Power generation and fertilizer production from livestock organic waste materials
About this good practice
The biogas power plant operates in full production and contributes significantly to the treatment of sewage originating from four modern livestock production units, as well as 10 poultry farms and five agrifood industries.
The facility consists of two digesters with storage capacity of 4500m3 each, where the biogas is produced, an internal combustion engine where the electricity is generated, a pasteurization tank for the neutralization of the digestate against pathogens and undesirable seeds and two storage tanks for the derived compost.
180 tons of organic wastes are collected daily from farms within the vicinity. The composition of the waste material comprised foremost of cow (50%) and poultry (15%) manure, along with olive oil waste (10%), cheese whey (10%), corn silage (5%), fruit waste (5%) and other organic waste in smaller quantities.
The biogas produced from the Anaerobic Digestion plant yield to 23MWh per day, amount sufficient to cover the needs for 300 houses to electricity, while the end product is conveyed through the Public Power Corporation (national grid). In addition to electricity, the internal combustion engine is generating thermal energy (1064 kW/h) through the circulation of hot water in order to support the plant’s facilities.
Resources needed
4,5 m Euro
Evidence of success
• New direct and indirect placements have been developed. 5 employees constitute the work force of the plant and approximately 70 households have benefited from the partnerships arose.
• 80.000 tons of agro-industrial raw sewage are annually treated, yielding to 8.400MWh of electricity.
• 75.000 tons of derived compost is used for the fertilization of 800 ha of the near area.
Potential for learning or transfer
The practice may be transferred to other agricultural areas with both livestock farms and cultivations to solve the problems related to disposal of biological waste and inspire farmers to run their facilities in a more sustainable manner.
Further information
Website
Good practice owner
You can contact the good practice owner below for more detailed information.