Biogas Case Studies

Biogas case studies are beneficial as they allow others to review an operating system and study the lessons learned, providing valuable insight to improve and develop better systems. For instance, in the anaerobic digester at Farber Farm, it was found, “A 5-day retention time in a fixed film digester will provide odor control as well as 30 cubic foot of biogas per cow per day. The gas production is sufficient to maintain operating temperatures in the digester with a biogas boiler even during the winter.” The biogas case studies can often provide insight at the design stage to avoid pitfalls, verify design parameters, or give greater confidence in the overall approach.

World-Wide

Biodigester Global Case Studies [from around the world], December 2011, Hojnacki, A. et al., D-Lab Waste.

Productive Biogas: Current and Future Development Five case studies across Vietnam, Uganda, Honduras, Mali and Peru, 2014, SNV Netherlands Development Organisation and the Fact Foundation

Africa

Biogas in Ghana: Sub-Sector Analysis of Potential and Framework Conditions, 2014, GIZ, German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy.

Development of Anaerobic Digester for the Production of Biogas using Poultry and Cattle Dung: A Case Study of Federal University of Technology Minna Cattle & Poultry Pen, 2013, Aduba, J. et al., International Journal of Life Sciences Vol.2. No.3. 2013. Pp. 139-149.

Design of Biogas Plant for Rural Households in Uganda: Case Study Apac District, 2012, Second International Conference on Advances in Engineering and Technology

Kenya National Domestic Biogas Programme, Ashington Ngigi, Updated 2013, An initiative under the Africa Biogas Partnership Programme.

Life Cycle Approach for Evaluating Sanitation Projects Case Study: Biogas latrine, 34th WEDC International Conference, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2009.

The Potential of Small-Scale Biogas Digesters to Improve Livelihoods and Long Term Sustainability of Ecosystems Services in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2nd Quarterly Report, 19 August 2012, funded by UK Department for International Development.

The Potential of Flexible Balloon Digesters to Improve Livelihoods in Uganda: A case study of Tiribogo, April 2013, Tumwesige, V., thesis submitted for the Degree of Master of Science in Environmental Science, University of Aberdeen.

America

Biomethane from Dairy Waste A sourcebook for Production and Use of Renewable Natural Gas in California, Prepared for Western United Dairymen, July 2005.

Dairy, Reinfold Farm (Pennsylvania) digester designed for 1,000 cows, Department of Agricultural & Biological Engineering, 2009.

Farm to Fuel: Developer’s Guide to Biomethane as a Vehicle Fuel, Agriculture and Agri Foods Canada, July 2013.

Fixed Film Anaerobic Digester at Farber Farm: Case Study, New York, Peter Wright and Jianguo Ma Dept. of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University
August 2003.

Haubenschild Farms Digester Final Report, Minnesota Project, Carl Nelson & John Lamb, 2002.

Wisconsin Biogas Casebook Prepared for Focus on Energy by Joe Kramer Energy Center of Wisconsin, 2008.

Australia

The Generation of Biogas On-Farm using Animal and Dairy Waste, Paul Wilson, AgriFood Skills International Fellowship, 2013.

Biogas Energy for an Innovative Pork Industry, Dr. Stephen Tait, University of Queensland, 2013.

Estimates of Manure Production From Animals for Methane Generation, Australian Government, Rural Industries Research and Devlopment Corporation, 2010.

Canada

Canadian Biogas Study, Benefits to the Economy, Environment and Energy, Biogas Assocation, December 2013.

Central – South America

Case Study: The technical and econonmic feasibility of electricity generation with biogas in Costa Rica, Agriculture Engineer Joaqyuin Viquez Arais, 2009.

China

Biogas Production in China: Current status and future development, Dr. Xiujin Li, Department of Environmental Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, 2013.

Chinese Biogas Digester A potential model for small scale rural applications (a manual for construction and operation) prepared by Charles H Nakagawa US Peace Corps Volunteers Dec 1981.

Domestic biogas in a changing China: Can biogas still meet the energy needs of China’s rural households?, 2013, Zuzhang, Z., International Institute for Environment and Development, United Kingdom.

Europe

Beelan Pig Farm in North West Germany with a 250kW biogas plant running on slurry from 4500 fattening pigs, plus a combination of maize, grass and rye silage grown on the 290ha of mainly sandy soils.

Biogas Buses: A Cost Estimate [Sweden], Mattias G, 2013, Study commissioned by DANNINCO, Denmark.

The Biogas Case Studies in Slovenia, Big>East Biogas for Eastern Europe, by Matjaž Grmek, Ivo Blaznik, Feb 2010.

Biogas and Biomethane in Europe, Fagonyte E, European Biomass Association, 2010.

Household Biogas Digesters – A Review, Karthik Rajendran, Solmaz Aslanzadeh and Mohammad J. Taherzadeh, School of Engineering, University of Boras, Sweden 2012.

Greimel Biogas Plants, Grüntegernbach, Bavaria, Germany, University of Glamorgan 2009.

Economic Evaluation of Strategic Biogas Investment Options – Case Study in the Region of Larisa (Greece), May 2012.

Socio-Economic Evaluation of Selected Biogas Technologies, Scientific Report from Danish Centre of Environment and Energy, 2013.

India

Biogas Digesters in India by Robert Jon Lichtman, 1982.

The Appropriate Rural Technology Institute (ARTI), 2006, Ashden Awards Case Study, India.

Evaluation of small-scale Biogas System for the Treatment of Faeces and Kitchen Waste, Case Study Kochi, South India, Estoppey, N. 2010, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag),
Dübendorf, Switzerland.

Making Nightsoil-biogas plants viable in Maharashtra’s district, Dr SV Mapuskar, United Nation’s Children Fund, 2007.

Pour-flush Toilets with Biogas Plant at DSK Training Institute, Gujarat, India by the Sustainable Sanitation Alliance, Dec 2009.

Biogas: Bottling in India, Renewable Energy Akshay Urja, by ML Bamboriya, 2012.

Nepal

Biogas For Climate Justice: A Story of Change in Nepal, Ugan Manandhar, Hunger -Nutrition – Climate Justice 2013.

Pakistan

Transforming the use of biogas in Pakistan:From household application towards powering small holder irrigation, April 2014, SNV Netherlands Development Organisation and
Rural Support Programmes Network .

Romania

Biogas Power Opportunities Romania 2014, SLOW Energy Europe.

Sweden

Biogas from manure and waste products – Swedish case studies, 2008, Held. J.,  Swedish, Gas Centre, Swedish Biogas Association.

Biogas in Sweden, Swedish Gas Association, 2011.

Tanzania

Technical & Biological Performance of the ARTI Compact Biogas Plant: Kitchen Waste Case Study from Tanzania, October 2009, Voegeli, Y. et al., Proceedings Sardinia 2009, Twelfth International Waste Management and Landfill Symposium, CISA Publisher, Italy.