Development and improvement of biogas plants

A new type of small-scale biogas plants involving a patented Thermo-Gas-Lift was developed. An agricultural biogas plant constructed at the Agricultural School in Rotholz was constructed. Based on this technology, the spin-off company BIO4GAS GmbH was founded. Based on optimization research, a BIO4GAS plant has been set in operation in Garmisch, Germany, and another one using olive mill residues is now being built in Puglia, Italy. The expertise in Biogas technology is now used for a development project in Burkina Faso (West Africa), where a pilot biogas plant is being installed that shall be the basis for rural development. The fermenter performance of the largest fermenter in western Austria was successfully improved to increase its gas production and it was possible to develop new methods for proofing the successful in situ inactivation of anaerobic pathogens within a given hydraulic retention time.