Q Energy Biodigesters for institutions Product presentation

Q
Q Energy Biodigesters
for institutions
Product presentation
Q Energy Consultants
Tel: + 256 779 274154
Email: arjan@Qenergyconsultants.com
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Q Energy product presentation institutional digesters
+ 256 779 274154 – arjan@Qenergyconsultants.com
WHY BIOGAS?
In rural Africa most institutions cook on firewood or charcoal. Because of this, the forests are
disappearing at a rapid speed. It will not be long before for firewood is going to be very expensive.
There is an alternative however. Organic material can be converted into biogas which is a clean and
efficient fuel for cooking.
Biogas is a gas produced during the digestion of organic material in an environment without access to
oxygen. This process is called anaerobic digestion. Traditionally cow dung mixed with water is used as
a feedstock for biodigesters. Besides cow dung, an number of other feedstock can be used as well,
such as pig manure, elephant grass, kitchen waste, banana peelings and Euphorbia tirucalli (also
called the finger plant). The feedstock remains in the system for a period of 50-70 days under
constant temperature preferably 30-34 degrees, during which anaerobic bacteria's break down the
biomass in biogas and bio-slurry (fertilizers).
Biogas is composed of methane (CH4), carbon dioxide (CO2), water vapour (H2O), and may have small
amounts of other gases like hydrogen sulphide (H2S) and nitrogen (N2). The methane represents the
largest part (typically 55‐65%) which gives the gas a calorific value of about 20 MJ/m3. This energy
allows biogas to be used as a fuel for cooking and lighting; it can also be used for electricity
generation through a gas engine, or co‐fuelled in diesel generators to reduce diesel consumption.
Figure 1 Schematic explanation of the biogas process
ADVANTAGES OF COOKING ON BIOGAS FOR INSTITUTIONS
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Reduced costs - no other fuel needed for cooking
Reduced workload - no time spend on firewood collection and splitting
Improved health - smoke free kitchen
Easier cooking - instant cooking and higher temperature
Improved yield of garden - production of high quality organic fertilizer
Disposal of organic waste - Biogas offers a good option for the disposal of toilets, kitchen
waste, animal manure
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Q Energy product presentation institutional digesters
+ 256 779 274154 – arjan@Qenergyconsultants.com
REQUIREMENTS FOR BIOGAS
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Management of the digester: Biogas is produced by feeding the feedstock to a digester tank
on a daily basis. The bio-digester will only yield good results if it is properly maintained and
daily supplied with feedstock and water.
Access to feedstock: Access to sufficient feedstock is essential for the production of biogas.
For an institutional bio-digester, available feedstock sources should be in place for installing a
bio-digester. Potential feedstock sources are: human excrement, kitchen waste, animal
manure.
Access to water: Water is needed by the anaerobic bacteria to survive, and to decompose
the feedstock into biogas and slurry. Feedstock is mixed with water to allow the slurry to
easily flow through the system, and the gas to escape from the digesting mass. Generally,
water is added to the mixture until the slurry consist of 10‐15% solids.
Digester temperature: Digester temperature is an important factor in biogas as it influences
the productivity of the anaerobic bacteria. The bacteria involved in the process are active in
the range of 20–37°C. They are most productive around 33‐37°C; at lower temperatures, the
bacteria become less active which slows down the digestion process.
COMPANY’S PROFILE
Q Energy Consultants is a company registered in the Netherlands and was established in September
2011. Q Energy offers high quality biodigesters for household systems, institutional systems (schools,
prisons), and biogas electricity systems for productive uses (milling, pressing, mixing). Q Energy
Consultants has partnership with Makerere University and CREEC (Uganda), FACT Foundation (the
Netherlands), and HIVOS (Kenya/the Netherlands) to invest in R&D activities for feedstock testing and
system design. Furthermore, Q Energy has a long term cooperation with a PVC factory in China that
manufactures biodigesters according to European standard.
THE Q ENERGY BIODIGESTERS
Q Energy Consultants has designed and introduced a high quality flexible PVC digester suitable for the
African market in 2011.
Figure 2 Installed Q Energy digesters with a tarpaulin roof (right) and a low cost local roof (left)
Q Energy biodigesters have the following characteristics:
 Q Energy biodigesters can function under a gas pressure of 35 mbar which is more than
sufficient for cooking on an institutional biogas stove.
 Q Energy biodigesters have a life span of at least 10 – 15 years.
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Q Energy product presentation institutional digesters
+ 256 779 274154 – arjan@Qenergyconsultants.com
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Q Energy biodigesters are easy to install within a few days. This saves on installation costs.
Q Energy biodigester is movable and easy to transport.
Q Energy biodigesters are economically priced so that bio energy comes within reach for
every institution.
GAS STORAGE
INLET
SLURRY STORAGE
OUTLET
Figure 3 Schematic design of the Q Energy biodigester
PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS
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The biodigester tank is made from white coated flexible reinforced PVC material of 1,150
gr/m2.
Live span is 10-15 years
Q-Energy Biodigesters are available in different sizes, ranging from 4 m3 up to 400 m3. For
bigger systems multiple 400 m3 units can be installed.
A complete Q Energy system consist of a digester tank, feeding system (inlet), a slurry system
(outlet), PVC piping system, gas connection and gas hose to the kitchen, burner, roofing
system.
