Biogas -Building Block of a Regional Energy Supply

Biogas arises from one of the oldest biochemical processes in the world, which is found occuring naturally everyday in bogs, cow stomachs and manure piles: microorganisms decompose organic bonds and produce a gaseous mixture composed of approximately 2/3 methane and 1/3 carbon dioxide as well as other residual gases.  This mixture is  Biogas.

This energy-rich product is ideal for the generation of electricity and heat.  The extracted biogas is collected in a gasholder and can be later used for combustion in a combined heat and power plant (cogeneration plant) or processed into natural gas quality and fed into a public gas network.

Biogas is CO₂-neutral: the CO₂ contained in the biogas is taken out of the atmosphere during plant photosynthesis. Also, the digestate can be used as a valuable industrial fertilizer that can make the application of mineral fertilizer unnecessary.  This is an important element, particularly in biological crop rotation farming.  With biogas the intertillage crops, like clovergrass, can be utilized for energy production.

Under the conditions of an inexpensive economic and political framework, the market share of bio energy could be up to 15% of the primary energy sources revenue in the year 2030.  Already in 2006, Germany covered 2.2% of their gross electricity consumption (13.1 billion kWh) from bio energy. Biogas comprises almost 50% of this increased electricity production with a sizable share of 5.4 billion kWh.  

With the successful completion of our biogas facility in Seckach in 2006, we are active in this area as project developers and are engaged through our affiliate Biogas Süd with the basic input of biogas into the natural gas network.

More information can be found online at our affiliated company BiogasSüd.