Fermenters and fuel cells to produce bioenergy

The fermentation facility based in Leonberg near Stuttgart produces biogas from biological waste. Two combined heat and power plants (CHP), and now also a fuel cell, are converting biogas into electrical power and heat.

The ‘brown compost bin’ has become a successful model in Germany, also in Böblingen, where the amount of biological waste has been expanding over the years. It turned out that the capacity of the composting plant in Leonberg (district of Böblingen) was no longer sufficient. Approximately 5,000 tons of biological waste per year had to be disposed of at other locations. The local authorities were no longer satisfied with this solution and decided to construct a state-of-the-art fermentation plant.

Fermentation plant in Leonberg. (Photo: Waste company of the district of Böblingen)

The new plant was put into operation at the beginning of 2005 and has since been producing energy-rich biogas from up to 30,000 tones of biological waste per year. This gas is used to produce power and heat in two CHPs. The Renewable Energy Law guarantees consistent revenue for power produced from biomass. This is a major reason for the local authorities to decide in favour of the new fermentation plant. The supply of power provides the district of Böblingen with annual revenues of 700,000 euros. If operated to full capacity, the CHPs are able to generate 8.2 kilowatt hours of electrical power per year, which is enough to cater for the annual demand of 2,300 private households.

The heat produced by biogas combustion is also used effectively: it is used to heat the fermenter and the system used to dry the nearly 17,000 tons of fermentation waste per year. The fermentation waste is subsequently composted and used as fertiliser on local fields, thereby returning to the biomass cycle. It is this sustainability that makes this concept so attractive, both in ecological as well as economic terms.

Fuel cell improves degree of efficiency

The innovative district authorities were still not happy with this, sensing an even greater optimisation potential. Wolfgang Bagin, head of the district’s waste company and CEO of Biogas-Brennstoffzellen GmbH, describes how they ended up using fuel cells: “For us, fuel cells presented an attractive means to effectively use biomass, advance high-tech developments and act as a role model for future development. In addition, we also wanted to demonstrate the economic efficiency of the fuel cell technology. All in all, this was the beginning of our fuel cell.

Fuel cell with media supply (Photo: Waste company of the district of Böblingen)

Supported by WRS (Wirtschaftsförderung Region Stuttgart), Leonberg started a demonstration project that was unique in the world. The first facility was established and it enabled the transformation of biogas into power and heat using a molten carbonate fuel cell. In such a high-temperature fuel cell, molten carbonate functions as electrolyte for the electrochemical oxidation of hydrogen with which chemical energy is transformed into electrical energy.

From June 2006 onwards, the “HotModule” (name of this specific fuel cell) will improve efficiency even more. “The electrical degree of efficiency of gas engines in CHPs is approximately 38 percent; the degree of efficiency of fuel cells is approximately 48 percent,” explained Bagin. Another advantage of fuel cells is the drastically reduced emission of nitrous oxides, sulphur compounds, carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons. In addition, the fuel cell is very quiet compared to other types of power stations.

World premiere in Leonberg: biogas utilisation in the “HotModule”

Biogas processing and fermentation reactor in Leonberg

Only cutting-edge technology makes this biomass utilisation so effective. “Biogas technology has made considerable progress over the last few years; as has fuel technology,” said Bagin. The “HotModule” was developed and manufactured by MTU CFC Solutions GmbH in Ottobrunn, which is able to put information gained in this pilot project to good use in future developments. The fuel cell was installed by RWE Fuel Cells GmbH.

Growing restrictions in waste regulations and the finiteness of petrol and gas make the transformation of biomass into bioenergy more and more interesting. For this reason, the project in Leonberg is not only funded by the German (Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW)) and Baden-Württemberg governments, but also by the large energy producers EnBW and RWE as well as DaimlerChrysler AG.

