Dipl.Ing.agr. Joachim Kausch , who established Kausch Consult company and stands out in the research and projects on biogas as an efficient source of energy. His current project is specialized by using process water controlled fermentation in accessible box-like digester.
Interviewer: Angkhana Klongkarn, ISWA, University of Stuttgart, Germany, WasteNet Ediotorial.
WasteNet - Mr.Kausch, the interest of sustainable solid waste management is now worldwide. Do you consider this technology important for developing countries?
Joachim Kausch - Yes, sustainable solid waste management is very important for developing countries because waste is e.g. an available energy source. Waste must only be seperated by citizens or communities. For fermentation processes carbohydrates, proteins, fat are needed. You find them in biowaste, greenwaste and some residues from agriculture and food processing agriculture and food processing. But you will not find enough carbohydrates in wood, straw, plastics, textiles, papers, glass. Plastics, glass and papers can be recycled, wood and plastics are fuels and so on. Also the fermentation residues are a good fertiliser if they are free of pollutants.
WasteNet - Fermentation Process and biogas are getting more and more known all over the world. What is the remarkable of your applied technology?
Joachim Kausch - Discontinuous processes, like sprinkled box-like digesters, are cheap technologies. Fresh substrates are usually mixed with fermentation residues to start the fermentation. We renounce to the mixing and use percolation for inoculation. So that the volume of the digesters can be reduced and the costs as well.
WasteNet - What point could be highlighted in your project?
Joachim Kausch - Compared to others, our technology is ecological, compact and mechanical robust. The stackable fermentation residues facilitate the temporary storage or the postcomposting. Salts are discharged effective, and the process is mostly effluent free.
WasteNet - Could it be developed for middle scale or large scale?
Joachim Kausch - The scale is irrelevant. The digesters are made of a special reinforced concrete and the volume is flexible. The minimum number of digesters is 4, otherwise the CHP (combined heat and power) would not work efficiently. If you want to enhance your plant, you just build more digesters; the more digesters, the better. You also can build the new digesters larger, if it is necessary. It is really flexible.
WasteNet - What is the substrate for biogas production? Do you have to mix it with other substrate? capacity of energy input and energy output? Is it high operation cost and installation cost?
Joachim Kausch - There are a lot of substrates like biowaste, greenwaste, manure, pomace, residues of sugar cane, manioc, may be also of jatropha. The main thing is, the permeability for the percolate is high enough, but not to high. This must be tested in the lab for every mixture.
Energy output - German biowaste has a yield of about 100 m³ Biogas per ton fresh mass, also manure. Pomace (grapes) is about 50 to 100 m³ Biogas per ton fresh mass. For a plant for 7000 ton per year the yield is about 160 kWel.
Energy input - The energy input is very small. For a plant for 7000 ton per year is a wheelloader needed once a week for 3 hours. During the rest of the time some pumps and ventilators are needed, continuously about 5 kWel
Installation cost? The installation costs are up to the region. In Germany, a plant for 7000 ton per year costs about 1150000 ?.
Operation cost - Theoretically, total working time is about 3 hours per week, but we know, that you need 10 to 20 hours a week. This is not because of the plant itself, it is because of the CHP unit; biogas contents about 50 % CO2 and in winter there are some problems with starting the engine.
Contact Details : Kausch Consult - Joachim Kausch
email : info@kausch-consult.de
Internet : www.kausch-consult.de
Tel: +49-711 458 7119
Fax: +49-711 458 7402
