Newsletter/ nawaros®
12/03
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Bioethanol: A Fuel with Bright Prospects
Wooden Multi-Purpose Hall
Expert Discussion on Wood
News about the Market Stimulus Programme
Lower Bavarian Get-Together to Chat about Biogas
Energy from Biomass
Biomass in Spain
Biogas for School
First Formal Appointment of a Full Professor of the Technical University of Munich in Straubing
First International Get-Together of Biogas Experts
Quality Community for Fermentation Products
Merry Christmas!
Bioethanol: A Fuel with Bright Prospects
The tax exemption for biofuels expected for the year 2004
has led to a boom in ethanol production. It is the target of the EU to
substitute approximately five per cent of fuels with biofuels in the years
to come.
Bioethanol can be used in two ways as a fuel component. First, ethyl tertiary
butyl ether (ETBE) can be made from ethanol. It can be added to the fuel
as an octane enhancer instead of methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) now
used. The second possibility is the direct use of ethanol as a petrol
additive.
Bioethanol as a direct fuel additive or component of the octane enhancer
ETBE is going to be tax-exempt in future. Up to now, this tax exemption
has only applied to pure biofuels such as rapeseed oil methyl ester. The
Otto engines in German cars are not suited for operation with pure bioethanol.
However, the directive for automotive fuels for Otto engines valid in
the EU allows the addition of up to five per cent of bioethanol to petrol.
Seeing good opportunities for the direct use of ethanol as a fuel, Südzucker
AG makes an investment of more than 150 million euros in the production
of bioethanol. With this money, a plant for the production of bioethanol
is built in co-operation with the existing sugar plant in Zeitz in Saxony-Anhalt
(see nawaros® 09/2003). The plant is planned to start operation in
spring 2005. Approximately 700,000 tons of grain are to be processed to
260,000 m³ of bioethanol and 260,000 tons of animal feedstuff.
Even if it is more favourable in terms of energy to produce bioethanol
from sugar beets than to produce it from wheat, the latter is used as
raw material for the time being. The area premiums that are granted for
wheat growing act as economic incentives to farmers.
Mitteldeutsche BioEnergie GmbH & Co. KG (MBE), a member of the Sauter
group, is also building a production plant for biodiesel in Zörbig
(Saxony-Anhalt) at present. The company makes an investment of 35 million
euros in order to start the production of 80,000 to 100,000 tons of bioethanol
per annum. Grain will serve as the raw material, too. Regional agriculture
will meet 30 per cent of the requirements.
Sauter group plans to build a further plant with a production capacity
of 100,000 tons in Brandenburg by the end of the year 2004.
Information and sources: Südzucker AG, Mannheim/Ochsenfurt, e-mail:
info@suedzucker.de, Sauter Unternehmensgruppe,
Obenhausen, e-mail: Claus.Sauter@sauter-gruppe.de;
Agrimanager (http://www.agrimanager.de);
Bayer CropScience (http://www.bayercropscience.de).
On September 26th, 2003, a new multi-purpose hall was officially
opened in Essenbach near Landshut/Bavaria. The sports and culture arena
"eskara" has got a hall arena of 1,300 m².
Wood was used in many different ways in the arena. The hall's wing assembly,
for example, is a filigree wood construction. A wood chip-fuelled heating
plant provides the hall with heat. It was evaluated by C.A.R.M.E.N. With
an output of 300 kW, the plant also ensures the base load supply of the
school.
The annual fire wood requirements will amount to approximately 300 tons.
The Free State of Bavaria funds the plant with 110,000 euros.
Information: C.A.R.M.E.N., Hubert Maierhofer, e-mail: hm@carmen-ev.de
and http://www.eskara.de.
Expert Discussion on Wood
More than 60 people took part in the expert discussion
"Heating with Wood - Decentralised and Central Heat Supply of Buildings
by Means of Biomass" in Straubing on November 28th, 2003. The event
had been organised by C.A.R.M.E.N. and the Guild of Plumbing, Sanitary
and Heating Engineers, Straubing.
C.A.R.M.E.N. project manager Dr. Ruth Brökeland underlined the enormous
potential for heating installers, especially in the modernisation of old
heating systems that do not meet the requirements of the Bundesimmissionsschutz-Verordnung
(BImSchV) ('federal ambient pollution control ordinance') or the Energieeinsparverordnung
(EnEV) ('energy saving ordinance').
Dr. Gunther Ohrner, Landesanstalt für Wald und Forstwirtschaft (LWF)
('Bavarian State Office for Forests and Forest Management'), Freising/Bavaria,
gave a lecture on fuel supply by means of lump wood, wood chips, and pellets.