We remain hopeful that the quality of the raw material stays as good as it is now. This depends largely on public awareness leading to responsible household practices. “Biomass originates largely from the ‘brown compost bins’ of private households and consists mainly of biological kitchen and garden waste. The proportion of rubbish is comparatively low. Coarse objects are detected by metal detectors and removed during biological waste collection and with metal separators prior to gas production. During the composting process of the fermented waste the fine preparation will do the rest.


leh - 19.05.06
© BIOPRO Baden-Württemberg GmbH

For further information, contact:
Biogas-Brennstoffzellen GmbH
Wolfgang Bagin (CEO)
Parkstr. 16
71034 Böblingen
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]

Gaseous fuels are undervalued

Whenever petrol prices rise, alternative fuels hit the headlines. We talked with Dr. Michael Specht from the Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research (ZSW) in Stuttgart about renewable fuels.

The post-fossil fuel era suggests high petrol prices. What will the car drivers be using in 15 years time?

Michael Specht heads the Department of Renewable Fuels and Processes” at the ZSW (Photo: ZSW)

This will most likely be petrol and diesel, just like today. However, the proportion of renewable components that can be added (biodiesel and ethanol) will increase.

EU traffic is virtually dependent on petrol. Do you think renewable fuels will be able to make a considerable contribution to the substitution of petrol in the future, given the limited area available for their growth?

That depends largely on the basis of the resources used. If biomass is used, then the proportion cannot increase to more than 20 percent in the EU. If renewable energies like wind energy, water energy and solar energy are used, then these will actually be able to cover 100 percent of our demand.

The eco-image of biodiesel has been slightly tainted. Are other regenerative fuels more suitable as climate protectors?

Yes, definitely. In particular substitute natural gas (SNG), which can be produced from biogas or through thermochemical gasification.

If we want to reduce the amount of CO2, is the production of heat and energy from biomass not cheaper than biofuel?

With regard to the reduction of CO2 and the costs involved, the coupling of energy and heat production seems the most economical. Renewable fuels can only persist if they can be produced in poly-generation processes (coupled energy, heat and fuel production).

Which conversion technologies will be able to sustain traffic – both economically as well as ecologically?

Not much attention has been paid to the use of gaseous fuels in cars. In the medium term, SNG will have a greater potential, in particular because the existing distribution infrastructure can be used. In addition, low pollutant emission will be achieved. Conversion technologies involve anaerobic fermentation and thermochemical gasification.

Can the political goals of the EU (eight per cent biogenic fuels, five percent hydrogen in 2020) be reached?

In principle, yes. But whether this will come true is pure speculation.

Many people promote hydrogen as the ideal fuel. Has its future already commenced?

The most efficient energy production of solid biomass involves thermochemical gasification processes in which considerable amounts of hydrogen are contained in the product gas. So yes, I’d say that the future of innovative conversion processes has already started.

The questions were asked by Walter Pytlik, BioRegionUlm.

wp – 31st March 2006
© BIOPRO Baden-Württemberg GmbH

Cities using bioenergy - Freiburg as an example

The city of Freiburg’s concept of the regenerative production of power firmly includes the use of bioenergy. Currently, 1.6 percent of total power in Freiburg is produced from bioenergy. Up until 2010, it is planned to increase this to 2.7 percent. In addition, bioenergy is also used for the production of heat, the amount of which cannot, however, be provided in concrete figures since the heat is not fed into the public power supply system.

Wood is an important component of bioenergy. This is particularly the case in Freiburg because it and the Upper Rhine region are closely related to the Black Forest (Photo: Hoppe)

The energy supply concept was developed in Freiburg in 1986, which was the same year as the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. It was then the declared aim of Freiburg to find alternatives to nuclear power and to protect energy resources. This concept relies heavily on three major pillars, which the city’s energy policy still uses for its foundation. In 1996, Freiburg committed itself to reducing its carbon dioxide emissions by 25 percent by 2010.

Eight years later, the city declared that it would replace ten percent of the power used with renewable energy sources by 2010. The aim also included the increase of the proportion of heat produced with renewable energies. In this sector, bioenergy will play an even greater role than in the generation of electricity, since wind and water are of subordinate importance in heat production.

