Services in the Biochemical Conversion Department

The Biochemical Conversion Department concentrates on research into the production of energy carriers from biomass with the participation of microorganisms. The focus is on the technology for the production and use of biogas.

In addition to the current research activities, the division offers contract research in the context of new development or optimisation of components or concepts of biogas plants. Market observation, which is permanently updated in this area by evaluating publicly accessible data or data collected by the company itself (operator survey), can be used to assess the market potential of new developments or to forecast the development of existing plants. The extensive experimental equipment also allows the execution and evaluation of experiments for the development of technical components from laboratory to demonstration scale. Procedures and plant concepts can be balanced and evaluated with regard to technical and economic feasibility. Methods for mass and energy balancing as well as for the dynamic modelling of biological processes are available for the balancing.  With the existing competencies, technical concepts for individual sites or for the development of specific biomasses can also be developed for specific applications.  Within the framework of intensive cooperation with the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, a wide range of questions can also be answered with regard to the properties of the microorganisms involved and their population dynamics.

Services in an overview

• Market analysis (including on the basis of the annual operator survey), forecasting and strategy consulting
• Scientific support for the development of system components
• Balancing and evaluation of processes in terms of efficiency, technical feasibility and economy
• Characterisation of substrates for biochemical conversion (digestibility, gas potential, etc.)
• Biogas process analysis and characterisation of biochemical processes, mainly anaerobic processes
• Test realisation (batch and continuous tests, microbial electrochemical tests)
• Concept development for specific site conditions
• Determination of energy quantity (electricity, heat) and identification of optimisation potentials