Weltec Biopower has revealed plans to build a new anaerobic digestion plant for Colombia‘s largest egg producer.
The 800kW biogas plant will go live in early 2017. In terms of the feedstock input, the operator, Incubadora Santander, which produces about 3.5 million eggs a day, plans to make use of the co-digestion of dry chicken manure from the laying hens and process water from the production.
The production yields a great amount of dry chicken manure and process water, with which the new plant from the German manufacturer can be operated without purchasing any additional substrate. The feedstock will be pre-treated in a sedimentation tank, where the manure will be separated from sand and lime and pumped into the 4,900m3 digester by way of an upstream storage unit with a capacity of more than 1,000m3. Through the co-digestion, the digestate will reach a high fertiliser value, enabling it to be returned into the plant‘s agricultural substance cycle for efficient use as liquid manure on its own fields.
Since the Colombian government started supporting the generation of renewable energies, the agricultural industry in particular has discovered huge biomass potential, Weltec Biopower said. In light of this, it said, Incubadora Santander has decided to generate energy from biomass. The enterprise, which operates several poultry farms in western Colombia, markets its eggs under the Kikes brand in 14 cities across the country.
Weltec’s Juan Felipe Montoya Muñoz chose Weltec for the construction of the pre-storage tanks and digesters because of its German-made design, stainless steel body, high-quality materials and hygiene credentials, Weltec claimed.
Compact delivery and quick assembly are additional advantages of this material. Plant modules such as the ready-for-operation CHP plant, the preinstalled pump and control technology and the stainless steel panels for the tanks will be transported to the plant location in maritime containers from Germany, Weltec added.
The Weltec biogas plant will supply power and process heat from early 2017, supporting Incubadora Santander’s expansion plans.  According to a Weltec spokesperson, Incubadora Santander “was impressed with the high degree of international experience of Weltec Biopower.
“[We have] already demonstrated this experience through the establishment of large biomethane parks and biogas plants for various customers from the waste and food industries as well as from the agricultural and sewage treatment industries. Before making his decision, the Colombian operator toured various plant locations in Germany in order to see this for itself.
“With the help of such mature technology, the plans of the Colombian government are likely to succeed: to increase the share of renewable energies in the power network to 6.5% by 2020. Colombia‘s agricultural industry [in particular] is producing large quantities of side-products and waste that can be used for energy generation purposes. The country‘s energy potential for biomass is estimated at 16GWh a year. So far, these have been used almost exclusively for the production of biodiesel and ethanol, but this will doubtlessly change in the near future!”
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