Landfill gas – refined use of a troublesome substance

Freiburg has realised three major and some smaller projects involving bioenergy in solid, liquid or gaseous form. The Landwasser district is supplied by a combined heat and power station (CHP) that produces power and heat from the methane gas that is obtained from the Eichelbuck landfill, which has in the meantime been shut down. “By doing so, we can use the relatively troublesome landfill gas in an environmentally-friendly way in order to produce energy,” explained Klaus Hoppe, head of the Energy Division in Freiburg’s Office of Environmental Affairs. A second project uses waste for the production of energy. In the biological waste fermentation plant, the biological waste from the city of Freiburg and the district of Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald, has been used since 1999 to produce electricity. Biological waste is fermented under anaerobic conditions and the resulting gases are used to operate power-producing turbines.

Pilot project with “childhood diseases”: nevertheless, the Vauban wood heating plant will soon supply more than 3500 people with power and warmth. (Photo: Hoppe)

Nevertheless, the Vauban wood heating plant has attracted the most attention. It supplies the Vaubun city district with heating and electricity. The last construction works will soon be completed in the new area. Subsequently, more than 70 percent of the district’s 5,000 residents will receive energy from the biomass power plant, which has been operative since 2002. Nevertheless, the operation of the plant is not simple. “The regional energy supplier “badenova”, which is the operator of the power plant, had to deal with ‘childhood diseases’ that are common to any such pilot project,” said Hoppe referring to the lack of experience with wood as the energy carrier in a CHP of this size at this time.

The power station has so far not been able to fulfil expectations in terms of power production. Hoppe explained that ‘badenova’ is continuously working on optimising the system.

Mixture of rapeseed oil, biodiesel and wood

In addition to these large projects, Freiburg runs several small facilities that use bioenergy. The solar factory supplies a CHP with rapeseed oil, and the ‘Stadtbau’ building society operates a small CHP with biodiesel that supplies several blocks of flats with energy. In addition, ‘Stadtbau’ has established a CHP that uses wood pellets for the exclusive production of heat. A heat generating station that utilises wood is operated by the well-known football school of the SC Freiburg. There is still no time-tested technology available that can enable simultaneous power and heat generation by small CHPs using pellets or wood chips,” explained Hoppe.

The city of Freiburg also promotes biomass. The city council declared that all heating systems that are managed by the city and need to be replaced must be evaluated for the potential use of biomass. For each ton of carbon dioxide that is not emitted from a bioenergy plant compared to a conventional heat generation plant, the alternative concept is awarded 50 €. If the bioenergy plant ends up with a positive balance compared to using gas boilers, then the city will construct a more expensive bioheating system. “This is an excellent example of how cities can set an example for its inhabitants,” said Hoppe.

Are wood-firing systems more problematic because of fine particulates?

Freiburg’s energy supply concept is complemented by two ongoing studies. In the scope of the “BioRegion – strategies for the sustainable use of biomass in selected model regions”, the Öko-Institut is evaluating how bioenergy can contribute to the energy supply at the Southern Upper Rhine. Hoppe explained that a first rough estimate suggests that bioenergy can contribute up to ten percent to the energy supply. A second study, which overlaps partially with the examinations undertaken by the Öko-Institut, is being jointly carried out by the energy agencies of the cities of Ortenau and Freiburg, developing regional development concepts for the regional Southern Upper Rhine (RVSO) association. An energy atlas is already available, including information on the energy demand, energy suppliers and the potentials of regenerative energies.

One problem is still unsolved and might become even larger: wood-firing plants are not without problems in terms of the smallest of fine particulates. “There is of course a big difference between a single oven and an enormous, modern pellet-firing plant,” explained Hoppe. Nevertheless, it now needs to be decided at the national level as to whether, and if so which, wood-firing plants are dangerous in terms of fine particulates. Reliable answers are still unavailable. What is known for sure is that wood and biomass generally achieve better values than natural gas CHPs in terms of the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. However, the sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and fine particulate emissions from wood and biomass are higher.

kb – 24.5.06
© BIOPRO Baden-Württemberg GmbH

Further information:

Klaus Hoppe

City of Freiburg

Office of Environmental Affairs

Head of Energy Division

Talstr. 4

79102 Freiburg

Phone: [phone]

Fax: [phone]

E-mail: [e-mail]

The ecobalance of biofuels

Renewable raw materials are the energy sources of the future. In order to successfully make any changes in the current political position regarding energy and the environment, all factors in the biofuels process chain need to be taken into account to weigh up environmental compatibility and the potential effects on society.

