Planning, construction and operation of biogas, biomethane and waste recovery plants with high substrate flexibility
Agraferm GmbH
Pfaffenhofen an der IlmNew on Amplifa
About Agraferm
Agraferm plans and builds biogas, biomethane and waste recovery plants for feedstocks from agriculture, municipalities and industry. The group, headquartered in Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm, offers turnkey complete plants including planning, project management, commissioning, service and plant operation. The core of the plants is the high-performance fermentation process with up to 15 percent dry matter, which enables smaller tank volumes and a low footprint. For the anaerobic digestion of solid, inhomogeneous substrates such as biowaste and household waste, the wet-mechanical BTA® process is used for the separation of interfering materials. Through subsidiaries such as BTA International GmbH, more than 100 reference plants have been implemented in around 20 countries; the BTA plants generate over 200 million standard cubic meters of biogas per year. Since 2014, Agraferm has built more than 20 plants with over 2 million tons of treatment capacity, most recently with annual throughputs of up to 180,000 tons.
- Site
- Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm
- Processes
- Planning of biogas and biomethane plants (site selection, plant concept, mass and, Plant construction and commissioning of biogas plants incl. project management, Anaerobic digestion (fermentation) with high dry matter content (up to 15 % DM), Wet-mechanical pretreatment (BTA® process, separation of interfering materials), Reception of feedstocks, Biogas line (gas collection and utilization), Biomethane upgrading and grid feed-in, Solid/liquid separation (dewatering/digestate treatment)
- Materials
- Straw (cereal straw, wheat straw), Energy crops (maize, rye, beets), Solid and liquid manure (among others poultry manure), Biowaste, Household waste, Food & kitchen waste, Wastewater/ liquid waste, Commercial waste
- Certificates
- Process guarantee (gas yield), Mass and energy balance
- Industries
- Biogas plant construction, Biomethane plants, Waste recovery plants, Agriculture, Municipalities and waste disposal, Biofuel industry
- 01
Site selection and plant concept
- 02
Mass and energy balance
- 03
Planning and engineering
- 04
Plant construction and project management
- 05
Commissioning
- 06
Service, after sales and plant operation
Feedstocks and Processes
High-Performance Fermentation Process
Anaerobic digestion with up to 15 % dry matter at a smaller tank volume than usual plant concepts.
Wet-Mechanical Pretreatment (BTA® Process)
Separation of interfering materials during the digestion of biowaste, household and mixed waste as well as commercial waste.
Vertical Paddle Agitator (In-House Design)
Speed-controlled agitators at 8–9 rpm for laminar mixing with reduced energy input and wear.
Mechanical Straw Pretreatment
Improves the digestibility of straw as a substrate in agricultural biogas plants.
Biomethane Upgrading and Grid Feed-In
Upgrading of raw gas to biomethane for grid feed-in, even without subsidy measures.
ORC and Additional Power Generation
Steam generation from waste heat and additional power generation to expand gas utilization.
Location
Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm
DEHeadquarters, engineering and sales
- Construction and engineering
- Automation and electrical engineering
Plant Components
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Planning of biogas and biomethane plants (site selection, plant concept, mass andEngineering | – | – | – | – | Energy crops, Agricultural residues, Biowaste, Household and mixed waste, Food waste, Slaughterhouse waste, Waste from food production, Stillage, Pulp, Press cake, Straw |
| Plant construction and commissioning of biogas plants incl. project managementEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Anaerobic digestion (fermentation) with high dry matter content (up to 15 % DM)Engineering | – | – | – | 2,000 t/a – 180,000 t/a | Energy crops, Solid and liquid manure, Agricultural residues, Biowaste, Straw, Food & kitchen waste, Wastewater/ liquid waste, Commercial waste |
| Wet-mechanical pretreatment (BTA® process, separation of interfering materials)Engineering | – | – | – | – | Biowaste, Household waste, Commercial waste, Food & kitchen waste, Food industry residues |
| Reception of feedstocksEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Biogas line (gas collection and utilization)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Biomethane upgrading and grid feed-inEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Solid/liquid separation (dewatering/digestate treatment)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Hygienization (full-flow sanitization after digestion)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Mechanical straw pretreatment (Straw pre-treatment line)Engineering | – | – | – | – | Straw |
| Gas utilization: ORC (steam generation from heat) and additional power generationEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Service & after sales as well as operation of biogas plantsEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Automation and electrical engineering (sensors, automatic agitator control)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
3 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vertical paddle agitator (in-house design, 8-9 rpm, speed-controlled) | Agraferm | – | Fermenters up to 11 m high, 3,300 / 5,800 / 5,500 m³ | – | Pfaffenhofen / Mepal UK |
| Gas upgrading plant | Pentair | – | – | – | Gonerby Moor UK |
| Fermenter (concrete, walkable roof) | Agraferm | – | e.g. 2 x 5,500 m³ fermenters + 6,000 m³ post-digester | – | Gonerby Moor UK |
Quality and Process Guarantee
Agraferm assumes responsibility for the entire process and guarantees process technology and maximum gas yield; the on-schedule completion of all plants is contractually assured. Transparency and verifiability of the process guarantees are ensured through the documented mass and energy balance.
| Evidence | Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm |
|---|---|
| Process guarantee (gas yield) | |
| Mass and energy balance |
History
- 1991
Commissioning of the first biowaste digestion plant using the BTA® process
- 2014
Start of implementing plants with over 2 million tons of treatment capacity
- 2025
Construction of plants with an annual throughput of up to 180,000 tons