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Biogas Feed Equipment

Biogas feed equipment is crucial equipment in any continuous biogas process to ensure constant and regulated feed of the biosolids into the digestor. Temperature fluctuations in the fermenter and short-term over loading of the system due to the intermittent high feed quantities impair the biogas process, causing fluctuations in the methane content. In addition, there is an uneven gas formation rate, which leads to high hydrogen sulphide concentrations, as the amount of air introduced for de-sulphuration is usually not adapted to the amount of gas currently formed. For this reason, the charging intervals should be kept as short and constant as possible.

Certain biosolids feeding techniques (injection shaft, feeding screw with hopper) require the plant operator to spend a lot of time controlling the system and ensuring parameters. Our automated feed unit allows plant operator to attend to other activities or equipment and not worry about the biosolids feeding issues.

Equa offers different technical solutions depending on the process requirement and site operation. The time- or mass-controlled systems will vary depending on the biosolids raw material and feed consistency. The options for biosolids feed into a biogas digestor are:

Sloping Biosolids Feeder

The sloping organic feeder is the most versatile biosolids feeder unit for biogas plants. The unit is optimally designed for manure, crushed agricultural or food waste operations. The capacities vary from 20 – 200 gpm feed rate into the digestor system. The high-quality injection unit ensure that the organic residues are fed at an exact rate.

Sloping biosolids feeder

Components of our dosing systems

To increase the feed operating speed of the plant, the sloping biosolids dosing unit relies on high-quality screw conveyor technology. The inclined manure or food waste feeding design offers a comfortable and cost-effective way to transfer the desired amount of biosolids to the anaerobic digestion tank.

The plant operator can fill the biosolids feeder completely and leave the control system then adjust the process automatically. The solids feeder uses a stuffing screw for the side entry into the fermentation tank. Automatic control controls the feed according to set conditions and does not require operators to control the solids dosing unit. Additional regulation and control can be implemented using an integrated scale or a central lubrication system.

With the inclined solids feeder to more comfort

The sloping biosolids feeder is a low-cost model, where comfort and variety are not neglected. The manure feeder is characterized by simple and clear handling, which provides a significant enrichment to the operation of any biogas system.

Funnel system

High conveying performance with hopper system

The biogas systems using agricultural byproducts need to adapt to different consistencies and characteristics of the biosolids. The Funnel biosolids feeder is design to adapt to the use of crops or animal manure for the fermentation process. The funnel manure feeder can homogenize the liquid substrates in the feed chamber, prior to feeding the biosolids mix into the digestor. The manure funnel feeder controls and regulates the input quantity to ensure a steady and continuous manure feed.

Funnel biosolids feeder outside with blue sky

Robust biosolids feed concepts for biogas plants

Functional plant technology is essential to transfer liquid manure, organic residues, or agricultural products to the fermenter by means of the dosing system. The biosolids funnel feeder combines a storage volume, homogenization, and continuous feed in one unit. The manure feeder can be pre-heated with excess heat from the biogas process to reduce the temperature difference between new feed product and the internal biogas process. The biosolids feeder ensures improves biogas production by regulating and ensuring constant manure feed and constant operational parameters.

A functioning and safe biosolids dosing system is part of every biogas plant. The hopper system gives the needed product storage in the feed system to allow continuous solids feed into the digestor, making the plant operation easier to control and flexible, thereby reducing the amount of time the operator needs to intervene in the operations. The funnel biosolids feed unit increases the efficiency of the entire plant by maintaining an automatic process conversion for the biogas plant.

Optionally, the system is placed directly on the concrete ceilings of the fermenters, or on floor plates next to it and then the biomass is fed into the fermenter via screw conveyors.

Moving floor feeder

The moving floor feeder is implemented if a large storage volume is required in the feeding equipment. The moving floor biosolids feeder in combination with the appropriate screw conveyor, the components therefore offer a good choice for the entire plant and enormous convenience.

Moving floor biosolids feeder

Scraper floor feeder

Scraper floor biosolids feeders are implemented for complex dosing operations and difficult to handle substances. The scraper floor feeder benefits through the low energy requirement and safe operation. The operation ensures long operational times of components and easily replaceable wear surfaces. The biosolids scraper floor feeder can be implemented in biogas plants or dosing of agricultural products into production processes.

Scraper floor biosolids feeder

Ideal for processing the hard to handle organic materials

Especially larger agricultural products quickly become a challenge when it comes to continuous conveying and dosing. The scraper floor feeder is an efficient system to evenly dose organic products into an elevator or conveyor. The biosolids feeder is also effective in dosing a solid material into a liquid flow to achieve a functional transfer and controlled consistency of substances.

Numerous advantages with the scraper floor system:

Liquid feeding

The biogas substrate feed pumps ensure the transfer of the liquid biosolids feed material into the digestor. The liquid feeding solution is versatile for installation, cost effective in procurement and flexible in operation. The biosolids pump solutions are easily customized to site specific considerations or process requirements. The pump feeding system can easily divert streams, regulate flows, and mix substrates as required.

Liquid biosolids feeder

Technical differences can accommodate existing operations and process requirements through pump size, motor power and regulating options. The installation is also carried out after the purchase of the system without any difficulties, which enables a quick and uncomplicated use of the pump. Thus, nothing stands in the way of a flexible and high-quality feeding solution.

Different variants for each feeder

The solids feeders and dosing units are precisely chosen for each specific application and project. The hopper systems are available in various sizes ranging from 140 ft3 and 700 ft3 depending on the biosolids product and size of the plant.

Maximum operational comfort through our biosolids dosing systems

Feeder Unit Considerations

What is the dosing unit needed for?

The purpose of the dosing unit is to store larger quantities of solid biomass and to transfer them to the fermenter by means of screw conveyors or pumps. Here it is important not to overtax the fermenter, which is why a clear and well-thought-out dosing system is important. Our robust push-bottom feeders work ideally in combination with other accessories that transfer individual substances to the fermenter.

Numerous advantages around the push floor:

Technically flexible and extremely safe

With our offers we provide excellent solutions for a technically flexible and safe application. The push floor is characterized by the acceleration of the entire transfer process, whereby the solids are pushed into the screw conveyor by means of push rods. The biosolids dosing system itself is made of stainless steel, which makes the components extremely durable.