Biomethane
A cornerstone of the energy transition
Biomethane plays a considerable role. Unlike other renewable sources, it requires limited investment in terms of infrastructure and, regarding emissions, is considered to be neutral as it is produced via the digestion of biomass from by-products, industrial processing waste and organic material.
Pietro Fiorentini provides integrated solutions for every type of plant, from direct biomethane injection into the transport or distribution network, to solutions for liquid biomethane.
Besides, thanks to Pietro Fiorentini’s biogas upgrading solutions, contaminants and inert substances that lower calorific value are eliminated from the biogas, transforming it into biomethane.
By directly detecting the criteria of the system continuously, we can manage the automation remotely and automatically and promptly inform of any anomalies.
Cases of successful projects
Boosting steelmaking efficiency: In order to use the process gas into a 2MW steam boiler, we have recently supplied a gas booster with knock-out drum for fine filtration of solid contaminants and temperature control system to cool the gas at the temperature required by the burner.
Pioneers in biomethane production: Biokomp has provided the biogas treatment and compression for the first biomethane plant in Italy already in 2014. Our systems can be applied to different upgrading technologies (membrane, scrubbing, PSA) as well as direct injection of biomethane into the grid.
Biokomp offers a wide range of gas processing systems for microturbine applications with capacities ranging from 5 Nm3/h per hour to 5.000 Nm3/h. Our clean-up, dewatering and compression units are designed to operate with several fuel types (Natural gas, Wellhead gas, Associated Petroleum Gas, Biogas).
Our compressor series for CHP gas engines stands out for reliability, high efficiency, and easy maintenance, making them a perfect fit for your power generation project. Discover the unique advantages of Biokomp compressors, which combine high quality materials and special coatings to meet the heavy-duty requirements of an industrial power plant.
Pietro Fiorentini realises integrated and customised solutions along the entire biomethane chain, including the treatment of raw biogas, the feeding of biomethane into the grid, methane and CO2 liquefaction. Pietro Fiorentini is a member of the Board of Directors of the Italian Biogas Consortium and is founding member of the Biomethane Industrial Partnership.
In 2022, it was designed, built and installed the upgrading and injection plantin Cella Dati (Cremona) for the EGEA Group and Santini Agricoltura Rinnovabile. In operation since March, the system injects biomethane produced from livestock manure and plant biomass cultivated in the adjacent area into the distribution network.
Biogas and biomethane are different substances: biogas is a compound with a methane content of between 50 and 70 per cent, while biomethane is a biogas that has undergone a refining process to reach percentages of 97 per cent or more methane, ready to be injected into the transport and distribution grids.
Biomethane is a valuable ally in the energy transition process: it is a sustainable gas produced from the digestion of biomass, a raw material considered as waste that starts a virtuous circle in which the final by-product also finds a new use.
Incentives for biomethane supply chain
The Green Deal action plan, an agreement through which the European Union has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050, includes the promotion of an efficient use of energy resources for a clean and circular economy. This plan also fits in with the themes pursued by REPowerEU, including energy security and clean energy production.
The increase in the production and use of biomethane is receiving a strong boost thanks to incentives promoted at European level to make this important resource economically sustainable. This represents a tangible contribution not only in the race to achieve the objectives set at EU and national level, but also in regard to the challenge posed by the energy transition that now involves the entire planet.
In 2022, the European Commission approved a new incentive scheme for biomethane production, which will be funded with €1.7 billion through the NRRP. The funding will be used to support the construction of new or converted sustainable biomethane production facilities, with a special focus on biogas production related to agricultural activities.
Incentives for biomethane production (article in Italian)
Expertise areas
Hydrogen
Hydrogen combustion does not release carbon dioxide, but rather steam, and it is easier to transport and store than electricity. This makes hydrogen the ideal ally for renewable energy production.
Today, hydrogen can only be injected into the pipeline network and blended with natural gas up to certain percentages: we are commited to creating systems and devices that can overcome this limit.
Water
Water is a primary resource, a basic necessity for life, and as such requires proper management from all points of view: institutional, environmental and economic.
The sector’s current objective is to automate the process through the digitalisation of water networks, thereby optimising resources and data management to optimise management and minimise the loss of unaccounted-for water, whether through leaks or fraud.
E-fuels
Methanation process has many advantages, including the possibility of storing electricity in the form of renewable methane in gas infrastructures, capturing carbon dioxide for later use, and replacing a fossil source as it can be directly used in heating or vehicles as a drop-in replacement fuel.
Pietro Fiorentini’s technological solution relies on a biological methanation process to generate renewable methane. The biology for this process is developed by MicroPyros BioEnerTec GmbH™, part of Pietro Fiorentini Group.
Gas smart grids
Smart Grids, which integrate different types of energy and make autonomous decisions to optimise energy distribution, are an ambitious project that will, in the very near future, manage energy through networks capable of instantaneously regulating multiple, discontinuous and bidirectional flows.
Power-to-gas
Managing ‘green electrons’ over time and space is important to obtain as much energy as possible when renewable sources such as the sun and the wind are available.
Power-to-gas, a technology that transforms surplus electricity into gas molecules that can be transported over long distances at low cost and can offer the possibility to seasonally store renewable energy, is the answer.
Cathodic protection
When iron and steel come into contact with an electrolyte, such as soil, a phenomenon called electrolytic corrosion occurs in any infrastructure made of metal.
Electrolytic corrosion cannot be completely eliminated, but specific measures can be taken in the design and construction phases to significantly reduce its effects.
