Germany’s largest integrated bioLNG plant inaugurated

In doing so, EnviTec Biogas AG now owns and operates Germany’s largest integrated bioLNG plant with carbon dioxide (CO₂) liquefaction. To mark this milestone the company held an official inauguration ceremony at BioEnergie Park Güstrow on August 31, 2023.

We are more than proud to have led the way by pioneering our innovative plant design in the biogas industry and set the standards to follow for a greener transport sector, said Olaf von Lehmden, CEO of EnviTec Biogas in his address.

With this plant, the engineering and operating company for biogas plants and gas upgrading plants now takes on the role of a supplier of carbon-neutral fuel to the utility/heavy-duty vehicle (HDV) market.

Obviously, we would not be where we are today without the support of our entire EnviTec team, so I’d like to take a moment to thank not only our employees, whose day-to-day work has made this achievement possible but also all of the tradespersons, companies, partners and regulators whose stalwart support has ensured the trouble-free completion of the conversion project, Olaf von Lehmden said.

Alongside EnviTec’s CEO, government representatives such as Hartmut Höppner, Secretary of State in the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport, also addressed the audience of more than 200 invited guests.

Hans-Joachim Polk, Executive Board Member of Biogasrat+ e.V. and VNG AG, Stephan Ortolf, Head of Core Corporate Customers at DZ BANK, Przemyslaw Brozyna, Managing Director Gas & Cryogenics Business Unit at Air Liquide advanced Technologies and LNG customer Silvano Calcagno, Managing Director of LIQVIS GmbH also welcomed delegates to the event.

With the completion of this trailblazing project for the decarbonization of the heavy goods vehicle transport sector in Germany, EnviTec has not only demonstrated its pioneering entrepreneurial spirit but has also offered conclusive proof that the sustainable production of a carbon-neutral biofuel for HGVs is already possible in Germany. As one of the main buyers of the bioLNG produced in Güstrow, we are very pleased to have been invited to participate in this forward-looking project, said Silvano Calcagno in his remarks.

Feedstock- and end product switch

Before being acquired by EnviTec Biogas, the biogas plant sent 500 GWh to the biogas upgrading plant that fed the biomethane (aka renewable natural gas – RNG) into the 25-bar natural gas grid.

This required the use of around 400 000 tonnes of substrate as input, which largely consisted of sweet corn, plus whole-crop/grass silage and cereals.

The plant’s new operating model involves reducing and reformulating these input materials. As a result, 100 000 tonnes of dry chicken manure from poultry farms is now used, as well as 40 000 tonnes of renewable plant materials.

Following the subsequent upgrading and liquefaction of biomethane into bioLNG, plus CO₂liquefaction, the plant now handles the entire biogas value chain at a single location. This process alone achieves potential savings of 100 000 tonnes of CO₂.

BioLNG for the heavy-duty vehicle sector

Using the EnviThan biogas upgrading method, which features hollow-fibre membranes made by Evonik, the raw biogas produced at BioEnergie Park Güstrow is upgraded to the natural gas standard.

The permeate from the gas upgrading process, which is enriched with CO₂, contains a very low volume of methane and is handed over to the CO₂液化装置(LCO2植物)downstream processing and the production of liquid carbon dioxide.

The bioLCO₂我们从这个过程可用于获得食物刺激uction. And not just by beverage makers but also in greenhouses, for example, explained Frank Hinken, Managing Director of EnviTec BioEnergie Güstrow.

The off-gas produced as a by-product of the CO₂liquefaction process contains a small percentage of methane as well as other non-condensing gases like nitrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen.

This is piped to co-generation plants on the premises and used for on-site power generation.

At full capacity, the plant will produce 9 600 tonnes per annum of bioLNG for HDVs, and 15 000 tonnes of LCO₂making it Germany’s largest integrated bioLNG and bioLCO₂facility.