Social project Biobolsa provides local farmers with simple biogas plants that allow them to autonomously produce gas from organic waste. In 2010, the project started in Mexico, and today it is actively developing in 9 countries Latin America and Africa.

The idea for the Biobolsa project arose back in 2007, when a young Mexican, Alex Eaton, decided to make a budget anaerobic bioreactor natural gas for farms. By 2010, Alex had filed all the patents and fully launched the first pilot project.

What is the Biobolsa bioreactor?

In principle, nothing complicated, large durable membrane bags 15 meters long, 2 meters wide and more than 2 meters high. Their capacity is about 40,000 liters of liquid, and the ability to process up to 1 ton of waste per day. There are more compact solutions 2x2 meters for a small family, they process up to 20 kg of waste.




With the help of such a biogas plant, one peasant family with four pigs can produce enough biogas for cooking in the kitchen.



Farmers often see a 20-40% increase in yield in the first year, and it only increases every year. On a farm with 1,000 pigs, the family is equipped with a system that can produce more energy than they can consume and they even sell the electricity back to the Mexican grid.


The widespread introduction of such biogas plants also has a beneficial effect on the environment. According to research by the Food Organization FAO, modern agricultural businesses generate more greenhouse gas emissions than transport. This sector also pollutes water sources with animal waste, antibiotics, hormones, chemical fertilizers and pesticides used to grow crops.


Biogas plants convert methane and carbon dioxide into energy, reducing greenhouse gases from agricultural activities, and the use organic fertilizers prevents pollution of watersheds. Farmers who have switched to biogas as a power source for their homes do not depend on fossil fuels and do not cut trees for fuel. This slows deforestation and improves air quality.

So biogas plants are a little more than just bags for rural families. Eaton argues that this approach also awakens an emotional connection with the world around them, and farmers begin to embrace a culture of reusing waste.

With the support of various foundations and government agencies, the creators of Biobolsa managed to secure partial subsidies for interested parties. And this was the impetus for the introduction of installations in the poorest and most depressed regions of Latin America. This year it is planned to launch 2 more pilot projects in Africa.

Biobolsa has received several international awards as a social entrepreneurship, among others, the business development network Network from Holland presented an award of 10,000 euros, which served as a powerful impetus for the development of the project.

“We estimate that in Mesquique alone there are 4 million homes that could potentially use biogas plants,” says Alex Eaton.

The relevance of biogas plants for the home is growing every year. Rising prices for electricity and natural gas are prompting people to look for new sources of energy. Biogas is an effective and inexpensive replacement for traditional energy sources.

What is biogas obtained from?

Biogas is produced from waste of organic origin, which accumulates in large quantities during homesteading, breeding poultry and animals. The raw materials used are cattle and small livestock manure, bird droppings, silage, slaughterhouse waste, rotten grain, fats, food waste, pomace, whey, beet tops, malt residue, etc. Most of the listed types of raw materials can be mixed with each other.

The process of producing biogas at home

The process of producing biogas uses the fermentation of biomass of animal and plant origin under anaerobic (without air) conditions. Organic waste under such conditions emit a mixture of gases, in which methane occupies more than 50%, carbon dioxide - 35%, the remaining 15% - nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide, etc. In addition to obtaining free fuel, the waste recycling process allows you to produce in the form by-product high quality biofertilizers.

Video: operating principle of a biogas plant

Abroad, home biogas plants have appeared a long time ago. In China, more than 12 million of them are employed in agricultural farms. Biogas plants are also widespread in Europe. The share of biogas use in Sweden and Austria is about 20%.
Usually in such installations batch loading is used. In this case, the reactor is completely filled with raw materials, which are completely produced during the fermentation process.
Homemade biogas plants have a fairly low biogas yield during fermentation of raw materials, so they usually pay for themselves only within 3-5 years. Professional biogas mini-installations can recoup costs in a year and a half.
The efficiency of using biogas plants is influenced by climatic conditions, sufficiency of raw materials. Professional installations are designed with these factors in mind, so they are more economical and can be used in a variety of climate conditions.

Description of a common home biogas plant

The most popular installations consist of a dome-shaped reactor and an unloading area. Gas is collected in the upper dome-shaped part of the reactor. After loading a new portion of waste, the resulting biohumus from processing raw materials enters through a special channel into the unloading (compensating) area. The pressure on the fermented mass increases in proportion to the volume of gas produced and gradually pushes the processed raw materials into the compensating area.
For effective use Such an installation requires a warm climate, so they are not widespread in Russia. For cold climates, professional biogas plants are used, built using special technology.

Generating electricity and heat

Cogeneration power plants are used to generate electricity and thermal energy from biogas. The main advantage of such power plants is the use of thermal energy, which under normal conditions escapes into the atmosphere with flue gases. Allows significant fuel savings. Types of cogeneration power plants: reciprocating (more common) and turbine.

