Wyn Morris

Increased performance through enhanced nutrition

Transcript

1. Wyn Morris FM BioEnergy
2. ‘Increased performance through enhanced nutrition’ Wyn Morris Head of Development FM BioEnergy ENERGY NOW EXPO 2013
3. Cows – the original AD plant • Minimise CH4 production – represents an energy loss – environmentally negative • Maximise CH4 production – represents energy source – environmentally positive
4. Common themes • Business focus – return on investment (ROI) & economic operation • The need to consider the biology of anaerobic digestion (AD) – the digester is a ‘living entity’ • diverse populations of bacteria & methanogenic archaea • hydrolysis, acidification, acetic acid formation & methanogenesis occur concurrently – good nutrition is key FM BioEnergy specialise in nutrition to optimise plant performance, improve substrate utilisation and maximise financial returns
5. Increasing efficiency – feedstock conservation • Feedstock represents potential energy – spoilage or DM losses before feeding mean reduced potential • lower gas yield and income • For high dry matter forage crops losses can be considerable – untreated losses can average 15%! – loss of 45 tonnes DM for every 1,000 tonnes ensiled • costing ~ £3.75/tonne* * maize silage at £450/ac and 18t/ac
6. • Specialised biological silage additives can help – reduced DM losses in the clamp – fewer acres required for a given plant capacity – increased methane yield per tonne – additional income of around £5,000 for every 1,000 tonnes • worth ~ £5/tonne* Increasing efficiency – feedstock conservation * additional 91,140 kWh at 13.7p/kWhe
7. Increasing efficiency – process biology • Factors that can affect gas yield and methane content – feedstock quality and variation – sub-optimal conditions in the digester • excess acidity • excess nitrogen (specifically NH4 & free ammonia) • excess hydrogen sulphide (H2 S) • poor homogeneity or foam formation – trace element deficiencies • growth of the methanogens can be limited by the nutrient in shortest supply
8. • The principle Step 1. Analysis of the digester contents for traditional parameters and micro-nutrient status Provision of bespoke solutions Step 2. Comparison of results against requirements and calculation of specific plant requirements Step 3. Supplementation of plant specific micro-nutrient and additive mix
9. BC Pro® micro-nutrient mixes concentration in the digester bespoke micro-nutrient mix Recommendations based on scientifically proven nutrient requirements Any active substances required to control -acidity - excess N - H2 S - poor homogeneity - foam formation
10. Case study – Yenergy Ltd • 250 kW AD plant – fed with poultry litter and maize silage • Problem – high ammonia levels in the digester (picked up via fortnightly biological analysis by PlanET) • increased proportion of maize silage relative to poultry litter • reduction in operating temperature
11. Plant specific solution • Solution – initial introduction of BC ATOX Ncon • specifically formulated to reduce ammonia toxicity by adsorption of NH4 + (NH3 ) – full biological analysis of digester and plant performance – subsequent introduction of BC Pro® Ncon • bespoke trace element mixture with active ingredient to reduce the inhibitory effect of N rich poultry litter
12. Output & solids fed • rise in output following stabilisation of biology • increased income 4000 4200 4400 4600 4800 5000 5200 5400 5600 5800 6000 10/12/2011 10/01/12 10/02/12 13/03/12 29/04/12 30/05/12 30/06/12 31/07/12 Output (kWh) 12000 12500 13000 13500 14000 14500 15000 15500 16000 16500 Total Solids (kg) Output (kWh) Total Solids (kg) BC ATOX Ncon introduced BC Pro Ncon introduced Data courtesy of Yenergy Ltd, 2012
13. CH4 & H2 S levels 40 42 44 46 48 50 52 54 56 10/12/2011 10/01/12 10/02/12 13/03/12 29/04/12 30/05/12 30/06/12 31/07/12 Methane (%) 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 H2S (ppm) CH4 (%) H2S (ppm) BC ATOX Ncon introduced BC Pro Ncon introduced Data courtesy of Yenergy Ltd, 2012 • with improved stability % poultry litter increased at the expense of maize silage • reduced feedstock cost
14. 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 15 29 43 57 71 85 99 113 127 141 Zeit [d] Stromproduktion [MWh/d], Fütterung [t TS/d] 0 0,5 1 1,5 2 2,5 3 FOS/TAC Stromproduktion Fütterung (TS) FOS/TAC 100 % Stromproduktion Start of trace element application Loading rate : >6 kg/m3/day Feedstock : maize & grass silage Lost income due to reduced energy production ~ £138,000 per year (500 kWe , 11.5 p/kWhe ) Effect of BC Pro® additive on plant capacity Days Energy production Feeding rate FOS/TAC Energy production (MWh/d), Feeding Rate (t/day)
15. 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 1 15 29 43 57 71 85 99 113 127 Days Methane yield [m3/t FM] 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 Plant capacity [%] Methane yield plant capacity Full capacity Increase of methane yield 22 % Start of trace element application Capacity: 2MW Loading rate : 10.5 kg/m3/day Feedstock : maize & grass silage Effect of BC Pro® additive on methane yield Additional income due to increased methane yield ~ £50,000 per year (500 kWe , 11.5 p/kWhe )
16. 0 500 1.000 1.500 2.000 2.500 April 07 Mai 07 Juni 07 Juni 07 Juli 07 August 07 Oktober 07 Org. Säuren [mg/l] 0 0,1 0,2 0,3 0,4 0,5 0,6 0,7 0,8 0,9 FOS/TAC Essigsäure Propionsäure FOS/TAC Loading rate : 2.5kg/m3/day Feedstock : maize silage, cattle manure Start of BC.PRO application CHP at full capacity organic acids [mg/l] Lost energy potential with acids transferred to digestate ~ £8,750 per year (500 kWe , 11.5 p/kWhe ) Effect of BC Pro® additive on organic acid levels Acetic acid Propionic acid Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Acetic acid Propionic acid FOS / TAC
17. Industrial food waste plants • Same or different? – desire to maximise throughput (gate fee value) – minimise dwell time – greater variation in feedstock – still require good biology • Different solutions – CR Compact products • concentrated granular products with lower dose rate – CR TEplex products • highly concentrated liquid trace element products
18. Commissioning new plants • Use of BC Pro® Start – combination product including trace elements and active agents to accelerate start-up • 75% of plants commissiond using BC Pro® Start, combined with start up consultancy reached full capacity in 14 days • Creating a strong stable plant biology is vital for plant profitability and future performance
19. Lost revenue • Every day the plant is plant is not at full capacity results in losses – ▲ feed costs, ▼reduced gate fees, ▼electrical output • Failure to reach full capacity costs on average around £600/day for every day beyond 15 days Customer Income after 90 days (500 kW, £28/t Maize Silage) -£8,609 £12,435 £30,956 £42,435 £46,870 -£20,000 -£10,000 £0 £10,000 £20,000 £30,000 £40,000 £50,000 90 days 60 days 30 days 15 days 7 days Full capacity in days
20. Feeding with GasPlan • least cost solution to optimise energy output – provides information on the value of opportunity feeds
21. Gas leakage detection service • protecting against loss of income Sealing was defective Maintenance: Tighten screws • part of good Health & Safety management
22. Summary
23. Thank you wyn.morris@fmbioenergy.co.uk