Biomethane from beer and whiskey industry residues

German manufacturer WELTEC BIOPOWER is currently building a biomethane plant for the Irish company Evergreen Agricultural Enterprises Limited. The plant at the company’s headquarters in Monasterevin, County Kildare, will go into operation in mid-2026 after a total construction period of 11 months. The location offers the operator logistical advantages, among other things: “On the one hand, it is well connected to the M7 motorway. In addition, the national gas network for direct biomethane feed-in is in the immediate vicinity,” emphasises Patrick Meade, Managing Director of Evergreen.

No competition with feed production for use of input materials

The €50 million project comprises four digesters and one stainless-steel secondary digester, each with a volume of 4,900 cubic metres. These are mainly used to ferment production residues and by-products from the Irish beer and whiskey industry. The materials are readily available and do not compete with feed production, as they are unsuitable for animal feed. Three additional tanks are used to store liquid substrates. “Despite its size, the plant, with an annual processing capacity of 165,000 tonnes, will be built in just six months of pure construction time. Construction is proceeding according to plan and mechanical completion is scheduled for the end of this year,” says Tobias Gerweler, Managing Director of WELTEC BIOPOWER. “The decision not to use grass silage was a conscious one, so that we would not be competing with the livestock industry,” Patrick Meade continues. A combined heat and power plant (CHP) installed on site generates around 1 megawatt of power for the operation of the plant and supplies heat for the digesters.

Hourly production of 1,300 cubic metres of biomethane

Three rotating long-axis agitators and three submersible motor agitators in the tanks support the effective digestion of the substrate mix. The biogas is collected in the digesters with double-membrane roofs and processed into biomethane using membrane technology. It then enters the public gas grid 20 metres away via the feed-in point. Once commissioned, the plant will produce around 1,300 standard cubic metres of biomethane per hour – equivalent to around 110 GWh of energy per year. The annual output of 65,000 tonnes of digestate is stored in a covered concrete lagoon and delivered to farmers separately as liquid and solid fractions.

By 2030: 5.7 terawatt-hours of biomethane per year

“The fact that German manufacturer WELTEC BIOPOWER was awarded the contract to build the largest plant in Ireland to date was due not only to the technical advantages mentioned above, but also to the short delivery times,” emphasises Managing Director Patrick Meade. This will also enable Ireland to achieve its ambitious expansion targets for biomethane production: the government aims to produce 5.7 terawatt-hours (TWh) of biomethane annually by 2030. To achieve this, existing biogas plants for biomethane processing would have to be expanded, and technically mature plants such as the one built by Evergreen in Kildare would have to be planned and constructed.

Dominik Wiese is the new Head of Sales EMEA at ZIEMANN HOLVRIEKA. At the expert for tanks and process technology for the brewing, beverage and liquid food industries, Dominik Wiese will be responsible for the regions of Europe, Middle East, Africa and Central Asia.

From 2008 to 2011, Dominik Wiese studied economics with a focus on international business administration and marketing at the Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University. He can look back on more than 10 years of professional experience in the sales of mechanical components for the international pharmaceutical, biotech, food and beverage industries.

Elopak and Nippon Paper Industries sign Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen partnership and advance collaborative efforts in the field of liquid-paper packaging.

Elopak ASA and Nippon Paper Industries Co., Ltd have signed a comprehensive Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The agreement covers further collaboration between the two companies, looking at how potential business can be jointly developed and organised given their respective expertise, assets and networks.

Nippon Paper Industries, the largest liquid packaging player in Japan, is concentrating efforts in the field of paper packaging with the goal of contributing to the enrichment of people’s lives and the development of culture under the slogan of “Pioneering the future together with trees.” Based on the slogan “What can be done with paper,” Nippon Paper pursues the potential of paper packaging born from wood, a renewable resource, and offers a variety of proposals.

Elopak, a leading global supplier of carton packaging and filling equipment, offers sustainable packaging solutions that provide a natural and convenient alternative to plastic bottles. The MoU aligns with Elopak’s ambitions to meet the rising demand for sustainable packaging solutions by pursuing a growth strategy centered on investment in innovation; the pursuit of new business opportunities in existing and new markets across both fresh and aseptic markets; and driving the plastic to carton conversion.

The two companies have worked closely together for many years. In March 2016 they signed a product licensing agreement that allows Nippon Paper to manufacture and sell certain Pure-Pak® cartons in Japan. When Elopak listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange in June 2021, Nippon Paper entered into a cornerstone agreement to acquire shares equivalent to 5.0 % of the share capital.

Under the MoU a Steering Committee will be established, tasked with selecting and implementing collaborative themes that leverage the strengths of both companies, while increasing competitiveness and expanding sales of paper packaging to accelerate the move toward a low carbon circular economy.

Collaboration between Nippon and Elopak is built on the companies’ shared commitment to sustainability and innovation. Both companies are members of the United Nations Global Compact and incorporate the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into their development strategies. They also have a shared dedication to sustainable forest management and improved recycling of their paper products.

Commenting on the MoU Elopak CEO Thomas Körmendi stated, “We are delighted to be exploring the opportunities that exist for Elopak and Nippon to collaborate further. Building on our strong track record of working together to deliver for customers, we are excited by the opportunity to leverage our relative strengths and areas of expertise to drive the adoption of sustainable packaging solutions.”

Commenting on the MoU Nippon Managing Executive Officer and General Manager of Paper-Pak Sales Division Yasuhito Obayashi noted, “We are really excited by this opportunity to grow our strong relationship with Elopak and are looking forward to collaborative value creation based on both companies’ deep expertise and strength that delivers sustainable packaging solutions to market.”