Biogas plant helps reducing energy and disposal costs

The sewage treatment plant in Burgebrach, Bavaria, 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 energetic utilisation of sewage gas in the combined heat and power (CHP) plant. The facilities went live in spring 2016. Since then, the sludge has been stabilised with an anaerobic process in the customdesigned stainless-steel tower following the wastewater treatment in a two-stage trickling filter unit.

Digestion 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 the electricity costs of about 100,000 kWh/year“, says Arne Nath, Head of Wastewater Treatment at SüdWasser GmbH, the operator that has supported the town Burgebrach since 2005.
This special plant benefits greatly from the proven technologies of WELTEC BIOPOWER: Firstly, the modular structure of the stainless-steel plants enables a customer-specific layout. Secondly, such projects draw on the experience that WELTEC has gained in the establishment of more than 300 biogas plants.

Energetic utilisation of substrates

Every single plant has a different substrate structure. Regardless of whether sludge, abattoir waste, production leftovers, or supermarket waste is concerned, WELTEC guarantees optimum energetic utilisation of the substrates in all cases. This is possible with the help of smart processes and the comprehensive services and supervision by biologists and engineers.

WELTEC at the IFAT

Further information on the energetic utilisation and use of all types of organic waste and wastewater will be available from 14 to 18 May 2018 at the IFAT in Munich, hall A4, stand 219.