In the lead to the upcoming IFAT trade show to be held in Munich, Germany next month, biogas technology provider Weltec Biopower GmbH says it is placing a special emphasis on showcasing technologies for the "energetic use" of organic waste and wastewater to a broad industrial and municipal audience.
Held biennially, IFAT is a world leading trade show for the recycling, wastewater and waste management industry and the next edition takes place May 14-18 in Munich. Taking advantage of the occasion, Weltec Biopower GmbH will focus its attention on the industrial and municipal applications of its biogas technology.
One such example is the sewage treatment plant in Burgebrach, Bavaria that, according to the company, demonstrates how a municipal enterprise can effectively reduce its energy and disposal costs with the help of a biogas plant. For the existing sewage treatment plant, which serves a population of 13 000, Weltec has added a sludge digestion unit including the utilisation of sewage gas in the combined heat and power (CHP) plant.
The facilities went live in spring 2016 and since then, the sludge has been stabilised with an anaerobic process in the custom-designed stainless-steel tower following the wastewater treatment in a two-stage trickling filter unit. Thanks to the installation of the digestion unit, the unpleasant odour emissions around the sewage treatment plant have been eliminated.
Moreover, the digestion reduces the amount of sludge and enables the energetic utilisation of the digestion gas. The operators also wanted to be able to use all the power and heat generated by the CHP plant for the on-site processes.
Thanks to our self-supply, we are able to save on electricity costs of about 100 MWh annually, said Arne Nath, Head of Wastewater Treatment at SüdWasser GmbH, the operator that has supported the town Burgebrach since 2005.
