Belgium’s first biomethane-to-grid installation was announced on 27 November. The Bright Biomethane installation at a facility owned by Dutch bioenergy firm IOK Afvalbeheer, in Beerse, has successfully produced Belgium’s first sustainable biomethane and injected it into the natural gas grid of net operator Eandis.
The biomethane system uses membrane technology to upgrade the biogas to 91 Nm3 biomethane per hour, equivalent to the annual natural gas consumption of 350 households. The Bright Biomethane system is an easily expandable system, ensuring that enough biomethane is produced in the future to provide gas for around 1,000 families. The biogas is produced from the anaerobic digestion of garden, fruit and vegetable waste (GFV) from more than half million residents of the Kempen area.
IOK Afvalbeheer currently produces renewable bioenergy in two ways: 75% of the biogas is converted in a CHP into heat and electricity that also is reused by the biogas plant and the biogas upgrading system and 25% of the biogas is converted to biomethane for injection into the national gas grid. This sustainable energy production will in the future shift towards an increase in biomethane production. Instead of 91 Nm3 low-calorific biomethane (L-gas), 242 Nm3 high-calorific biomethane (H-gas) per hour will be produced in the near future.
