VakUPlas

Duration from 1.10.2023 - 30.9.2026, funded by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate (BMWK) under the 7th Energy Research Program of the Federal Government with the funding code (FKZ) 03EI5473A.

In addition to their contribution as a renewable energy source, biogas plants also help to prevent the release of greenhouse gases, particularly from liquid manure, i.e. methane (CH4), carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrous oxide (N2O). However, currently only about 75% of organic biomass is actually converted in biogas plants and 25% remains in the fermentation residues, which are then mostly applied as fertilizer. Instead, the project is driving forward the development of the application of ultrasound and plasma, which began in a predecessor project "KombiMax" funded by the European Regional Development Fund and the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and is being continued by the Leibniz Association-funded basic research-oriented ongoing project "BioAdvan". A special feature here is the combination with a vacuum separation process. The focus is therefore specifically on the reuse of fermentation residues, which are fed back into the biogas plant after appropriate treatment. The technical concepts will be installed in new biogas plants as well as in existing plants. Partners in the project are BioBG GmbH, Biogastechnik Süd GmbH, Innovations- und Bildungszentrum Hohen Luckow e.V. and, as associated partners, Power Recycling Energy Services GmbH and Ultrawaves Wasser- und Umwelttechnologien GmbH. In addition to increasing methane yields by 20%, the possibility of producing hydrogen and controlling the nitrogen contained in the final fermentation residue is also being investigated.