Ireland ranks among the bottom of EU countries when it comes to biogas development, but the sector is finally gathering momentum. We look at the key developments in the industry over the past year.

Anaerobic digestion offers many solutions to Ireland's renewable energy obligations.

Ireland’s biogas sector will likely centre on the production of biomethane. Biomethane is biogas which has been upgraded to around 99% methane purity and closely resembles the properties of natural gas. We look at some of the biogas upgrading technology available today.

Biogas production starts with the organic raw material, the feedstock. Feedstocks must be chosen carefully to ensure maximum gas production, while keeping biology happy and productive in your anaerobic digestion (AD) tank. We discuss the challenges of feeding nitrogen-rich feedstocks and grass to an AD plant.

Finally, we look at the by-product of AD, the digestate. This valuable farm fertiliser has many benefits but attention is now turning on how to upgrade this material to reduce the requirement for land spreading.

Training

All content in this focus was generated from a recent hands-on biogas training course organised by the German-based IBBK biogas association in partnership with the Centre for Renewable Energy and Sustainable Technologies (CREST). Developing and running an AD plant is a complicated process and should not be entered into lightly. Plant owners and operators should not go into this blindly and expect success. Therefore, training is essential. The IBBK hands-on biogas training covers all aspects of biogas production and will return to Ireland next year.

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Biogas training course in Fermanagh

Contribution of renewables in heat and transport sector decreases in 2018