Processing horse manure in biogas plants - a showcase project in Germany

It is impossible to imagine our society without the horse as a hobby and leisure partner. A horse produces up to 50 kg of manure per day. With about 1.2 million horses in Germany alone, this is an enormous amount. Not only the animal itself, but also its dung has become an economic factor. In Lehrte in Lower Saxony, the two farmers Adrian Bartels and Jens Boedecker recycle the horse manure economically successfully and ecologically sustainable in a solid fermentation biogas plant built by the Swiss company Renergon.

The biogas plant is also coming back into focus, especially when it comes to the energetic utilisation of residual materials. By fermenting stackable dung from animal husbandry and other organic waste materials, biogas is obtained, which is converted into electricity and heat during the combustion process in a combined heat and power plant. Horse manure, which is produced in large quantities, especially on larger farms, and cannot be optimally utilised in conventional liquid biogas plants, causes costs for disposal.

With approx. 1.2 million horses throughout Germany, slightly more than 10 times as much horse manure is produced annually. This enormous potential is currently not yet used for energy generation. In addition to energy, an organic fertilizer with good plant availability is produced. This unique problem solver for horse manure is a beacon project for the entire industry with international appeal.

The team of farmers at Adrian Bartels' farm with its innovative solid fermentation plant shows how successful this recycling can be.

In solid fermentation as the core technology, the process liquid percolate is circulated and thus the decomposition process of the stackable biomass in the fermenter boxes to biogas is started and maintained. This percolate cycle ensures that relevant microorganisms, moisture, heat and essential nutrients are evenly distributed in the biomass. In addition, the percolate with its buffer substances stabilises the entire biogas process. Thanks to the robust plant technology and stable anaerobic degradation (without oxygen), impurities have no influence. As a technology leader in the field of solid fermentation, the Swiss company RENERGON stands for highest plant safety, optimal process flows and high gas yields.

Renergon International AG
Kreuzlingerstrasse 5
8574 Lengwil
Schweiz

Marc Faulhaber
m.faulhaber@renergon.com
Tel. +41 71 688 24 07

Waste to Value - Renergon is a dynamic, innovative and globally active company with future-oriented solutions and technologies based on biogas production from biogenic waste. With its headquarters in Lengwil (Switzerland), a subsidiary in Berlin (Germany), as well as a worldwide network of partners, we, as a globally active greentech champion with patented technology, guarantee success - from an economic and ecological point of view.

Renergon stands for sustainability, local added value, as well as closed material cycles (circular economy), and focuses on a clean and liveable environment through renewable energies and fuels, as well as healthy soils through compost, fertilizer and biochar.

This release was published on openPR.