Case Story Denmark

ORGANIC BIOGAS IMPROVES NUTRIENT SUPPLY

KROGHSMINDE BIOENERGY I/S, DENMARK

February 2019

ORGANIC BIOGAS IN DENMARK

Organic biogas plants have been under consideration in Denmark for the past 15 years without a real breakthrough, until recently. The first plant was established in 2009 at Bording in West Jutland. This first facility encountering many technical challenges in processing high dry matter content feedstock. In 2015, a further two new organic biogas plants (Kroghsminde Bioenergy I/S and Hans Martin Westergaard Biogas Plant) began operation. These facilities applied an adapted German technology for the treatment of high dry matter biomass; in this case deep litter and grass silage co-digested with animal slurry. Both facilities have shown stable operation. In 2017, a large organic biogas plant treating feedstock from 40 suppliers was brought into operation by Nature Energy Månsson in Brande. In addition to these four facilities several projects are under development, both on farm and at joint co-digestion plants, as organic biogas lines.

MISSION AND VISION

This organic biogas facility was established at Kroghsminde organic dairy farm in Ølgod. The ovner, Jens Krogh, is a seventh generation farmer (figure 1). The farm produces organic milk from 140 cows, corn and other crops on a 450 hectare farm. All the animals are housed on deep bedding, which, when subsequently digested, is converted into a liquid fertilizer, more amenable for nutrient uptake by crops and easier to apply by the farmer. The produced biogas offers the opportunity to expand the activities and sources of revenue for the farmer and enhances the economic stability of the farm. As an organic farmer, Jens Krogh wishes to contribute to the national energy strategy of phasing out fossil fuels and reducing the overall greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from agriculture. Because of the biogas plant, the CO2 emissions of the milk production are assessed as negative, at -0.82 kg CO2/l produced milk. An investment grant from the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries in 2012, provided favorable economic conditions to allow investments in organic biogas.