PMP Environmental have built a methane recovery plant at the Tapioca Starch Plant in Sumatra, Indonesia. The impact of Greenhouse gas emissions and rising energy costs were the impetus for the Tapioca Starch Plant to look for a solution to these environmental issues.
PMP Environmental Australia have long been involved with biogas generation and the requirements to make this a viable proposition for a range of projects. The solution was to build a methane recovery plant. The wastewater from the starch plant is pumped into aerobic ponds where the methane gas is harvested and used to drive generators that provide the electricity to power the plant.
Equipment used by PMP Environmental Australia include
- The dataTaker DT80
- USB memory stick
- Gas flowmeters was used as sensors
The DT80 data logger from Datataker was chosen for its flexibility, ease of data retrieval and intelligent calculation capability. The dataTaker DT80 data logger monitors the gas collected from the ponds, the amount used to power the generator and the amount burnt by the flare. These values are required by the governing body as evidence of the gas saved and used to determine the number of carbon credits to be allocated.
The DT80 also monitors the run time of the gas blowers for maintenance, efficiency and power consumption. 250,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas per year is being saved and the carbon credits can then be sold on the open market.
Other applications are
- Landfill power generation
- Geo-thermal power generation