Weltec Biopower commissions biogas plant in Finland
Weltec Biopower recently commissioned a biogas plant near Turku in south-western Finland.
The 250 kW plant runs entirely on liquid manure from nearby livestock farms and belongs to a group of three pig farmers. Weltec partnered with its long-standing Finnish partner, Doranova, on the project.
Both the farm structure and the location of the pig farms present an ideal setting for the new anaerobic digestion project. Currently, three ‘fattening houses’ are being built in addition to the piglet production sites. This means 40,000 tons of pig manure will be available as input material for the stainless steel digester, which has a capacity of 4,903 m3.
The heat generated by the 250 kW combined heat and power unit is used to preheat the liquid manure, which is first buffered in an upstream slurry pit. To minimise the loss of heat in the winter, Weltec equipped the digester cladding with an extra-thick insulation layer.
The fully automated biogas plant operation culminates in the separation of the digestate, according to Weltec. By compressing the nutrients, the transportability is increased, which helps to balance any regional nutrient surpluses and reduce the entry of these nutrients in the Baltic Sea and other bodies of water.
“Back in 2013, we received the ‘Baltic Manure Handling Award’ in Helsinki in recognition of our biogas technology to reduce the accumulation of nutrients close to waters,” said Hajo Schierhold, head of sales at Weltec.
Mikko Saalasti, head of Doranova’s biogas department, commented: “Such efficient nutrient recycling effectively prevents the eutrophication of the water system and eliminates the need for elaborately produced artificial fertiliser.”
The 250 kW plant runs entirely on liquid manure from nearby livestock farms and belongs to a group of three pig farmers. Weltec partnered with its long-standing Finnish partner, Doranova, on the project.
Both the farm structure and the location of the pig farms present an ideal setting for the new anaerobic digestion project. Currently, three ‘fattening houses’ are being built in addition to the piglet production sites. This means 40,000 tons of pig manure will be available as input material for the stainless steel digester, which has a capacity of 4,903 m3.
The heat generated by the 250 kW combined heat and power unit is used to preheat the liquid manure, which is first buffered in an upstream slurry pit. To minimise the loss of heat in the winter, Weltec equipped the digester cladding with an extra-thick insulation layer.
The fully automated biogas plant operation culminates in the separation of the digestate, according to Weltec. By compressing the nutrients, the transportability is increased, which helps to balance any regional nutrient surpluses and reduce the entry of these nutrients in the Baltic Sea and other bodies of water.
“Back in 2013, we received the ‘Baltic Manure Handling Award’ in Helsinki in recognition of our biogas technology to reduce the accumulation of nutrients close to waters,” said Hajo Schierhold, head of sales at Weltec.
Mikko Saalasti, head of Doranova’s biogas department, commented: “Such efficient nutrient recycling effectively prevents the eutrophication of the water system and eliminates the need for elaborately produced artificial fertiliser.”
