Laboratory

Range of services

Assessment of feedstock (e.g. gas yield, fermentation progress, nutrient and harmful substance content)
Process monitoring (e. g. fatty acid spectrum, der pH-Wert, die dry matter and organic dry matter)
Analysis of fermentation residue for harmful substances and nutrients (according to e.g. biological waste regulations (BioAbfV), fertiliser legislation (DüngemittelVO, DüngeVO) as well as RAL quality assurance standards for fermentation products)

Core business – biogas-specific analysis

We are the feedstock advisors for your biogas plant:

In our service laboratory we carry out a complete range of analyses and tests which contribute towards the stable operation of a biogas plant.
The benefits for you: As a biogas company with many years’ experience, we provide an interpretation of the results and feedstock recommendations. What use is a numerical value without a practical context?

Assessment of feedstock
The assessment of feedstock for gas yield, fermentation progress, nutrient and harmful substance content allows you to identify the optimum feeding programme for your plant. Possible inhibitions and contamination with harmful substances can be avoided in advance. Gas-yield and gas-quality tests provide important characteristic values in order to ensure the economic viability of the plant.

Fermentation progress
A fermentation test determines decay behaviour using a laboratory scale and self-adapted bacterial sludge (thus guaranteeing maximum success in the transferral of results into practice) according to DIN 38414-S8. This provides information about the anaerobic degradation of a substrate within a defined period of time, measured on the production of biogas. The time needed for the development of gas, i.e. the conversion of the substrate, and the specific biogas volume (based on DM and ODM) allows biological availability to be assessed.
The results of these fermentation tests allow the operator to run his plant as efficiently as possible. The danger of feeding the fermenter with a substrate with inhibiting or even toxic effects on the microorganisms is also eliminated.

Nutrient balance
Nutrients such as nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus are important ingredients which provide for optimum fermentation conditions. Too high or too low concentrations can impair the fermentation process considerably.
The assessment of nutrient content in feedstock allows for targeted feeding. The nutrient content of fermentation residue can also be calculated.

Process monitoring
The regular analysis of all important process variables, e.g. the fatty acid spectrum, the pH value, the the dry matter content and the organic dry matter content allows for optimum guidance of the fermentation process. Process faults such as over-acidification, nutrient and trace-element deficiencies or inhibitions – caused by excessively high concentrations of harmful substances – can be recognised in good time or avoided. This leads to a stabilised fermentation process and, as a result, to optimised plant capacity utilisation.

A number of rumours on the subject of "volatile fatty acids" re making their way through the sector! For more clarification the following is a short overview of the most important points:

Volatile fatty acids are intermediates of the degradation process on the way to methane.
Fatty acids of practical relevance are:
Acetic acid
Propionic acid
n-butyric acid, iso-butyric acid
n-valeric acid, iso-valeric acid
Standard values cannot be used to make concrete individual assessments of fermentation processes
The individual fatty acids have completely different effects on the fermentation process.
In addition to the absolute concentrations, the relationship between the relative quantities of the individual fatty acids to each other is above all of importance.

Dry matter and organic dry matter content

calculation of the degradation rate
Monitoring of pumping capacityeit
Monitoring of mechanical load on stirrer
Monitoring of eventual accumulation of inorganic material (sediment)

Analysis of the fermentation residue for harmful substances and nutrients
The scope of analysis of the fermentation residue is prescribed by the legislating body. Tests in accordance with biological waste regulations, BioAbfV, fertiliser regulations DüngemittelVO and DüngeVO and tests on fermentation products within the context of the quality assurance of secondary raw material fertilisers of the German Compost Quality Assurance Organisation, RAL are carried out by us on a routine basis.

RAL-Quality assurance fermentation products
Under the terms of the RAL quality assurance for fermentation products, end products must undergo regular controls carried out by quality assurance accredited laboratories. Our laboratory is authorised by the German Compost Quality Assurance Organisation (BGK) to carry out tests and to take samples.
Contaminants, presence of stones, degree of fermentation, dry matter, grain size, organic dry matter, heavy metals, (Pb, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Hg, Zn), soluble salt content, nutrient total volume (N, P, K, Mg), alkaline-acting substances, soluble nutrients (nitrate, ammonium, magnesium, phosphate, potassium), bulk density, odour, pH value, efficiency index. Hygiene controls for e.g. salmonella and germinable seeds and plant parts are carried out by competent partners.

Biological waste regulations
The listing of our laboratory in Bavaria in accordance with biological waste, sludge and fertiliser regulations allows us to carry out the fertilisation product analyses required by biological waste regulations.
In line with these regulations, the following test parameters must be analysed:
pH value, dry residue, salt content, loss on ignition, lead, cadmium, chromium, nickel, mercury, zinc. Hygiene controls for (e.g.) salmonella and germinable seeds and plant parts are carried out by competent partners.