes; the most common are
shown below and can be classi ed according to whether they are:

Mesophilic, 25-45C; or thermophilic, 50-60C

Wet, 5-15% dry matter in the digester; or dry, over 15% dry matter in the
digester

Continuous ow or batch
Single, double or multiple digesters
Vertical tank or horizontal plug ow
Mesophilic or thermophilic
Mesophilic systems operate at 25-45C while thermophilic systems
operate at 50-60C or above. Thermophilic systems have a faster
throughput with more rapid biogas production per unit of feedstock and
digester capacity and there is greater pathogen kill. However, the capital
costs of thermophilic systems are far greater as more energy is needed to
heat them and they generally require more management.

Wet or dry
The di erence between what is considered a wet process and a dry
process is quite small. E ectively, in wet AD the feedstock is pumped and
stirred and in dry AD it can be stacked. Dry AD tends to be cheaper to run
as there is less water to heat and greater gas production per unit
feedstock. However, wet AD has a lower set-up capital cost.

Continuous or batch ow
Most digesters are continuous ow as opening the digester and restarting
the system from cold every few weeks is a management challenge. They
generally provide more biogas per unit feedstock and operating costs are
lower. Some dry systems are batch ow and, to overcome peaks and
troughs in gas production, multiple batch digesters with staggered
changeover times are speci ed.

Single or multiple digesters

AD occurs in several stages; some systems have multiple digesters to
ensure each stage is as e cient as possible. Multiple digesters can
provide more biogas per unit feedstock but at higher capital and operating
costs with a greater management requirement. Most digesters are single
or double digesters.

Vertical or horizontal plug ow

Vertical tanks simply take feedstock through a pipe on one side of the
tank whilst digestate ows out through a pipe on the other side. In
horizontal plug- ow systems a more solid feedstock is used as a 'plug'
that ows through a horizontal digester at the rate it is fed in.

Vertical tanks are simple and cheaper to operate, but the feedstock may
not reside in the digester for the optimum period of time. Horizontal tanks
are more expensive to build and operate but the feedstock will neither
leave the digester too early nor remain within for an uneconomically long
period.

The optimum system will be determined by what feedstocks are available,

the output required, ie, energy production or waste mitigation, space and
infrastructure.

Planning an AD project
A typical AD project can be divided into three planning phases; design,
build and operation. The rst stage is to identify a suitable site and
determine what the feedstock will be.

Upon choosing a site the following needs to be evaluated:

Site layout and space to ensure su cient space and access for
construction, operation and storage
Feedstock supplies and maintenance access

Visual impact in terms of topography and natural screening

Regulatory and environmental requirements regarding buildings and
water course proximity

Planning permission is necessary for most anaerobic digestion

installations. Small scale digesters using only on-farm waste may be
passed as Permitted development, but local authorities must be
consulted in the early stages of planning for con rmation.

Any installation accepting third party waste will need full planning
permission.

Balmoral Tanks AD products

Steel digester tanks (/balmoral-tanks/index.php/products/epoxy-

coated-steel-tanks)
Balmorals steel tank product range is the most comprehensive in the
industry. Designed to service a wide range of applications Balmoral
delivers tailored solutions which are suitable for all types of anaerobic
digestion systems.

efusion epoxy coated tanks represent the very latest developments in

steel tank coating technology. This has provided signi cant engineering
and cost bene ts to users across a range of applications since the early
2000s.

The bene ts of epoxy coated steel tanks against more traditional tank
coatings include higher durability to impact, lower cost manufacturing,
lower carbon footprint and more e cient design principles.

The epoxy is electro-statically applied and thermally bonded in a two-

coat process. This ensures all efusion panels have the most durable and
resistant coating possible and all products are tested for discontinuities
and thickness prior to dispatch.

Balmoral Tanks guarantees that only 100% defect-free panels leave its
factory.

efusion is tested to similar stringent standards as glass coated steel and

meets or exceeds the following internationally comparable coating
requirements:
ISO 12944
WIS 4-25-01
ISO 28765:2008
EEA 7.20

Concrete tanks (/balmoral-tanks/index.php/products/concrete-

tanks)
Balmoral is the UK's rst choice for large scale reinforced concrete
digester tanks. Company personnel have completed numerous
demanding construction projects of this type since the early 2000s.
Digestore logo The Balmoral digestore is a reinforced concrete, post-
tensioned digester tank o ering the following bene ts:

OSHAS 18001, 14001 and 5-Star British Safety Council accreditations

Leak free structure using post-tensioning technology

Unique Balmoral design and build process o ers a tank with low
carbon footprint

Lifecycle more than twice that of steel tanks: 60 years v steel tanks
lifecycle of 25 years
Highly experienced and trained construction teams

Dedicated design team headed up by chartered Civil Engineer with

over 30 years experience
Established track record with high levels of customer satisfaction and
repeat business
Highly experienced contracts team

Design and build

With reinforced concrete tanks o ering the most durable solution to the
AD sector, Balmoral Tanks supports its clients with end to end service.

The company provides a full build approach working with highly trained
employees. Balmoral installation teams always work to the latest Health &
Safety standards whilst maintaining the leanest build durations.

In addition to providing tanks, Balmoral o ers civils packages including

excavation, piling and related activities.

Cast in-situ reinforced concrete tanks

Balmoral reinforced concrete tanks are designed to all appropriate
standards including British Standards (BS) and Eurocode.

From large scale anaerobic digesters to on-farm slurry stores, and using
its proprietary formwork system, Balmoral o ers build times of the
shortest possible duration and does this without compromising quality or
health and safety.