How we work with biogas

Biogas is a great example of a circular economy

 

Nature Energy develops, builds and operates large-scale biogas plants according to the latest principles and with advanced technology to ensure the best utilization of waste from farmers, industry and citizens.

 

Biogas is produced by the conversion of what we don’t want into what we need. The process allows us to transform food waste, organic fertiliser and other organic waste into climate friendly green gas. This enables us to solve a problem of waste in society, while at the same time creating important green energy that can be passed on directly to the many sectors requiring biogas in the green transition.

 

The organic waste is brought to the biogas plant and then sent to the plant’s processing tanks (digesters). In the digesters, which run at around 50 °C, bacteria convert biomasses into biogas and liquid fertiliser (digestate). Before the gas is sent to the natural gas grid, CO2 and the unpleasant toxic hydrogen sulphide is removed from the raw biogas in an upgrading unit. The gas can then be distributed as green energy throughout the country.

 

This is where biogas can make a green difference

The biogas can be sent directly to the national gas grid and speed up the phase-out of fossil natural gas. Here, the CO2 neutral green gas can be distributed as both liquid and compressed fuel. This means that the gas can be used for planes, buses and trucks. Biogas can also convert energy-intensive industrial production and supply climate-friendly heat to houses that use gas-fired boilers. It can also be included in the production of plastic so that, e.g. bicycles and kayaks can be produced using greener methods.

 

Additionally, biogas can even be stored and saved for a rainy day when there is neither sunshine nor wind. Green gas is the most effective way to store green power when production is high and demand is low.

 

See the journey from organic waste to biogas below. The illustration shows how biogas can be a direct part of both the national gas grid and Power-to-X, which is regarded as being an important route in the production of green energy in the future.

Circular economy_EN-2-1

Biogas contributes to greener agriculture

Livestock manure is one of the sources used for producing biogas. First and foremost, this is because we have a lot of it - but also because agriculture today is an important part of the transition to a greener world. 

 

Once the livestock manure has been processed at the biogas plant and the green biogas has been extracted, a residual product in the form of degassed organic fertiliser remains. The organic fertiliser is returned to the farmers who can use it as green fertilizer for the fields. Given that the organic fertiliser has now been degassed, it contains much less methane and phosphorus, which is beneficial for agriculture, the environment and nature. The fertilizer value in digestate is better than in raw manure/waste, because the nutrients are more available to plants after digestion, and the high process temperature is lethal to bacteria causing diseases like salmonella. A final key benefit for everyone is that digestate is significantly less smelly than untreated manure and landfills.

Circular economy_EN-1

 

This thereby ensures that the livestock manure does not emit harmful greenhouse gases on the land when is transported to the local biogas plant. The production of biogas can therefore convert important sections of society to CO2 neutral energy, which is good for the overall climate accounting.

 

Citizens also contribute

Livestock manure is far from the only thing that can be converted into green gas. Nature Energy uses several different types of waste in the production process and a large part of society's organic waste can go directly into biogas production. This includes waste from the food industry and from individual households where citizens contribute by sorting their bio-waste. 

 

Biogas can make Power-to-X the energy for the future

The increased focus on the climate crisis coupled with the immediate need for an effective green transition means that new solutions must be adopted. This also applies to solutions where different green technologies are merged to deliver even more sustainable energy to society. Power-to-X will be crucial to this area in a future where electricity and biogas can combine to open up new opportunities and supply CO2 neutral energy to sectors where there is a need to convert from fossil fuels to a green alternative. An example of this can be in the area of road or air transport, which at the moment is primarily maintained by fossil fuels. Biogas production plays an important role in the implementation of Power-to-X. 

 

You are welcome to contact us if you have any questions regarding how Nature Energy works with biogas. We appreciate your interest in our work with the production and supply of green gas to society.