He explained Bavaria's potential of wood energy. Used in a sustainable
manner, the latter could meet up to 13 per cent of the primary energy
consumption over the long term. Dr. Hans Hartmann, Technologie- und Förderzentrum
(TFZ) ('Technology and Promotion Centre'), Straubing, explained the technology
and concepts for small combustion plants. Guenther Huemer, Guntamatic
company, illustrated this subject, presenting the practical implementation
of modern requirements by means of various types of wood boilers.
C.A.R.M.E.N. project manager Gilber Krapf dealt with the technology and
concepts for biomass heating plants that comfortably supply connected
households with heat. Hans Ritt and Herbert Wazula, Lower Bavarian Chimney
Sweep Guild, talked about the chimney-sweeps' point of view. The did not
only explain legal provisions and requirements to boiler rooms and fire
protection but also presented the analyses of the emissions of approximately
17,000 lump wood-fired heating appliances and of approximately 1,200 pellet-fired
heating appliances.
Finally, C.A.R.M.E.N. project manager Bernhard Pex proved that environment-friendly
heating with wood can also pay economically.
Information: C.A.R.M.E.N.
News about the Market Stimulus Programme
Beginning in 2004, the German federal government improves
the funding conditions in the field of small combustion. Lump wood-fired
boilers will also be fundable again. The old directives will be valid
until December 31st, 2003.
Information: More details in the new year under www.bafa.de
and in nawaros 01/2004.
Lower Bavarian Get-Together to Chat about Biogas
On November 11th, 2003, 20 participants met for a get-together
dealing with the subject "Biogas Plants in Landau on the Isar".
C.A.R.M.E.N. and the Lower Bavarian regional group of the Fachverband
Biogas e.V. (Biogas Association) had organised the event.
Current changes of the rates for feeding in electricity for biogas plants
were discussed, and the economic potential of biogas plants in Lower Bavaria
was debated.
The next get-together will be held on January 13th, 2004, again in Landau.
Information: C.A.R.M.E.N., Robert Wagner, e-mail: rw@carmen-ev.de.
Energy from Biomass
Late in November, the OTTI congress "Energy from Biomass"
took place in the monastery of Banz near Bad Staffelstein (Upper Franconia)
for the 12th time. 215 researchers, practitioners and representatives
of the authorities met for two days to discuss their experiences and the
latest findings in the field of energy generation from biogas, liquid
and solid fuels. Approximately 30 lectures of the OTTI congress dealt
with all the topics the representatives of the biogas business were highly
interested in.
C.A.R.M.E.N. was present with two lectures. Prof. Dr. Peter Weiland, FAL
(Federal Agricultural Research Centre), Braunschweig, summarised the results
of the congress: The biomass sector continued to offer enormous potential.
This potential should be used. However, the quality control and the optimisation
of installation engineering were necessary for being able to compete with
fossil sources of energy. Especially in the field of biogas plants, a
demand-orientated utilisation was necessary. A quick development of the
liquid fuels sector was to be expected due to the possible addition of
liquid biofuels to fossil fuels. The knowledge exchange between operators
across national borders continued to be of utmost importance in this context.
Information: OTTI Energy Congress, Tel.: +49-941-29688-23, Fax: -17,
e-mail: heike.trum@otti.de. Conference
proceedings can be ordered under http://www.boxer99.de
(-> Wissen/Fachliteratur).
Biomass in Spain
In spring and summer 2004, the German Chamber of Commerce
for Spain in Madrid is going to organise a co-operation platform in the
fields of "Biomass, Biogas, Biofuels" on behalf of the German
Federal Ministry of Economics and Labour. Small and medium-sized German
enterprises experienced in the fields of biomass-fuelled power plants,
domestic heating, biomass combustion plants, biogas plants and the like
are called upon to take part in this project. The co-operation platform
will arrange meetings with Spanish companies for the German participants.
Deutsche Handelskammer für Spanien, Camaro de Comercio Alemana para
Espana, Avenida Pio XII, 26 - 28, E-28016 Madrid, e-mail: iab@occape.es,
(http://www.ccope.es).
Biogas for School
In the middle of the year, Multi-Agrar Claußnitz
GmbH took a biogas plant into service on their industrial site. In this
plant, their own agricultural remnants such as cattle manure, seeping
juice of silos, and remains of feedstuffs are fermented. Being the largest
biogas plant of Saxony, it converts approximately 76,000 tons of substrate
and can fully utilise a district heating power plant with an electric
output of 626 kW and a thermal output of 812 kW by means of the gas produced
there.
