Myths and facts about the effectiveness of enzymes in biogas plants

Myths and facts about the effectiveness of enzymes in biogas plants

Funded by the Agency for Renewable Resources (FNR), a study on the effectiveness of enzyme additives in biogas production was published in April 2015. In a press release, the FNR summed up the results in a short, lurid denominator: “Effectiveness not clearly proven.”
Even at the time, leading enzyme technology companies – including BIOPRACT – questioned key results of the study and demonstrated gross procedural errors (see article “When biogas meets science”). This was all the more annoying because recognized experts from industry had repeatedly offered to cooperate with the authors of the study beforehand, but were met with rejection. Yet the study contains a large number of positive findings and important insights!
Five years have passed since the study was published and it has largely fallen out of the industry’s focus. Especially since the manufacturers continued to work on optimizing their enzyme preparations and as a result launched the next generation of enzyme products on the market – e.g. UltraPract®, UltraSweep® and ViscoPract® from BIOPRACT. Their effectiveness has not only been proven in extensive laboratory tests, but has also been confirmed by operators in practical applications in numerous biogas plants. (see Biopract ABT references).
Nevertheless, once a myth is out in the world, it persists. The study is still used when it comes to assessing the effectiveness of enzymes for optimizing biogas plants. At the Bavarian Biogas Conference in Dingolfing on 12 February 2020, for example, the use of enzymes for process optimization was dismissed as unsuitable on the basis of a study conducted by the FNR in 2015. Instead of incorporating facts and new findings into the assessment, a myth is still being invoked.

At the same conference, the topic of “profitability” was also on the agenda. Dr. Stefan Rauh, Managing Director of the German Biogas Association, expressed the following opinion: “Contrary to the hopes and expectations of many, market prices have not risen to such an extent that biogas electricity could actually be produced economically in the medium term without subsidies. This is due to the fact that not all negative effects of fossil fuels and nuclear energy have been included in their cost calculation, the costs of providing electricity from photovoltaics and wind energy in particular have fallen enormously and the flexibility and guaranteed availability of biogas feed-in is only remunerated to a rudimentary extent in the still “fossil” market structures in the electricity sector.”

So far, so bad. The others are to blame for the inadequate profitability of biogas production.
In addition to remuneration, there is a real starting point for increasing the profitability of biogas plants: In which the costs for the substrate mix in the biogas plant are reduced. The simple formula for this is: “More manure, less maize”. BIOPRACT has developed the highly effective UltraPract® product line for this purpose. The patent granted in 2019 underlines the innovative character and convincing proof of efficacy of these 2nd generation biogas enzymes. Welcome effects of the enzyme additions: gas production in the fermenter and thus the gas yield in the biogas process is increased, the amount of fermentation residue is reduced and plant operation is stabilized. THAT is a contribution to increasing the efficiency of the biogas plant!
Visit the website of our sales company BIOPRACT ABT. There you will find more facts about our enzyme-based products.

Do you have questions about our products? Many of them may already be answered in our FAQ section (www.biopract-abt.de). Did you know, for example, that the selection and quantity of preparations is always individually dosed according to the requirements of the respective plant? Of course, our Biopract ABT consultants are also available for a personal consultation.

For more information on the FNR study from 2015 – and reactions to it – please refer to the following documents:

We will be happy to support you in the future with innovative ideas that will make your biogas plant more economical, more efficient and less prone to malfunctions.