Page 276 - Low Temperature Energy Systems with Applications of Renewable Energy

262 Low-Temperature Energy Systems with Applications of Renewable Energy

Fig. 7.1 (A) Number of biogas upgrading plants for IEA Task 37 member countries. (B)
Breakdown of biogas upgrading technologies used at biomethane plants. (C) Biogas upgrading
technologies growth up to 2016. Note: Upgrading refers to the process that converts the raw
biogas into biomethane [4].

One of the world’s largest biogas plants with direct infeed into the natural gas
network is the Biogas-Park K€ onnern in Germany; see Fig. 7.4. The biogas park is
located near the city of K€ onnern and covers an area of 17 ha. Vegetable raw materials
are used as the feedstock: corn, cereals, grass, straw and silage; animal manure is also
part of the input. When it was put into operation, 30 nearby farmers supplied the plant
with about 120,000 tonnes of raw materials per year. The plant consists of four mod-
ules, each having four fermenters, and four digestate holding tanks. Additional site fa-
cilities include a technology building with separators, a central liquid pump unit, and a

Fig. 7.2 Maximum potential per marketing route for biogas in the Netherlands [4].