Biogas is a mixture of gases, produced from biomass raw materials that are used as fuel to produce electricity, heating or cooling. Biomass materials are recurring feedstocks, often by-product materials which would otherwise be wasted, including wood production, agricultural waste, manure, municipal waste, plant material, sewage, green waste or food waste. It is a renewable energy source.
Biogas is produced inside a biodigester, anaerobic digester or a bioreactor. Almost all equipment installed in the Villa Mercedes biogas plant was imported from Germany.
At Villa Mercedes biodigesters process the decomposition of the mixture to produce the biogas, which fuels the internal combustion motor to generate 2.4 mWh. From the biogas plant, a highly efficient energy distribution is delivered using the Flexalen PB-1 piping system, so that only 25% of the energy produced is used on the farm, with the remainder sold to the local electricity company.
Because of this successful outcome, the biogas plant is being expanded and new barns are under construction. These will be used for additional pig breeding, thus widening the local energy supply through additonal manure feedstocks.
Goals
Prior to the biogas plant, the local energy supplier could only produce 75 kWh, while demand reached 250 kWh. Therefore an increased energy supply was critical to make up the shortfall. The production of heat from the cooling system brings the water to a temperature of 65°C. Additionally, an additional system was implemented to allow the hot water usage to clean the pig area floors as well as the transportation of sorghum and maize across the entire plant.
Results
- 1,400 meters of pipes surrounding the countryside of the plantations were connected, mostly using with the pre-insulated Flexalen twin pipe 63 mm ø and Flexalen 75 mm ø made from Polybutene-1.
- With Flexalen, the installers could install 900 meters in one day (twin pipe 450 meters), a significant reduction of the installation time.
The choice for Flexalen
Flexalen pre-insulated PB-1 pipe system made by Thermaflex was chosen because of its low thermal conductivity, its easy installation, its reliable welding technique, its great strength and long lifetime. Because of the energy loss values, the transport of hot water with Flexalen is very efficient.
Statistics
30,000 pigs
– eating and producing
1.5 tons
– of excrement per day, used as biogas feedstock to produce . .
2.4 MWh
– of electricity. Of which . .
75%
– is sold to the local energy company
1,400m
– of Flexalen 600 installed made from PB-1. Of which . .
900m
– were installed in only 1 day!
Additional Case Studies of PB-1 piping systems used for renewable biogas energy
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Polybutene-1 is often referred to as Polybutene, Polybutylene, PB-1 or PB.
Polybutene-1 is not sold by PBPSA members for use in pipe applications intended for use in North America, and those parties require their customers or distributors not to sell products made from PB-1 into pipe applications for North America.