Sep 29, 2017
11th Biogas Conference Dresden on 21 & 22 September 2017
True to the motto of anaerobic biological waste treatment, the 11th Biogas Conference took place on September 21 and 22 on the premises of the co-organizer, the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS, organized by the Forum for Waste Management and Contaminated Sites e. V., and with the support of the Technical University of Dresden, the German Biomass Research Center gGmbH, the Institute for Biogas, Recycling Management & Energy, the University of Rostock and Energy Saxony.
As Director of the Institute for Waste and Recycling Management and Chairwoman of the Board of the Forum for Waste Management and Contaminated Sites e. V., Prof. Christina Dornack, welcomed the participants and exhibitors with her opening speech.
In addition to this year's focus on innovations and internationalization, the current legal development of the industry was considered this year. The first block was opened by the Vice President of the EBA Harm Grobrügge, who addressed the framework conditions of waste fermentation plants on the level of the European Union. For this purpose, the innovations of the Renewable Energy Directive II, as well as the use of biomethane as a fuel as an alternative energy source were prioritized alongside the future, targeted electromobility.
Thematically, the amendment of the Waste Sludge Ordinance (AbfallklärschlammV) and the Fertilizer Ordinance (DüngemittelV) followed, as well as the tasks and importance of the quality control of quality managers for compost producers on the basis of the previously mentioned legal regulations.
In the second part of the event, the German Biomass Research Center presented various hydrolysis processes for the pretreatment of woody residues. Furthermore, solutions for the utilization of difficult substrates were presented for the utilization of acidic residues from dairies. The experiences with the area-wide biowaste collection were presented by a municipal representative from the district of Vorpommern-Rügen and thus inspired for the introduction of the biowaste garbage can, which is area-wide in Germany, also in practice, with a low impurity content of 0.24 % (2016).
The sewage treatment plants with presentations of the co-digestion as well as the nitrogen back load with the anaerobic sludge stabilization formed the conclusion of the first event day.
Together, they went by oldtimer to the Lößnitztalschänke, where all participants could review the day at the evening event. After a refreshment, the guests of the 11th Biogas Conference were presented with the romantic view from the Spitzhaus in Radebeul to successfully round off the day.
Mrs. v. Bechtolsheim offered the prelude to an exciting second day. From the upgrading of biogas to biomethane to microbiology, Michael Rother, was able to show a new perspective on hydrogen metabolism in biogas plants.
Various repowering measures and their included efficiency measures, could be covered, among others, the optimization of storage management to avoid biogas losses as well as practicable energy utilization concepts, as it is applied for example in the sewage treatment plant in Hamburg.
With the international guests and institutions with many years of experience abroad, the biogas industry worldwide considered. The practical experiences of the speakers summed up that here especially communication and cooperation played a decisive role.
This is also to be implemented as a conclusion of the event. By the active exchange and discussions, the lasting development of the energy supply can be stabilized by biogas as basic and peak load in Germany and advanced internationally. Furthermore, the familiar character of the conference intensifies the cooperation and a visionary development, which will be analyzed again in 2019 in Dresden.
The contributions can be obtained from the sponsoring association Forum für AA e. V.. All interested parties are already cordially invited to the next taking place 12th Biogas Conference.