Research and Development Platform for renewable Fuels and Chemicals

The pilot plant is composed of different state-of-the-art and innovative processes, such as Methanation, anaerobic digestion (AD), hydrothermal processes (HTP) and several separation units. It is an integrated, intensely monitored and highly automated plant, which is operated in a 1000m2 experimental area at DBFZ in Leipzig. The system is modular. The various processes can be flexibly combined with each other, but can also be operated individually.  The system can be expanded to include new technologies, which are then operated continuously and fully automatically in its entirety or with individual modules. The existing technology is robustly designed so that a variety of raw materials can be used. We currently work with residual and waste materials such as wheat straw, cattle manure, green waste and biowaste. The existing modules are currently interconnected to form a biorefinery concept for the production of renewable methane and value-adding by-products (fertilizer, hydrochar, etc.). With the addition of new technologies, the product range can be expanded accordingly. Potential target products could include methanol from the biogas and carboxylic acids from the fermentation residue.

DBFZ's research infrastructure and expertise:

1. Process engineering research and development builds on the scaling of the individual processes, which have already been established in multi-stage scaling on a smaller laboratory and pilot plant scale at the DBFZ. The process technology expertise at the DBFZ is also a good basis for potential expansion modules and the further development of the research and development platform.

2. Data acquisition and processing enables the measurement of parameters and process monitoring in real time due to extensive measuring points. It is supported by a broad analytics portfolio from the DBFZ's own laboratories. This comprehensive data basis initially enables iterative accompanying process optimisation. It also forms the basis for modelling and simulating a digital twin. This enables the development and integration of AI-based process control. The resulting mass and energy balances form the basis for the technical-economic-ecological assessment.

3. The multi-criteria assessment of supply chains includes not only the ecological assessment focussing on greenhouse gas emissions but also the assessment of cost-revenue structures in the context of existing and foreseeable framework conditions. This not only identifies the optimisation potential of individual processes, but also of interfaces and interactions within the process chain. Upstream and downstream steps that are not covered by the demonstration at the pilot plant are also analysed with a view to potential implementation on a commercial scale.

4. The system integration of the concepts is the subject of a contextualisation of the results. The broad expertise of the DBFZ team makes it possible, among other things, to answer questions relating to the mobilisation of resource potential or the integration of renewable hydrocarbons such as methane into existing utilisation infrastructure. The focus is on the further development and integration of the concept as a contribution to a cross-sectoral sustainable bioeconomy and the provision of high-quality co-products based on potential demand and market developments.

The pilot plant is to be developed into a central component of an R&D technology platform for further research and development projects with partners from industry and science. On the one hand, the high flexibility of the plant with regard to the addition of new, innovative modules and the possibility of detaching individual plant components from the process chain and operating them separately is an advantage. On the other hand, the integration into the DBFZ enables the comprehensive evaluation of promising technical innovations in order to support their market integration in the best possible way and to make a significant contribution to the defossilisation of products.

https://www.dbfz.de/en/projects/pilot-sbg/start