WELTEC BIOPOWER constructs 1.8 MW plant in Finland

The company from Lower Saxony is implementing this project jointly with its Finnish project partner, Doranova.

As early as autumn 2013, the plant will produce biomethane refined to natural gas quality, which is suitable for all consumption paths and as such also suitable as fuel for the growing network of Finnish natural gas stations. The modular design of the plant allows for the realisation of the project within a short period of time. In this, components constructed in-house such as the fermenter, pump and agitator technology are put to use; as well as separation and sanitation technologies. They are operated via a control system which WELTEC specifically developed for the optimal interaction of the components.

In the construction of the three 4,000 cubic meter sized fermenters and the two receiver containers, WELTEC counted on the tried and tested, e.g. the material being stainless steel. The stainless steel cladding considerably contributes to the quick and safe completion of the plant. With this system, WELTEC can guarantee the same high-quality container characteristics world-wide. For the high degree of automation and the precise plant control, the German plant construction company relies on its experience from the construction of the industrial biomethane refineries in Könnern and Arneburg, which were visited by the Finnish investors and operators in advance.

The plant construction company integrated an in-house innovation for the feeding of substrate – the MULTIMix: with this, fibrous input materials such as grass silage, straw or co-substrate are disintegrated. This way, these normally difficult-to-process substrates can be decomposed excellently into biogas by the bacteria. Similarly, there is the option for a foreign body separation upstream of the pump and stirring systems of the plant. In this fashion, the new feeding system reduces the stress on the stirring system as well as the wear of the Finnish plant. Furthermore, the plant operator will, in the future, also be able to flexibly choose input materials and can rely on cheap, but difficult-to-process substrates.

WELTEC BIOPOWER GmbH