Thanks to our ecoFertilizer Factory, operators of biogas plants can produce saleable, environmentally friendly fertilizer granulate or pellets from fermentation residues. These can be marketed instead of paying for the disposal of the digestate. At the same time, they make an important contribution to climate and environmental protection.
More biogas means more liquid digestate...
... and a solution is needed.
The demand for biogas as a CO2-neutral substitute for gas is constantly increasing. This is why more and larger biogas plants are being built. The production of biogas produces, among other things, liquid fermentation residues, which are spread on the fields as fertilizer like liquid manure. And the more biogas plants go into operation, the more liquid digestate has to be disposed of. This leads to various challenges, both for biogas plant operators and for the environment.
For operators of biogas plants, liquid digestate is primarily a cost factor
If the biogas plant has no or insufficient land on which the liquid fermentation residues can be spread, the operators must either rely on farmers in the region or have the fermentation residues transported by truck to more distant countries. Both cost money.
Due to environmental regulations, liquid digestate cannot be spread at any time of year. Biogas plant operators must therefore store the fermentation residues until they can be spread again. If the silos are full in winter, the plant may not be able to continue operating, resulting in a loss of revenue.
In connection with the new European reporting obligations on sustainability, operators of large biogas plants in particular will have to show that they are keeping their greenhouse gas emissions as low as possible. Those who fail to do so will face severe penalties in the medium term.
Liquid fermentation residues are a serious burden on the environment
Plants typically need nutrients in spring and summer during the growth phase, but hardly ever in fall and winter. If the silos are nevertheless emptied again in the fall, the plants can no longer fully utilize the nutrients. Nitrate, for example, is released into the groundwater.
In addition, ammonia outgassing occurs during field discharge, which has an undesirable fertilizing effect in completely different places, such as rough pastures or forests, and thus threatens biodiversity.
In addition, fertilizing with liquid fermentation residues releases the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide. Nitrous oxide is 298 times more harmful to the climate than CO2.
If the liquid fermentation residues are transported by truck to distant fields, these journeys result in corresponding CO2 emissions.
The solution: Drying liquid fermentation residues
With our ecoFertilizer Factory (eFF), we offer the right solution for the above-mentioned challenges.
Test run with our Test-ecoDry
Advantages for biogas plant operators: selling instead of disposing and paying
In the ecoFertilizer factory, liquid fermentation residues are dried into saleable organic fertilizer granules or pellets.
The prices of commercially available nitrogen-based artificial fertilizers have risen due to trade restrictions and supply bottlenecks, primarily as a result of the war in Eastern Europe. This development is expected to benefit the market for organic fertilizers.
Under certain conditions, the fertilizer can be certified organic, which means better margins for sales.
Potential buyers can be found in various sectors, including organic farming, vegetable growing, nurseries, vineyards and even private gardeners.
The dry fertilizer granulate is easy to store and can also be dosed very precisely. This means fewer transport journeys and less over-fertilization, and therefore less environmental and climate impact. Operators of biogas plants can thus make a contribution to a circular economy and highlight this accordingly in their reports.
The benefits for the environment are obvious: less over-fertilization means lower greenhouse gas emissions, less nitrate pollution in the groundwater and better protection of biodiversity.
With the ecoFertilizer Factory, we are proving that economic efficiency and environmental protection need not be mutually exclusive.
If you would like to find out more about the ecoFertilizer Factory, please click here or contact us.
