Projects

Completed

Applied Research and Development

SOCIAL SCIENCES (Economics and Econometrics)
ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Mechanical, Aeronautical and Manufacturing Engineering)

Not Cross-cutting

Mr M Chesshire
Greenfinch Ltd

Standard

DTI

08 April 2003

31 October 2005

30 months

£45,000

Power

West Midlands

BIO-MASS

Mr M Chesshire, Greenfinch Ltd

The overall aim of this project is to prove that rye-grass in the UK is a viable energy crop for conversion to biogas.otal project cost = 90000, DTI grant = 45000

The main elements of the project are :-The harvesting of rye-grass from 39 individual experimental plots, 36 plots measuring 10m2 (figure 2) and three plots measuring 100m2. The grass plots are assigned to a cutting regime of either two, four, six and eight week cycles, and are cut at 50mm or 100mm. The grass is weighed, samples taken for analysis, and ensiled for storage.The operation of two pilot scale digesters fed rye-grass cut from the 10m2 trial plots. Each digester is monitored 7 days per week, measuring the characteristics of the feedstock, digestate and the volume and quality of the gas. The first pilot anaerobic digester had a volume of 0.3m3 and ran for the fist half of the project. The second system has a volume of 1.5m3 and ran for the remainder of the project.The operation of a 20m3 biogas plant fed on the rye-grass cut from a large area of grassland. The primary objective of this biogas plant is for engineering purposes in order to move towards the design of a commercial plant.The outline design, economics and energy balance of a commercial rye-grass to biogas plant.

01/01/07