Biofuels are seen as an environmentally-friendly, CO₂-neutral alternative to fossil energy sources. Even politicians more concerned about exploding petrol prices and the growing instability of energy supply rather than the potential climatic catastrophe, are calling for the accelerated development of renewable energy sources from renewable raw materials. The American President George W. Bush – who is not exactly the best friend of environmental activists – announced in his “State of the Union” address at the beginning of 2006 a “biofuel initiative”, which is intended to drastically reduce American dependence on foreign petrol through the clean, environmentally-friendly biotechnological production of ethanol. Jim Greenwood, President of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) applauded Bush: “By significantly promoting the development of biorefineries, we would be able to cover 25 percent of our entire fuel demand by 2015 with ethanol made from harvest residuals.” Visionaries already see America’s Midwest – the country’s “bread basket” – as the energy production fields of the future.

Such enthusiasm gives food for thought. The IFEU Institute in Heidelberg has undertaken comprehensive investigations in which the environmentally relevant factors associated with production and use of different biofuels were assessed and compared with other studies. The analyses lead to different outcomes depending on the goals pursued.

The IFEU - Institute for Energy and Environmental Research in Heidelberg is an independent ecological research institute, founded in 1978 by scientists from the University of Heidelberg. The institute is exclusively financed through project-linked funds. The research projects and project appraisals are carried out on behalf of public bodies (federal government, states, city councils, the Federal Environment Agency, etc.), international institutions (e.g., the World Bank), non-governmental organisations and industry. The institute employs some 40 people, including 30 scientists and engineers working in different disciplines.

Considering that the reduction of the CO₂ concentration in the atmosphere and compliance with the Kyoto protocol is the major objective, biofuels perform worse than fossil fuels. The simple calculation that plant-derived energy sources only release as much CO₂as was previously bound by the plants, is only correct when biomass is directly burnt. Intensive agricultural cultivation requires the production and use of fertilisers and insecticides which itself uses considerable amounts of mineral resources and fossil energy carriers. Therefore, when one takes into account the entire life of biofuels from production to conversion up to the utilisation of energy, the CO ₂ balance is no longer neutral.

Biomass as CO₂-neutral fuel (Source: Renew Fuel Project)

However, CO₂ is only one of many gases that affect our climate. Another one is nitrous oxide (N₂O), which is generated in the production of fertilisers. In addition, it is released by fertilised soils used for agricultural purposes. In the process chain of fossil energy sources, N₂O is only released in low amounts. Dr. Guido Reinhardt, Head of the Division of Renewable Raw Materials at the IFEU Institute stresses the necessity of taking into consideration the environmental effects associated with the agricultural production of raw materials that are not associated with the use of fossil energy sources. This includes, for example, the acidification and eutrophication of surface waters due to higher phosphate and nitrate entry, the pollution with biozides and their metabolites and the pollution of ground water with nitrates.

The comparison of ethanol produced from sugar beets or wheat with automotive fuel shows that the ecobalance in terms of energy demand and greenhouse effect is in favour of the biofuels. The situation is similar when comparing rapeseed biodiesel (in particular rapeseed oil methyl ester) with conventional diesel and the majority of other biofuels. An additional advantage of biofuels is their reduced toxicity for humans and ecosystems in the form of increased biodegradability, reduced SO ₂ emissions into the atmosphere, reduced particulate emissions in cities, reduced pollution of oceans through crude oil during the production and transport of petrol as well as oil-tanker accidents.

Costs for renewable energy sources

Biofuels will only have a chance on the market if they are competitive and if they are produced in sufficient amounts. The current world market price for ethanol produced from renewable raw materials amounts to approximately 400 euros per ton, equal to a crude oil price of 70 US$ per barrel as of May 2006. At the Biotechnology Days of the BMBF in Potsdam in April 2006, Professor Wim Soetaert of the University of Geneva said that renewable raw materials – on a weight for weight comparison – are already only half the price of fossil raw materials. Since ethanol contains less energy than petrol made from crude oil, the price, based on a comparison of energy output, is very similar. Nevertheless, the costs associated with different plant raw materials vary considerably. This variation in costs was demonstrated by the IFEU Institute’s comprehensive study entitled “CO₂-neutral ways to future mobility using biofuels, 2004”. The least expensive was sugar cane; the most expensive was wheat and sugar beets.

