WELTEC BIOPOWER commissions biogas plant in Japan

In terms of substrates, the operator makes use of organic leftovers from the vicinity. Since the raw material mix varies, WELTEC ensures a steady biogas output with its biological service. This special service of the biogas specialist also comprises another plant of the same customer.

Renewable energies are consistently expanding in Japan and already account for a fifth of the power generated. Above all, leftovers are the preferred substrates in Japan. The biogas plant in Saitama, too, digests some 12 000 t of organic waste into energy. The substrate mix consists of organic waste and cattle manure from a nearby farm that belongs to the operator. The largely liquid organics are introduced to the digester by means of a central pump. Solid feedstocks are transported by a dosing feeder with a capacity of 27 m³.

To ensure efficient digestion of this mixture, WELTEC BIOPOWER has set up a stainless-steel digester with a capacity of 2823 m³. Its dia. measures 25.34 m, and its height is 6.3 m. The upstream substrate storage tank, which is made of stainless steel, has a capacity of 336 m³, a dia. of 9.31 m, and a height of 5.03 m. The 523 m³ digestate storage tank (dia. 11.64m, height 5.03 m), too, is made of high-quality stainless steel.

Finally, the digestate is separated and the solid phase is dried with special technology in order to further reduce the volume. Most of this residue is used as compost, and some of it as fertilizer. “The Japanese appreciate the custom plant design and the benefits of our modular approach, especially because the plant structure with stainless-steel modules facilitates the consideration of the special risks in areas that experience in areas that experience a lot of seismic activity,” explained Vladimir Bogatov, who is responsible for sales.

WELTEC BIOPOWER has provided the customer with an all-inclusive package along with individual after-sales service. Subsequently, the Japanese operator also entrusted WELTEC with the biological supervision of its other biogas plant, which had been set up by a different provider in 2017. As this plant’s yield was above average, the biology experts of WELTEC had the substrate mix of the old plant carefully analysed by a Japanese lab. Based on the results, the raw material mix and the retention time have been optimised. Due to the constantly changing composition of the waste, WELTEC will continue to supervise the two plants biologically in order to maximise the gas yield.

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