Following an extensive upgrade of its reception tank and digester mixing system, Eco Verde Energy (EVE) has put a once troublesome Anaerobic Digestion (AD)+ plant firmly back on track with encouraging new biogas yields.
At Holton in Suffolk, England, which receives around 65% of its feedstock from the adjacent Bernard Matthews poultry facility, the AD plant, under a series of different operators, had seen biogas production drop significantly, and eventually to a complete halt for a much-needed overhaul.
Initially, the primary digester (2,700m3) was drained down, discovering, as expected, faults with the mixers, but also a broken stanchion. Later, further inspections revealed that there was damage to the roof of the digester, so the decision was taken to postpone operations for a complete maintenance revamp.
“The mixers that were sold in as part of the biogas package were never going to last in the long-term,” said Eco Verde’s site manager at Holton, Kris Martin.
“It is hard to understand a design that doesn’t allow equipment to be looked after! The mixers couldn’t be lifted out of the tank for even the most basic of service tasks such as an...
Overhaul of digester mixing system delivers better biogas yields
