Bioplastics on the Move! – How Can Plant Engineering React to the Biomass Boom?

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DECHEMA e.V.

Upscaling from the lab environment can also cause problems. Bio-based processing needs to be combined with conventional chemical techniques. Hybrid chemical production is essential particularly during the early stages of development. Intensive work is underway in the US and China on polybutylene succinate. The process combines biological fermentation with chemical hydrogenation.

Biogas Plants: How to Watch for Trouble Spots

The natural metabolism of microorganisms is exploited in anaerobic fermentation of waste and other biomass to convert substrates into biogas. The makeup of the solid substrates has a major influence on the fermentation process at biogas plants. To an increasing extent, standard input materials such as corn silage are being replaced by alternative substrates like manure, grass, straw or, more recently, sugar beets. The targeted breakup of agglomerates and shredding of solids increases the surface area, so that process bacteria can act faster on the nutrients. Also, a faster and more homogeneous distribution can be achieved in the liquid phase if the substrates have been shredded.

Advantages of Biomass Substrate Shredding

This has crucial advantages for the entire process:

• Higher gas yields/reduction of the average residence time in the fermenter

• Reduced load on agitators and pumps

• Improved composition of the fermentation residue

Deficiencies were discovered at 80 % of the biogas plants which were assessed by the chemical industry employer’s liability insurance association (BG Chemie). The fact that biogas plants produce flammable, explosive methane was a major source of concern...

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