Will a heating cable protect the system from frost?
A heating cable protects the system from frost only if it is matched to the conditions, insulated, powered and monitored. When it fails and how to check.
Technology and plant operation
A biogas plant's result is decided by day-to-day operation: process stability, monitoring, equipment servicing and safety.
RSSDigesters, mixing, heating, desulphurisation, measurement, automation, cogeneration, servicing and safety (ATEX).
Methane losses and fugitive emissions at a biogas plant: detection and reduction
Methane escapes through roof valves, leaks, digestate stores, upgrading and unburned gas in the CHP. How to detect, measure and reduce it, and what the EU Methane Regulation means.
Implementing OGI at a plant: purchase, rental or external service
How to implement OGI: when to buy a camera, when to rent one and when to commission an inspection — and what follows from Regulation (EU) 2024/1787, what the good practices for biogas plants are and how to choose a supplier.
The Ambassador project: a 20-kilometre pipeline for a biomethane plant in Poland and liquid CO₂ for the food industry
BZK Energy has commissioned Tesgas to build a 20 km medium-pressure pipeline to the Ambassador biomethane plant; it is to connect the installation to the GAZ-SYSTEM transmission grid by the end of November 2027. Planned production: more than 5 million m³ of biomethane and about 4 million m³ of CO₂ per year (gas volume).
OGI solutions: handheld, fixed and drone cameras and QOGI — an overview
An overview of OGI solution categories: cooled and uncooled cameras, fixed, drone-mounted, quantitative (QOGI), software and Ex versions — and the parameters that actually differentiate the devices.
Optical gas imaging (OGI): a guide for biogas plants, biomethane plants and landfills
What OGI is, how a camera that "sees" methane works, when it fails, what leaks cost and which regulations (EU 2024/1787, EN 17628, EPA) apply to biogas plants, biomethane plants and landfills.
Biogas plant KPIs: the indicators that show whether the plant is running well
CHP availability, methane yield from VS, OLR, HRT, FOS/TAC, own consumption and heat utilisation: a set of indicators with formulas, response thresholds and an example of a monthly report.
Operating costs (OPEX) of an agricultural biogas plant: structure and how to calculate them
What the cost of running a biogas plant consists of: substrates, CHP servicing, own energy, labour, insurance, digestate. How to calculate the cost per kWh and per m³ CH₄ and where to look for savings.
Biogas in Central America and Cuba: several small projects and one common problem of scale
An overview of several documented projects: 6 MW of landfill gas at Nejapa (El Salvador), a 1 MW installation at a wastewater treatment plant in Managua, a small CHP unit in Costa Rica and the first biomethane installation in Cuba — and conclusions on scale.
Entering a tank or digester: rules for work in confined spaces
The inside of a digester, a digestate tank or a manhole is a confined space in which people die. The procedure step by step: permit, ventilation, measurements, standby person, rescue.
Biogas plant feeding stability: why the daily total of feed is not enough
The same daily mass of feed can provoke a different digester response, depending on how the doses are spread over time and on composition. We explain what the EPA AgSTAR guide says about this and how to keep records.
Biogas plant emergency plan: gas leak, fire, overflow and power failure
How to write an emergency plan that works at three in the morning: scenarios, responsibilities, alerting, gas shut-off and drills. A table of scenarios with actions.
Optimising the methane fermentation process in agricultural biogas plants
Temperature, pH, FOS/TAC and digester loading determine fermentation stability. An overview of parameters, typical ranges and rules for gradually increasing the load in an agricultural biogas plant.
Co-digestion of substrates: how to increase biogas plant stability and yield
Co-digestion combines two or more substrates in one digester. We explain C:N, proven combinations, synergy and the rules for introducing new mixtures.
Technical inspections and technical supervision at a biogas plant: what to check and how to plan
A biogas plant is subject to several types of inspection: technical supervision of equipment, building and electrical inspections, and safety tests. How to arrange them into a single schedule.
Fires at biogas plants: the most common causes, prevention and firefighting principles
Fires at biogas plants most often start in the CHP unit, electrical installations, silage stores and dryers. An overview of causes, prevention, equipment and firefighting principles.
How to choose the optimal substrate for a biogas plant? Parameters, mistakes and cost calculation
BMP, TS, VS, C:N and pH are the basic parameters of a substrate. We show how to assess sample quality, compare the cost of methane and avoid typical mistakes, using an example with explicit assumptions.
Explosion hazard zones at a biogas plant: how to classify zones 0, 1 and 2
Zones 0, 1 and 2 define how often an explosive atmosphere occurs. We explain the classification principles, typical places at a biogas plant, and the role of ventilation and marking.
Hydrogen sulphide (H₂S) at a biogas plant: hazard to people, detectors and procedures
H₂S is a poisonous gas that dulls the sense of smell. We explain the effects depending on concentration, where it accumulates, how to choose detectors and what rules to apply during work.
ATEX at a biogas plant: directives, obligations and the explosion protection document
Two ATEX directives: one for equipment manufacturers, the other for employers. What this means for the biogas plant operator, how the explosion protection document works and what to check.
Grid Ready Forum: experts call for faster connection of biomethane to the grid
Participants of the Grid Ready Forum, organised by the EBA, called on Member States and the Commission to quickly implement the right to inject biomethane from the gas package, connection time limits and grid zoning.
The first biomethane plant in Poland: Brody and bioCNG from the Poznań University of Life Sciences
In Brody (the Agricultural Experimental Farm of the Poznań University of Life Sciences) a research biomethane plant with a capacity of 0.499 MWe has been built, producing about 650,000 m³ of biomethane a year as bioCNG. Technological start-up began at the end of 2024.
Covered slurry lagoons in the US: how the most popular type of farm biogas plant works
We explain what a covered digester lagoon is, when it works, how it differs from a complete-mix reactor and why it is the most numerous type of installation in AgSTAR listings.
Report template for biogas or biomethane producers: new regulation applies from 1 January 2024
The regulation of the Minister of Climate of 11 December 2023, published on 27 December, introduces a report template for small-installation energy producers and biogas or biomethane producers. It enters into force on 1 January 2024.