Start-up of another Biogas Plant in Japan
German-based company Weltec Biopower GmbH has commissioned a biogas plant in Saitama Prefecture, 40 kilometers north of Tokyo.
The facility – which is equipped with a 450-kilowatt cogeneration power plant – is the fourth project to be rolled out by the German manufacturer in Japan. In terms of substrates, the operator uses organic leftovers from the vicinity. “Since the raw material mix varies, Weltec ensures a steady biogas output with its biological service.” This service would also comprise another plant of the same customer.
As underlined, Japan continues to use nuclear power, even after the reactor accident in Fukushima back in 2011. “However, renewable energies are consistently expanded and already account for a fifth of the power generated.” Leftovers are the preferred substrates in Japan, the company informed.
Photo: Weltec Biopower
The biogas plant in Saitama digests some 12,000 tons of organic waste into energy. The substrate mix consists of organic waste and cattle manure from a nearby farm belonging to the operator. The largely liquid organics are introduced to the digester using a central pump. Solid feedstocks are transported by a dosing feeder with a capacity of 27 cubic meters (m³). To ensure efficient digestion of this mixture, Weltec Biopower has set up a stainless-steel digester with a capacity of 2,823 m³. Its diameter measures 25.34 meters (m), and its height is 6.3 m. The upstream substrate storage tank, made of stainless steel, has a capacity of 336 m³, a diameter of 9.31 m and a height of 5.03 m. The 525-m³ digestate storage tank (diameter 11.64 m, height 5.03 m), too, is made of high-quality stainless steel. Finally, the digestate is separated, and the solid phase is dried using special technology for reducing the volume. Most of this residue is used as compost and some of it as fertilizer.
The German manufacturer has provided the customer with an all-inclusive package with individual after-sales service. Further information on the energetic utilization and use of all types of organic waste and wastewater will be available at the IFAT in Munich (Germany), hall A4, stand 217.
(Published in GLOBAL RECYCLING Magazine 1/2022, Page 50, Photo: Weltec Biopower)