IPU - "Integrated Biomass Utilization" (Source: HalmSon Braendsel)

The biggest limitation – at least in Germany and the majority of European countries – is the productive capability of agricultural land. This can be explained in simple terms with the following extrapolation: if all petrol used by German cars were to be replaced with bioethanol produced from plants grown on German farms, one would need twice the amount of the entire German crop harvest (2005: approximately 46 million tons). The cultivation of this quantity of plants would require an additional area of the size of Bavaria. The massive import of bioethanol made from sugar cane cannot ensure the total energy supply that Germany needs. Brazil, by far the largest ethanol producer in the world, requires an ever greater quantity of bioethanol for its expanding market; at the same time, the Chinese, Indian, Korean and Japanese demand for Brazilian ethanol is on the increase.

On the road to energy- and environmentally-conscious politics

To date, bioethanol produced from crops and sugar beets in Germany is advantageous for a vast sector of industry. “Sugar companies seeking comfort in alcohol,” wrote the Financial Times, Germany, on 1st June, in a report on the new commitment made by the big sugar producers. For Guido Reinhardt, the introduction of bioethanol and biodiesel at German petrol stations has another kind of importance: The German public is slowly but steadily being introduced to the necessary, incisive shift in energy and environmental politics. The future is not just envisaged in terms of the production of bioethanol from crop and sugar beet surplus, but in the use of the entire biomass, including harvest residuals like straw and leaves. In order to be able to produce biofuels from these materials, cellulose must be cleaved with enzymes. The technology has been around for quite a while, but the required cellulose enzymes are expensive and still not available in the quantities required.

But there is a clear sea change happening. In 2004, the Canadian company Iogen, in cooperation with the Canadian government and Petro-Canada and Royal Dutch Shell, established a pilot facility for the production of bioethanol based on cellulose. The Danish company Novozymes A/S, the largest producer of industrial enzymes in the world, has recently announced a drastic reduction in the price of cellulases used in the production of ethanol from crop residuals. This makes the production of biofuels from wood more financially viable. Wood is known to store more energy than all other plant raw materials. This would be the real breakthrough that could lead to an environmental- and climate-friendly energy production from renewable raw materials. The energy fields of the future would not be gigantic monocultures depending on fertilisers and biozides, but forests and plantation trees like poplars and willows grown under environmentally-friendly conditions.

EJ – 01.06.06
© BIOPRO Baden-Württemberg GmbH

For further information, contact:
Dr. Guido Reinhardt
IFEU - Institute for Energy and Environmental Research GmbH
Wilckensstr. 3
69120 Heidelberg
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]

Biogas facility in Hohenheim

Biogas facility in Hohenheim to become the core of the Baden-Württemberg bioenergy research platform

As of autumn 2006, the facility in Hohenheim is to convert to the large-scale transformation of biomass into electrical energy, gas, heat and fuel. Research will focus on which renewable materials work most efficiently with which technology.

The foundation stone was ‘laid’ in the grounds of the experimental station of the University of Hohenheim. However, this time it was not a stone but a lime tree. By planting this symbol of sustainability, Minister Peter Hauk and Professor Dr. Hans-Peter Liebig, Vice Chancellor of the University of Hohenheim, marked the start of construction of the most modern biogas facility in Germany and the kicking-off of the Baden-Württemberg bioenergy research platform. The Baden-Württemberg government is contributing a total of 2.4 million euros to the establishment of the bioenergy platform.

Planting a lime tree: Klaus Saiger, Managing Director of FairEnergie, Agricultural Minister Peter Hauk (2nd from the left), District Administrator Thomas Reumann, Mayor Margarete Krug and Vice Chancellor of the University of Hohenheim Prof. Dr. Liebig. The tree is referred to as “cooperation lime tree” or tongue in cheek as “tilia conspirata”

The “Unterer Lindenhof” experimental station is part of the University of Hohenheim and an ideal place for establishing the new biogas facility. Extensive stabling, field and grassland areas, laboratories and plant areas form a suitable environment for the recycling of biomass and are practically able to produce all the raw materials to be tested on site. The biogas facility can be used by all partners for research and development work, including the institutes of the University of Hohenheim and all other interested scientific and industrial institutions that are part of the interdisciplinary research platform.