Advantages of biogas plants for home

• significant reduction in the cost of purchasing traditional energy resources;
• savings on waste disposal;
• increase in yield due to the use of obtained biofertilizers;
• saving money by using biofertilizers instead of mineral ones;
• opportunity to save on waste disposal;
• income from the sale of surplus biofertilizers;
• improvement of the environmental and sanitary situation through the processing of waste from the livestock industry.

Biogas is a renewable and environmentally friendly energy resource that has great prospects in the face of rising energy prices and deteriorating environmental conditions.

Biogas is a gas produced by the fermentation of biomass. IN natural conditions Biogas is constantly being generated. In modern bioenergy, the natural processes of its formation are brought under human control. Biogas production is carried out at biogas stations using special installations. The produced biogas consists of methane (more than 50%) and carbon dioxide, as well as a small amount of impurities (hydrogen and hydrogen sulfide). After purifying biogas from C0 2 (biogas upgrading), biomethane is obtained - a complete analogue of natural gas.

Unlike solar and wind, biogas can, like natural gas, be stored and provide continuous electricity production, i.e., perform an important task of energy supply during periods of peak load on the electrical grid.

Biogas can be used for electrical and thermal generation, refueling cars (in major cities Sweden's municipal bus fleet is fueled with local biogas) which can be injected (after conversion into biomethane) into existing gas networks and storage facilities.

Why do we need biogas if we have natural gas and the infrastructure for its delivery?

Firstly, biogas is made from biomass, a renewable plant material - its production and use leaves a smaller carbon footprint.

Secondly, biogas production can (and should) use agricultural waste, which prevents pollution environment and increases its efficiency.

IN recent years The European biogas industry is showing double-digit growth rates. Electricity production from biogas in the EU amounted to 46,419 GWh in 2012, in 2013 - 52,327 GWh (for comparison: this amount of energy approximately corresponds to the annual electricity consumption of Portugal). More than half of European production came from Germany 111 , which has 8,700 biogas plants 112 .

China is considered the world leader in biogas production, 113 but an interesting phenomenon is observed here. The vast majority of Chinese biogas is produced by rural households for their own consumption - heating, cooking and even, in some cases, electricity generation. There are 41 million 114 such home biogas plants, and their number is expected to reach 80 million by 2020 with active government support.

In the production of biogas, the most desirable from an environmental point of view is the use of animal and poultry waste. These industries generate large volumes of liquid and solid waste, the disposal of which must be preceded by particularly careful treatment. In countries with weak environmental control, which includes Russia, livestock waste can poison the soil and water bodies. Using this waste to produce biogas and then generate heat and electricity is actually a win-win strategy. On the one hand, the problem of environmental pollution is largely eliminated, on the other hand, farms and their surroundings are provided with “free” energy.

However, this sensible approach to biogas energy faces, so to speak, economic reality. The fact is that it is more expensive to produce biogas from animal waste than from specially grown “energy plants” - more is needed complex processing feedstock with corresponding additional capital costs.

Germany faced this economic reality harshly. Ill-conceived policy to stimulate the biogas business contributed to the non-recycling of waste agriculture, and the orientation of bioenergy towards the intensive cultivation of energy plants (primarily corn) on agricultural lands for the subsequent production of electricity has led to the massive construction of biogas power plants even in environmental zones 115 . The area under maize used for bioenergy has doubled over the past decade, largely at the expense of other crops 116 .

In 2014, German biogas policy underwent a major adjustment. On August 1, a new version of the Renewable Energy Act (EEG) came into force, according to which further development of biogas energy should be based on waste processing, rather than the use of specially grown energy crops. The tightening was also reflected in the reduction of feed-in tariffs and financial measures limiting the construction of large biogas power plants. Similar measures are currently being considered throughout the European Union.

Thus, the future fate of the biogas industry in Europe looks largely uncertain. We can assume with a fair degree of confidence that there will be no reduction in existing capacities, but the pace of further expansion is difficult to predict. However, no one has yet canceled the existing official European expansion plans (National Renewable Energy Actions Plans). They provide for the volume of biogas electricity generation by 2020 at the level of 65,000 GWh (average annual increase of 1.85 GWh) 117 . To produce this amount of energy, 28 million cubic meters of biogas (natural gas equivalent) are needed, which is 5% of European natural gas consumption.

It should also be taken into account that such large economies with developed agriculture as France and Spain today have an extremely low degree of penetration of the biogas business. Thus, according to the results of 2013, France is inferior in biogas production to Italy by four times, and Germany by more than 14 times. This is a factor that increases the likelihood of achieving stated growth goals.

