Biogas plant popular with city residents – air filter removes the smell

The air purifier WTR Airclean from KJ Klimateknik has reduced smell nuisances from the biomass halls at Sindal Biogas by 84 percent. A close relationship with the local community has created good publicity for the biogas plant, and with thousands of tours annually, there is ample opportunity for citizens to get a “smell” for themselves.

Vendsyssel’s largest biogas plant is located just one kilometer outside the city of Sindal. From the outset, this placed high demands on the relationship with the local community, which should welcome the new business established in 2017.

Therefore, the biogas plant installed a WTR Airclean air purification system from KJ Klimateknik, which has made a huge difference regarding the odors.

“It simply removes the vast majority of the odors, we do not bother the city with our activity, and that is clearly the most important thing for us when we are so close to the nearest district,” explains Jesper Horne, CEO of Sindal Biogas.

Measurements taken by Sindal Biogas on the efficiency of the air filter show that 84 percent of the odors are eliminated when the air from the biomass halls passes through and out into the open air.

Each biogas plant is operated differently, and therefore the odor impact also differs from plant to plant. KJ Klimateknik uses an analyzer called a PTMRS.

This is according to Product Manager at KJ Klimateknik Poul Erik Christensen.

“We offer sampling to both potential and current customers. We use a consistent method for odor analysis every time and are carried out in collaboration with SEGES Innovation. The method identifies the odor profile at each plant, right down to each individual type of gas,” he explains.

“The PTMRS analysis does not replace traditional odor analysis, but is an accurate, fast and inexpensive method to identify which gases are causing the odor challenge in each case,” he says.

Information for citizens

It is important for Sindal Biogas to maintain an ongoing dialog with the local community. This is to prevent unhappy neighbors, but more importantly to make the facility an active part of the community, contributing activities and jobs.

“We’re filling up the landscape, and it can smell. That’s why we use our Facebook page a lot to inform people if there is a period where there may be odor nuisances,” says Jesper Horne, who also receives direct calls from citizens on the company’s so-called reporting line.

“If a nearby citizen feels inconvenienced, they can call us, it’s either me or our biomass manager who takes the call. We take these issues very seriously and we’re doing something about them. For example, we can drive out to the area with the citizen and experience the odor together, then we can either explain what we can do about it, or sometimes we find out that the source of the smell is different – on a hot summer day, a blocked stream can also give off a bad smell,” he explains.

Host for 1,000 people

Every year, the facility invites citizens, associations and schools to visit for a guided tour. This adds up to 1,000 visitors per year for guided tours. The annual harvest festival is also extremely popular with 2,000 local guests.

“Due to construction work a few years back, the Harvest Festival could not be held in the city, so we offered to host it. We have both a working farm and the space to accommodate exhibitors, stalls and guests.”

The harvest celebration provides an opportunity for even more tours of the biogas plant. This creates a good dynamic between the company and the city, according to the CEO. At the same time, the company employs just over 60 people from the area, of which around 10 percent are employees hired under special schemes such as internships and job placements.

“We really want to engage in our community and be a helpful company. I think we are gradually succeeding in this, not many people think we are unbearable,” says Jesper Horne humbly.

Sindal Biogas mainly receives slurry and deep litter from cow, pig and horse stables. This is enough for them to produce 20 million cubic meters of biogas per year. At the biogas plant, there are 12 full-time employees, 10 part-time employees, 8-10 drivers from a haulage company, and another 30 employed at the associated farm K/Agro.

Air purifier from KJ Klimateknik

– WTR AirClean is an air cleaning system that effectively reduces ammonia and odor emissions from all organic material, such as deep litter and the fiber fraction of slurry

– Reduces ammonia by up to 96 percent and odor by at least 83 percent

– WTR AirClean is a system produced by KJ Klimateknik and was previously part of the Agrifarm product portfolio.