In Sweden, biogas is mainly produced from residual biogenic wastes. The raw gas is washed to attain the quality of natural gas and, following compression, used as fuel in buses and cars.

Dr. Hans Oechsner, Head of the State Institute for Farm Machinery and Farm Structures at the University of Hohenheim, explains the concept: “We intend to carry out cooperative projects that also have a demonstrative character. Many institutions were involved in the planning phase and they came up with numerous complex approaches. We will focus on biogas production as well as biogas purification and utilisation.” The long-term intention is to replace natural gas with green gas produced from biomass, which will be used in petrol engines in cars. In order to achieve this, researchers will open completely new paths of inquiry such as testing the use of Stirling engines. “Stirling engines do not need much maintenance, which is a particular benefit in our work,” said Oechsner.

Oechsner is already working on procedural aspects that he hopes to integrate in the new pilot plant. One of his objectives is the fermentation of biomass without using liquid manure as substrate, i.e. solid waste fermentation. Other Hohenheim projects deal with the cultivation of plants that lead to particularly high biogas yields such as what is known as “energy maize”. The researchers are cooperating with commercial plant growers as well as with other research partners such as the State Institute for Agriculture in Weihenstephan.

Enormous know-how and experience are required

The outstanding research know-how in terms of bioenergy that the Hohenheim researchers have gained over the last few years is particularly advantageous for the projects. At the end of 2004, an ultramodern biogas laboratory was put into operation, enabling comparative examinations under controlled conditions. To date, the University of Hohenheim operates 384 small and 28 medium-sized fermenters in order to examine and optimise biogas production.

Feeding of a solid waste dosage system (volume: 45 m³) with renewable materials

“The biogas laboratory was practically the starting point of the whole. Now, we are working on the “upscaling” of the system. The new pilot plant is equipped with two large-scale fermenters, thereby expanding our opportunities. For example, we need these fermenters for investigating gas purification processes. Problems related to process control and process stability can only be examined effectively using large-scale fermenters,” said Oechsner. The purification of gas is extremely important because biogas consists not only of methane but also contains undesired trace gases that might damage combustion engines.

As part of the new bioenergy research platform, the researchers also intend to investigate the direct combustion of biomass for use in the production of heat. This might require the drying of biomass, which can be achieved with the powered combustion of the biogas in an energy efficient way. Another alternative for converting biomass into gas is seen in thermochemical gasification. Like anaerobic fermentation, this process also leads to gases – though through physical and chemical means. The bioenergy platform of the “Unterer Lindenhof” experimental station is also open to researchers, who wish to carry out further investigations associated with this technology.


leh - 19.05.2006
© BIOPRO Baden-Württemberg GmbH

For further information, contact:
University of Hohenheim
State Institute of Farm Machinery and Farm Stuctures
Dr. Hans Oechsner
Garbenstrasse 9
70599 Stuttgart
Phone: [phone] - 2683
Fax: [phone] - 2111
E-mail: [e-mail]

Bioethanol for petrol stations

In order to cater to the growing biofuels market for cars, Südzucker Bioethanol GmbH based in Mannheim has established the largest bioethanol production plant in Europe. In February 2006, E85, a fuel consisting of 85 percent bioethanol and 15 percent petrol, was launched on the German market. The fuel, which is marketed as "CropPower85", is offered to users of flexible fuel vehicles as an alternative to fossil fuels.

Increasing oil prices, the continuously growing demand for fuels along with the foreseeable exhaustion of crude oil fields, political instability in petrol producing countries, and concern about the global climate have led all politicians regardless of their orientation to demand the increased use of renewable energies. The EU Commission instituted guidelines for the promotion of road biofuels, in support of the establishment and development of an effective biofuel industry. These guidelines enable EU Member States to exempt duties for automobile biofuels. Germany introduced an exemption to the excise duty on mineral oil for pure and blended biofuels on 1 January 2004. It will be valid until 31 December 2009. This particularly concerns the biodiesel that is made from rapeseed oil and bioethanol produced from sugar- and starch-containing plants.