Biogas plants from China are complexes that are designed to process various animal wastes, food industry, as well as organics. The work is based on the principle of fermentation organic matter, which results in the formation of biogas, which includes methane, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, hydrogen and nitrogen.

Today, biogas is universal. It can be used for heating systems or as an integral part of a waste treatment and treatment system.

As you know, China is the only country in the world where biogas has been used for a very long time. Biogas plants from China were even exported at the end of the 19th century. More than half public transport in China it runs on biogas fuel. Naturally, the initial developments were classified, but already in 1999 there were approximately 7 million operating biogas plants in China.

The government's strategy in this area targets an increase in the production of biofuel installations by 15% annually. Today, thanks to many years of experience and modern technologies, biogas plants made in China are successful not only in China, but also abroad. And other producing countries are adopting China’s experience. Also recently, the fact that biogas plants are made by ordinary people with their own hands has become increasingly popular.

Biogas plants from China for home or production

You can place an order directly from the manufacturer via the Internet. In online stores you can view biogas plants reviews from those who have already purchased similar plants for personal use. Also, price lists are often posted on the manufacturer’s website, in which you can view biogas installation prices.

Among industrialized countries, Denmark takes the leading place in the production and use of biogas. Biogas produced in this country accounts for up to 18% of its total energy balance. In absolute terms, Germany occupies the leading place in the number of medium and large installations (about 10,000).

In Italy currently not state program development of biogas plants, but the Italian electricity company is obliged to buy electricity generated from biogas at a price 80% higher than the price for consumers. In Austria, until 1997, there were 46 predominantly farm-type biogas plants in operation. In 1997, 10 farm-type installations and 5 large ones were put into operation. It is planned to increase the number of biogas plants to 150. In Austria there is no national program to support the construction of biogas plants, but their construction is supported by the Ministries of Agriculture and the Environment. Financial support is provided by federal agricultural organizations and banks.

In the northern regions, in order to save fuel, biogas plants use mesophilic mode, which increases the retention time and working volume of the reactors. An example is the design of biogas plants developed by AB Enbom (Finland), operating in Lapland conditions at temperature conditions fermentation 33°C.

The disadvantage of the European path to the development of biogas energy is the lack of a guaranteed supply of waste to generating facilities, enshrined at the legislative level. As a result, after an increase in the number of operating stations and the formation of a waste shortage, the costs of operating plants have sharply increased due to increased costs for purchasing waste or growing plant matter, as well as their delivery.

The vast majority of biogas stations accumulate unprocessed waste, which, on the one hand, worsens the environmental situation, and on the other, leads to increased costs for their storage and transportation. But in the European Union, amendments to the waste law have already begun to take effect, which oblige the owners of biogas stations to process the fermented mass into fertilizers

In India, Vietnam, Nepal and other countries, small (single-family) biogas plants are being built. The gas produced in them is used for cooking. In India, 3.8 million small biogas plants have been installed since 1981. Nepal has a program to support the development of biogas energy, thanks to which rural areas by the end of 2009, 200 thousand small biogas plants had been created.

China is currently the world leader in the implementation of biogas production technologies in rural regions. More than 40 million Chinese families have already installed biogas plants in their homes, and this figure is growing by several million per year. The total production of biogas is 10.2 billion m3/year, which puts China in first place in the world in terms of this indicator. In addition, 4,000 large biogas stations have been built in China, operating on the basis of waste from livestock farms, and the share of agricultural enterprises using biogas technologies is 52%

The Chinese authorities are seriously counting on biogas as a significant source of electricity for rural areas. So, if by the end of the seven-year plan the total capacity of cogeneration installations is 5.5 GW, then by 2030 it should increase to 30 GW, that is, 6 times, which will fully provide village residents with electricity and heat own production.

But Chinese installations have a significant disadvantage: the cost of the resulting product. The reactor volume of a Chinese installation is usually at least five cubic meters. Another aspect is high cost the installation itself. Costs are mainly spent on digging a pit, carrying out a large amount of cement work, and installing a metal dome-gas tank. Due to the fact that the iron dome of the gas tank is susceptible to corrosion, this equipment is designed to operate for only 8 to 10 years.

Conclusion

Modern technologies waste recycling does not stand still and is becoming more and more efficient.

Biogas station solves the problem of organic waste disposal and cleaning waste water, thereby minimizing possible fines for environmental violations associated with the storage and removal of manure. The use of biogas not only provides a significant reduction in production costs, uninterrupted power and heat supply to one’s own production, but also the opportunity to receive additional profit from the sale of energy, heat and biofertilizers. The use of biofertilizers helps improve soil quality and increase crop yields. The result is environmentally friendly crop and livestock products and a reduction in overall pollution of the environment and arable land.