Title:
Mobilization of Disused Sewage Irrigation Fields for Sustainable Green Biomass Utilization - An Applied Feasibility Study in the Metropolis Region Berlin and Branden-Burg, Germany
Author(s):
Knoche, D., Mergner, R., Köhler, R., Rutz, D., Janssen, R.
Document(s):
Paper
Poster
Abstract:
In the late 19th century, industrialization and urbanization with a strong increase of population led to hygienic problems and called for a reorganization of the urban sewage system and waste water management in Ger-many. In the metropolis Berlin and surrounding Brandenburg region, hygienic, hydrological as well as technical as-pects and costs spoke for an infiltration of waste water on marginal agricultural land. Since 1873, up to 29,000 hec-tares of former agricultural sites were remodeled for irrigation. In some cases, waste water treatment lasted for dec-ades, even until the early 1990s. Today, all irrigation fields are closed and substituted by modern multi-stage sewage-treatment plants. In the framework of the Horizon 2020 project FORBIO (www.forbio-project.eu) agronomic and techno-economic feasibility studies were elaborated to investigate the potential of sustainable biomass production on former sewage irrigation fields in the Berlin & Brandenburg region. Two value chains were analyzed, namely the production of Miscanthus straw as lignocellulosic feedstock for combustion and the supply of grass from current meadows for operating biogas plants or green biorefineries. The provision of Miscanthus chips (scenario 1) to an ex-isting nearby power plant at average market prices proves to be economically viable assuming Miscanthus yields of 15 t dry matter ha-1 yr-1. However, the guaranteed chip selling price should not fall below 50 EUR per ton. Even the con-struction of a new CHP biomass power plant in the vicinity of the sewage irrigation fields promises economic viabil-ity at present electricity and heat prices in Germany. In scenario 2 the use of feedstock from the existing permanent grasslands with biomass yields of between 1.5 and 3.7 t dry matter ha-1 yr-1 is analyzed. Supplying grass silage to an op-erating nearby biogas plant at usual market prices (60 EUR per dry ton) is economically viable. Furthermore, eco-nomic opportunities exist for the operation of a new integrated grass biorefinery for the production of lactic and ami-no acids.
Keywords:
biogas, biomass, biorefinery, miscanthus, sewage fields, grasslands, contamined land
Topic:
Biomass Resources
Subtopic:
Biomass potentials and biomass production models
Event:
27th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition
Session:
1DV.5.4
Pages:
377 - 386
ISBN:
978-88-89407-19-6
Paper DOI:
10.5071/27thEUBCE2019-1DV.5.4
Price:
FREE
