Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
the most resistant seeds, such as tomato and sorrel, had lost this capacity
after a dwell period of three weeks.
In conclusion, it can be stated that biogas plants do not involve a high
safety risk for man or nature if the applicable provisions are observed and
the construction and operation of the plants are state-of-the-art. Despite
daily routine handling of a biogas plant, plant operators should always
observe the latest safety standards and applicable rules of conduct. In this
way, people working at biogas plants can be confident that their safety and
health are protected in the best possible way. Under normal operating
conditions, biogas plants present no hazard for the environment. No doubt,
a storage tank - if handled improperly - could be damaged, a pipeline could
burst, or gas or digestion substrate or product could spill and cause
environmental damage. However, such damage can be minimized when all
applicable conditions are met, requirements observed, the plant is state-of-
the-art and the operators are regularly trained.
1.5
Conclusions and future trends
Biogas is a versatile renewable source of energy produced by anaerobic
digestion of different substrates. Due to the very wide range of input
materials, a significant amount of energy can be produced with biogas.
Thra
¨
n et al. (2007) estimated that 28 EU and the European succession states
of the former Soviet Union could produce 250 billion standard cubic meters
of biomethane from digestion in biogas plants by 2020. According to data
from the study of Thra¨ n et al. this figure could double if biomethane from
the thermochemical production of synthetic natural gas is added. In total,
500 billion standard cubic meters of biomethane would be enough to meet
the present natural gas consumption of the 28 EU member states. Even if it
will probably not be possible to produce the potential biomethane volume
forecast by the study, it is very clear that the biomethane potential available
at European level can make a sizable contribution to the energy supply of
the future.
In addition to the sheer volume, the quality of biogas as energy source is
of extreme significance. Untreated biogas can be converted into electricity
and heat by cogeneration at the place where which the gas is produced: the
heat can be used locally and the electricity fed into the public grid. This is
the preferred way in which the energy is used in Europe at present.
Electricity produced by cogeneration is available at any time and can supply
base load demand, but could also be generated to meet increased demand if
sufficiently large gas storage capacity were available. With raw biogas
upgraded to natural gas level, it can be fed into the available gas network
and, in that case, the infrastructure of the gas network would allow the use
of biomethane for any purpose for which natural gas is used. The two most
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