The surplus heat of the district heating power plant heats a school via
a heating line of 912 metres. The biogas plant reduces the carbon dioxide
emissions by 213 tons per year.
Contact: Multi-Agrar Claußnitz GmbH, e-mail: service@multi-agrar.de
First Formal Appointment of a Full Professor of the Technical University of Munich in Straubing
On Friday, December 5th, 2003, the Bavarian Minister of Science, Thomas Goppel, paid a visit to the Competence Centre for Renewable Resources in Straubing. Prof. Martin Faulstich received his letter of appointment as a Full Professor of the Technology of Biogenic Fuels at the Technical University of Munich from the minister. So the first full professor of the Technical University of Munich in Straubing has now been formally appointed.
First International Get-Together of Biogas Experts
From November 12th to 14th, 2003, the LandesEnergieVerein
Steiermark (LEV) (Regional Energy Association of Styria), the Lokale Energie
Agentur Oststeiermark (LEA) (Local Energy Agency of Eastern Styria), C.A.R.M.E.N.,
and the Slovenian organisations SLOVENSKI E-FORUM and APE organised the
first international get-together of biogas experts in Seggau castle near
Leibnitz (Austria).
Andrej Klemenc, Slovenian Committee for Sustainable Development, informed
the participants about the fact that the Slovenian National Council had
decided to increase the share of regenerative energies in the primary
energy consumption from presently 8.5 per cent to 12 per cent in future.
Regarding renewable raw materials, the use of wood for energy generation,
of biofuels for fuel application, and of biogas for electricity generation
was to be pushed ahead. As in Austria and in Germany, the prices for feeding
in electricity into the grid had been fixed.
Robert Wagner, C.A.R.M.E.N., outlined the situation of Bavarian biogas
plants 700 of which are installed in agricultural enterprises.
In addition to that, an innovative biogas plant in the South Tyrol was
described. The biogas produced there is conducted from the plant to a
district heating power plant situated approx. 2.3 kilometres away. The
location of the district heating power plant enables consumers to make
use of the surplus heat. The fermentation rests are collected from a warehouse
by more than 40 farmers belonging to a farm co-operative. This works via
chip card, which ensures that each farmer can only collect the amount
of fermentation rests he previously delivered in form of liquid manure.
By the way, the primary motivation for building the plant was not electricity
generation but odour reduction of the liquid manure that has to be used
in a tourist region.
Further details: C.A.R.M.E.N., Robert Wagner, e-mail: rw@carmen-ev.de
Quality Community for Fermentation Products
The Fachverband Biogas e.V (German Biogas
Association), the Bundesgütegemeinschaft Kompost e.V. (Federal Quality
Community for Compost) and the Biogas Union e.V. (Biogas Union) had jointly
paved the way for the GüteGemeinschaft für Gärprodukte
e.V. (GGG) (Quality Community for Fermentation Prducts) founded in Fulda
(Hesse) on September 22nd, 2003.
The new association did not regard itself as a competitor of the Bundesgütegemeinschaft
Kompost, chairman Rudolf Ehlers underlined. It was rather specialised
in the field of anaerobic fermentation. Being experts for fermentation,
the consultants of the association were able to give useful optimisation
hints for operators of biogas plants.
It was the principal objective of the association that all its members
receive the quality mark RAL 256/1, Ehlers said. Biogas plants processing
substrates according to the biowaste ordinance and putting their fermentation
rests into circulation could expect a simplified supervision by the authorities
if they had the RAL quality mark and underwent voluntary analyses that
are part of it.
Contact: GüteGemeinschaft Gärprodukte e.V. (GGG), Freising,
Germany, Tel.: +49-8161-984660, e-mail: Rudi.Ehlers@t-online.de
Merry Christmas!
Snow for Christmas would be great but unfortunately
the weather forecast is bad. Good thing that the Fraunhofer Institute
for Chemical Technology (ICT) in Pfinztal developed an innovation last
year. The researchers of the institute dealt with the needs of the film
industry. Up to now, it has been impossible to do without artificial snow
made of unrottable plastic chips. Now there is an alternative made of
potato and corn starch. Dissolving in rain and "melting" away,
this "natural" snow needs not to be swept together. The snow
can also be used for decorating windows and objects. Surfaces must only
be slightly moistened for the starch's natural adhesive effect to develop.
Even snowmen and icicles can be modelled.
Information on the internet under http://www.ict.fraunhofer.de