Südzucker relies on biodiesel

Bioethanol production (Photo: Project Renew Fuel)

As one of the first large German companies, Südzucker AG, which is based in Mannheim/Ochsenfurt relies on the growing use of bioethanol in the automotive sector. In 2003, Südzucker founded Südzucker Bioethanol GmbH and invested 200 million euros into its construction in Zeitz (Saxony-Anhalt). The plant is one of the largest of its kind in Europe and was put into operation commencing in April of 2005. Under the brand name “CropEnergies” and the slogan “creative regeneration of power”, the facility produces 260,000 m³of bioethanol annually as well as 260,000 tons of high-value protein feed (“ProtiGrain”), and yields 30 million kWh of electricity.

Südzucker is a globally active food and feed company with revenue of 4.8 billion € and 17,500 employees. As one of Europe’s leading sugar producers, the company produced more than 5 million tons of sugar from sugar beets in 2004. In Europe, the production of bioethanol from wheat is cheaper than its production from sugar beet. Therefore, the bioethanol production plant in Zeitz uses wheat as the main raw material (700,000 tons/year) with lower amounts of other types of crops and sugar beet.

"The fuel of the future"

Nikolaus August Otto, inventor of the Otto Engine (Photo: German Museum)

The technologies used in the production of ethanol have already been established and the use of ethanol in cars is additionally not new. In contrast, the inventor of the Otto Engine, Nikolaus August Otto, used ethanol as an automotive fuel as early as 1860 when he developed a combustion engine prototype. Fifty years later, Henry Ford designed his legendary Model T on the understanding that ethanol would be the fuel for this “car of the people”. He said: “The fuel of the future is going to come from fruit such as that of sumac out by the road, or from apples, weeds, sawdust – almost anything.“

The pan-European EN228 standard allows the use of up to 5 vol. percent bioethanol or up to 15 vol. percent ETBE (ethyl tertiary butyl ether) as a direct fuel additive. ETBE consists of up to 47 percent ethanol and is produced by mixing ethanol and isobutylene and subsequently reacting them with a catalyst. ETBE is mainly used in France and Sweden where it can be blended with petrol for use as an automotive fuel.

The direct addition of bioethanol to automotive fuel is economically more interesting since this does not require the cost-intensive etherisation step. Unfortunately, a higher ethanol proportion in fuel is currently only possible in flexible fuel vehicles (FFV). In the USA and Brazil, a large number of newly registered cars are FFVs equipped to use fuels containing any ethanol-petrol blend. In Europe, Ford, Saab and Volvo have already started marketing FFV car versions. More than 10,000 FFVs have already been sold in Sweden.

“CropPower85” at German petrol stations

Flexible fuel vehicle (Photo: Saab)

In order for German car drivers to be able to purchase flexible fuel vehicles and use Co2-neutral bioethanol, the appropriate car fuel must be available at petrol stations. Commencing in February 2006, E85, a blend of approximately 85 percent bioethanol and 15 percent regular petrol is currently marketed as “CropPower85” at the OIL! petrol stations in Hennef, Troisdorf and Saarlouis. CropPower85 costs approximately 35 percent less than premium petrol. With an octane number of more than 110, CropPower85 is one of the most powerful fuels that has ever been available at German petrol stations. In addition, the fuel is low in sulphur and aromatic compounds, and thereby it considerably reduces the emissions of the gases that are harmful to the climate and human health.

CropPower85 is produced by the Südzucker facility in Zeitz. With the market introduction of CropPower, Südzucker Bioethanol GmbH and the OIL! petrol stations (with already more than 200 petrol stations in Germany) have led to the foundation of an area-wide petrol station network, selling E85 as an attractive alternative for users of FFV.