The digester tank has 2 sleeve connections for PVC pipes of 110 mm.
The biodigester has 3 ventilation outputs on top of the tank to be used for gas extraction.
The outputs are made of stainless steel with a 1” thread.
The cook stove is designed according to the cooking necessities of the institution.
All Q Energy biodigesters are delivered fully installed and operational.
Figure 4 Feeding system (inlet) (left) and slurry system (outlet) (right)
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Q Energy product presentation institutional digesters
+ 256 779 274154 – arjan@Qenergyconsultants.com
Figure 5 Sleeve connection for PVC pipes of 110mm (left) and ventilation output of stainless steel of 1”
PRETESTING
Every biodigester is prefabricated in our factory and tested on air- and water tightness before
shipment. The digester is inflated with a pressure of 40 mbar which is double the maximum pressure
under normal working conditions in the field. The digester will be left inflated for 24 hours to
establish any pressure loss.
PACKING
After testing the digester will be folded and
packed into a cardboard box protected with
polystyrene inner protection sheets. The small
size packages make the digester suitable for
exporting worldwide.
Figure 6 Pretesting the biodigester
INSTALLATION
Installing a Q Energy system is an easy process. The digester should be placed near to the kitchen.
There should be sufficient space around the digester, and access to the inlet and outlet for adding
feedstock and removing slurry. The proposed terrain should be fit for excavation. A ditch will need to
be excavated of approx. 60cm deep in which to place the digester tank, which can be done within
one day. The soil excavated from the ground will be put on the sides to act as a protection wall for the
digester. After excavation, the digester will be placed in the ditch and subsequently PVC pipes will be
mounted to the in- and outlet sleeves and the gas hose will be fitted to the gas ventilation. Final step
in the installation process is covering the digester with a roofing system to protect the material to UV
radiation, to guarantee the life span of the digester tank. The whole process can be finished within
one week depending on the size of the unit.
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Q Energy product presentation institutional digesters
+ 256 779 274154 – arjan@Qenergyconsultants.com
CHOOSING THE RIGHT SYSTEM
In order for a customer to pick the select the right system size,
the following need to be considered:
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The number of cooking hours on a single burner
The amount of feedstock required
The availability of water
The below table gives an indication of the system size based on
these three requirements.
Figure 7 Q Energy biogas burner for
institutional cooking
Unit size (m3)
20 m3
30 m3
50 m3
70 m3
Cooking
hours
single
institutional
burner (hrs)
4.5
6.5
11
15.5
Feedstock fresh Water to be Number of cows
cow dung (kg)
added (liters)
based on night
stabling1
166
249
415
581
166
249
415
581
22
33
55
77
PRICING
Q Energy offers a low cost solution and is one of the largest dealers of flexible PVC digesters in East
Africa. The below table gives an overview of our price list for institutional biodigester. Please note the
following:
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Prices are subject to changes in raw material prices for PVC
Prices exclude transportation from Kampala to customer site
Prices are quoted in USD but can be paid in local currency against the actual rate at date of
purchase
Prices exclude VAT
Prices exclude installation (which can be quoted after a site survey
Q Energy Consultants can deliver digester tanks in any size.
Unit size
20 m3
30 m3
50 m3
Price digester tank Additional
system Total price for the unit
delivered
ex components
and
warehouse Kampala
accessories
1,230 USD
1,705 USD
2,935 USD
1,400 USD
1,705 USD
3,105 USD
1,730 USD
1,705 USD
3,435 USD
1
Estimation of 7,5kg of manure per day, assuming a total manure production of 15kg per day within the rural
East African context.
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Q Energy product presentation institutional digesters
+ 256 779 274154 – arjan@Qenergyconsultants.com
70 m3
2,400 USD
1,705 USD
4,105 USD
PAYMENT CONDITIONS
Q Energy Consultants is able to offer favorable payment conditions. Please kindly check with us for
more information on this.
FEASIBILITY OF Q ENERGY BIODIGESTER
Acquiring a Q Energy biodigester is a long term investment for an institution with a short payback
period, which will promise a quick cash inflow for the client. The payback period is expressed in
savings on firewood and/or charcoal expenditure. The below text box present the business model for
a typical school in Central Uganda.
A typical school in Central Uganda with approx. 750 students spends 1,400,000 UGX (550 USD) per
term on firewood. A 50 m3 digester would produce enough biogas to provide for the cooking
hours per day for this school.
This school will earn back the investment within 8 terms (approx 2,5 years).
WARRANTY AND AFTER SALES SERVICE
The Q Energy digesters are sold under the condition of a 1 year warranty under the condition that
the digester is properly used by the customer.
Q Energy Consultants will provide after sales service for a period of 6 months after the biodigester
became operational. This service consists of maximum 6 site visits free of charge and repairs and
corrections on the digester. Repairs due to improper use by the customer will have to be paid for.
SALES AGENTS
Q Energy Consultants works through an agency network in East Africa. The agents are responsible for
promotion and sales and will install the digesters at customer site under guidance of Q Energy
Consultants. Also the after sales service is taken care of by the local agent. Contact us for contact
details of a sales agent in your area: + 256 779 274154.
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Q Energy product presentation institutional digesters
+ 256 779 274154 – arjan@Qenergyconsultants.com