In order to maintain its position of worldwide leader in the biogas sector for tropical regions, BIOTEC invests an important proportion of its incomes in research and development (R&D) for new technologies.

The main R&D fields are:

1. Biogas production using grass and forages

Aim: Generate gas and electricity using grass and forages in remote unconnected tropical areas. This will lead to energetic independence, employment creation and boost local development.

Experimental prototype for gas generation in Colombia	Experimental prototype for gas generation in Honduras

2. Biogas production from glycerine

Glycerine is a sub-product of biodiesel production. Considering the increasing capacity and number of biodiesel plants, glycerine has become a low commercial value sub-product (refine it can be as expensive as its selling price). In some cases it is considered as a waste and has got a negative price.
As glycerine can be biologically broken down it holds a potential for biogas generation.
BIOTEC is currently starting a R&D process focussing on glycerine concentrations and conditions of digestion in operating anaerobic reactors, particularly in palm oil mills.

3. Biogas using vinasse from distilleries of ethanol and cassava

Actually, bio-combustible sector is booming especially for bio-ethanol production. In tropical regions, bio-ethanol is produced from sugar juice or cane honey. However, new crops and products are being used; among them the cassava starch. Cassava distilleries have high energetic requirements. This is not true for sugar cane distilleries as they generate their own energy via bagasse combustion. Vinasses are usually treated in open anaerobic ponds as well as palm effluents. BIOTEC is optimizing these types of effluent treatment in its “covered lagoons” and biogas generation. Likewise, BIOTEC has got a wide range of potential biogas uses to offer.

4. Anaerobic lagoons’ sludge

Even if anaerobic digestion generates less sludge than aerobic systems, the amounts are significant taking into account the organic load of the effluent to be treated. This anaerobic sludge, as most types of sludge, is uneasy to handle. BIOTEC is permanently analysing the most adequate equipments for their management and handling (pumping, mixing, purging, spreading and dehydration).

5. Methanol production from biogas:

Methanol is an important precursor of many synthetic organic compounds produced by the chemical industry. Methanol is also a reagent involved in biodiesel production.
As biodiesel production is increasing, methanol demand is expected to rise. Produce the methanol needed through renewable processes is one of BIOTEC’s objectives in order to supply the increasing demand. BIOTEC is actually investigating several methods, technologies and equipments available to produce methanol from biogas.

6. Biogas as vehicular combustible

In many cases biogas could be used as a vehicular fuel. Actually, this prospect is limited by the high cost of CO2 removal equipments. BIOTEC is currently dealing with specialized providers in order to develop compact units for CO2 removal and gas compression. These units would make this technology affordable even in remote tropical areas.

7. CDM methodology

Complying with the UNFCCC regulations for CDM projects is a delicate, time consuming and expensive task. It requires professional operation and strong company organisation. BIOTEC is actually standardizing the management, control (local and remote) and O&M reports of its plants. This will enable optimizing biogas capture and use avoiding side-operation problems due to rains, animals, odours, sludge and weeds. A smooth operation permits maximizing incomes and give more reliability to the system. This last parameter is important for Carbon Credit buyers who can follow through web access the evolution of CERs generation.

8. Thermophilic acidic fermentation

Biogas generation has been recorded in some adverse range of conditions (very high temperature, pH around 4). BIOTEC will soon start a R&D process in order to understand how biogas is generated under such conditions. These results will have applications in simplifying treatment stages for some effluent types.