Biogas is a mixture of gases produced by microorganisms as a result of organic matter decomposition (breakdown) in absence of oxygen.

It can be transformed into energy and/or work by means of mechanical, chemical or physical principles and technologies.

Click here to view  its  applications

Because it’s produced from renewable organic resources (biomass) without posing a negative impact into the bio-sphere. In other words the nutrient cycle has a neutral carbon balance footprint into the bio-sphere.

This means that the carbon used by plants to grow (biomass) is taken from the soil and air to build the living tissue of organic matter that constitutes it. This carbon is then released back into the biosphere (air, water and land) during its transformation into energy and organic fertilizer. The key is that this amount of carbon will be used again to grow (renew) the same biomass amount used as feedstock at the beginning.

In opposition to non-renewable energy, the fossil fuels can’t be renewed due to its fossil nature. (Produced and stored into the earth crust through millions of years). Its sudden release back into the biosphere alters the carbon equilibrium of nowadays making its consumption un-sustainable for human life.

Yes. Biogas technology has the highest transformation efficiency.

Compared to bio-ethanol, bio-diesel or gasification it has the highest energy input-output ratio. In short, from one ton of organic residues it produces the largest amount of energy in comparison to any of the other transformation technologies.

Yes. Biogas technology has the lowest production cost per kilowatt-hour.

Moreover, it can be produced 24h a day, 365 days. In opposition to wind and solar energy technologies, it doesn’t stop when wind does or sun is not available.

An additional added value is the production of a high quality mineral fertilizer at the end of the process. This allows for a closed nutrient cycle virtuous circle. This fertilizer can be used in your fields to produce the feedstock and renewable energy resources you grow.

Not only is a high quality organic fertilizer, but also presents no odornuisance or pathogens load in opposition to liquid manure or un-treated residues.

There is no single biogas technology that could be regarded as the best one for all purposes.  Different residues nature and customers needs require a particular process technology. 

In top of that each technology presents different technical and marketing challenges due the by-products outputs commercialization. These key aspects should be known into depth and be a fundamental part of an economic, technical and financial assessment.

More over a single technology may need to be adapted and up-graded with other technology solutions to fully take advantage of the local market potential and environmental requirements.

Please let us help you through your journey into sustainable energy production and find together the best solution that not only fits your needs but surpasses them!

Because it's the technology with the highest energy conversion ratio per unit of input.

Per pound of input you get the highest energy output in the form of biogas. Probably it has to deal with the fact that the microorganisms that carry out the conversion process have developed through millions of years achieving outstanding conversion efficiencies.

About any organic residue can be turned into energy. The following list shows some of the most common industrial sectors and residues with methanization potential.

• Agricultural waste

• Industrial residues 

• Energy crops 

• Municipal Solid Waste 

• Liquid residues 

…and many others!

Click on the left side the sector of your interest to show/hide some of its processable residues.

Organic waste is put into a sealed tank called digester where the residues are heated up and agitated. Through optimal conditions anaerobic microorganisms consume the organic matter and produce biogas. The biogas is then captured and stored to be conditioned for its further use in a CHP and/or Boiler unit.

The potential of biogas production depends on the nature, quality and quantity of your residues. The valuable component from biogas is methane (CH4). In this respect there is a wide range of methane potential.

As an example some residues can produce from 160 Nm3 CH4 (Horse Manure) up to 900 Nm3 CH4 (Glycerin) per tone of volatile dry matter (VDM). That’s why a substrate characterization is necessary to asses the energy content of your residues.

The full potential of a residue can be achieved only through the right technology selection, plant design and proper management of the facility.

Not in a biogas plant. The methane (CH4) produced is captured on a controlled process and stored thus it´s not allowed to go into the atmosphere. Methane is the ultimate product of anaerobic digestion and most valuable by-product of the fermentation process and the one that generates revenue.

Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas with 21 times the warming potential of CO2. If the methane is burned (in a CHP or Boiler unit) then is transformed into heat and CO2 which reduces 20 times it’s warming potential!

Indeed the digestion and production of biogas (and thus methane) through the use of biogas technology reduces the damage that un-treated residues causes to the environment. Any decomposition of organic matter in an uncontrolled manner (open air dump-yards) produces big amounts of methane that are released into the environment.

On average it costs from 3.500 EUR/kWe to 4.000 EUR/kWe of installed capacity. It depends on the technology choice as well. These costs apply for one and multi-stage plants of wet digestion technology. For municipal solid waste and dry digestion technology consider up to  20.000 EUR/kWe.

A plant size is very variable. Typical sizes can go from 50kWe to several megawatts, for instance 1MWe to 10 MWe or more of installed capacity. (Depending on availability quality and quantity of your residues).

Six to eight years. It depends strongly on the correct design of the plant and management strategies of the facility. As well all other financial variables as interest rate, tax rate, grants or subsidies, own equity, loan, cost of electricity, heat or electricity demands, etc. On that sense each project is unique and the local conditions strongly influence the project pay-back.

Yes. Biogas Maxx is an independent consultant company.   We guide you through all steps of a biogas project making sure you find the best biogas solution for your needs but we don’t own or manufacture self equipment or technology. We can make for you the best design and negotiate the best deals from equipment manufacturers.

We can prepare an offer for you from the characterization of your residues, feasibility analysis and plant simulation to the detail design, project managing, equipment selection and purchasing, construction management, start up and operation of your facility.

Typically engineering fees go from 6% to 12% of overall project costs. It depends on the complexity of the design and project engineering involved.

1. FIRST CONTACT

Contact us by e-mail or using our contact form and tell us as much as possible about you and your residues. If you have any difficulty or doubt regarding their identification we'll be happy to set up a conference call and guide you. Then, free of charge, we'll make a calculation for you to asses if your project is feasible at all.

Please do consider that any  technical information you already have may help to reduce the cost of characterization of your substrates on a further phase.

2. BASIC ENGINEERING

If your project seems feasible we can prepare an offer to carry out the basic engineering studies to size and price your project. Depending on project size, complexity, number of substrates, time constrain and experimental studies the analysis cost typically ranges from $7,500 to $30,000 USD. This will be the essential documentation you need to raise funds for your project.

3. DETAILED ENGINEERING & PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Once you’ve raised the capital to construct your biogas plant you may need:

• Tender documents: Get tender documents to select the right contractors and equipment to build your biogas plant.
• Project Management: Prepare the Project Management Plan and hire a construction Project Manager to build and manage the construction of your project at the lower cost and minimum lead time. No errors and delays during the construction phase will fulfill the financial analysis & pay-back conditions.
• Commissioning and start-up: This is the most critical part to reach the optimal production of biogas in the shortest time and start generating revenue. To start up the production of your facility expert assessment is required.
• Operation: We provide assessment for the smooth and optimal operation of your biogas plant through out the year(s) to match and even surpass your revenue expectations.