Enormous growth potential

The biofuels directive 2003/30/EC put into effect by the EU Commission as part of the guidelines aiming at promoting biofuels intends to increase a meagre 2% market share for biofuels in 2005 to 5.75 in 2010. For Germany, this means an increase in the bioethanol production from 700,000 cubic metres to 1.8 million cubic metres, requiring approximately 5 million tons of crops. A further increase to 25 percent would be possible since, as estimated by Südzucker, the theoretical production potential for bioethanol in Germany accounts for 8 million cubic metres. Surplus crop stocks might cover approximately 66 percent of this amount, crops originating from areas that are being closed might cover 25 percent and surplus sugar stocks might cover the remaining 9 percent.

The production of bioethanol is a very costly process. Therefore, planning reliability is highly important. Dr. Lutz Guderjahn, CEO of Südzucker Bioethanol GmbH, explains that the further development of bioethanol production in Germany mainly depends on how quickly politicians will be able to find a solution to the existing tax exemptions for biofuels, which are set to cease at the end of 2009, and thus will create confidence in further investments in Germany within this sector.


EJ – 23.05.06

For further information, contact:
Südzucker Bioethanol GmbH
Gottlieb-Daimler-Str. 12
68165 Mannheim
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

Bio-diesel should soon become cheaper

The Kornwestheim-based system exporter Hezinger GmbH wants to act in future as a global supplier of photobioreactors for the breeding of algae, in order to promote the extraction of biofuels from the vegetable oil of algae as an alternative to the use of wheat, rapeseed and maize. In cooperation with renowned partners, a process-optimised reactor plant for the mass breeding of algae has been developed that will significantly reduce the costs of the manufacture of bio-diesel. Hezinger Algaetec GmbH, founded at the end of last year, intends to bring the new system onto the market in the coming autumn.

System export, motor racing marketing and now renewable energies – the entrepreneurial spirit of Steffen Hezinger, Managing Director of Hezinger GmbH Plant Export from Kornwestheim near Stuttgart, appears to be unlimited. For his latest project, in which everything revolves around the breeding of algae for the manufacture of bio-diesel, the motto is: ‘Production of biomass not on a laboratory scale, but on a grand scale’.

“Our goal is to make the industrial breeding of micro-algae significantly cheaper than has been possible up to now,” says Steffen Hezinger. Although algae can be bred using current systems, such as tube or flat-plate reactors, the economic quantities necessary for the manufacture of bio-diesel cannot yet be achieved. “If I have to fill 40 football pitches with reactors, then the system is simply not efficient to operate. Profitability is indispensable if I want to achieve long-term success in the bio-diesel market.”

Hezinger Algaetec GmbH banks on mass breeding of algae.

Conversion of carbon dioxide to biomass (image: Hezinger Algaetec GmbH )

In his search for an efficient solution, the business graduate is therefore banking on concentrated competence in the fields of plant construction, design and lighting technology. To this end he has brought internationally-renowned and global market-leading partners in the fields of algal biology and system planning on board. He found support for market research and staff recruitment at BioRegion STERN Management GmbH.

The result of the cross-industry cooperation is a photobioreactor with which production areas can be utilised not only horizontally, but also vertically. The core idea is to bring light into the system and to the algae, instead of the other way around. Steffen Hezinger admits that the idea is not really new, but the decisive point is the process optimisation. “The key factor is the innovative lighting technology that makes it possible to operate a reactor with a height of six metres and an internal diameter of 30 metres virtually without external energy.”

Renewable energy from Kornwestheim (Photo: Hezinger Algaetec GmbH )

Hezinger Algaetec GmbH cannot provide exact figures at the present time, but the prototype test under series conditions was successful; meaningful results are expected from the middle of the year onwards. A decision will then be made as to how Hezinger Algaetec will continue: both the raising of external capital and a strategic cooperation are conceivable according to Steffen Hezinger. In the long run he is aiming to offer entire reactor systems to cover everything from the breeding of algae and the utilisation of biomass from algae to the finished product bio-diesel. Consideration is already being given in Kornwestheim to cooperations with companies offering appropriate peripheral systems…

Source: BioRegio STERN Management GmbH - 15.03.08

Further Informations:
Timo Enderle
Technology Management
Hezinger Algaetec GmbH
Max-Planck-Straße 1
D-70806 Kornwestheim
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