Hungary’s First Biogas Upgrading Plant Goes Online!

The city of Zalaegerszeg in Hungary inaugurated a groundbreaking new technology to convert their waste sludge to fuel at the municipal wastewater treatment plant. The ceremony was attended by various city officials, members of the project managing team, as well as delegate of the media. The facility was designed and commissioned by UTB Envirotec Kft. The project financing was jointly supported by the European Union, the Hungarian Government and the Municipality of Zalaegerszeg.

„Converting waste sludge to fuel (in the form of compressed Biomethane) is a cutting edge technology that will gain worldwide appeal due to the dwindling supply of oil and other non-renewable fuels”, commented Sunny Bhasin, CEO UTB Envirotec Kft.

„This innovative technology shows how we can live better lives without having to compromise our environment”, he further added. „By converting their waste sludge to fuel that is utilized by city owned vehicles, the municipality of Zalaegerszeg has made a bold step in protecting their environment, reducing their carbon footprint as well as implementing a future proof sustainable solution that will serve as an example for cities in the region”, concluded Mr. Bhasin.

Some words about the technology:

A wastewater treatment plant produces clean water and sludge. Sludge is further processed to produce Biogas and digested organic solids using the fermentation process. Biogas consists of Methane (~ 65%), Carbon dioxide (~ 35%) and minimal quantities (< 1%) of Hydrogen Sulfide and other gases. In order to use it as a fuel for vehicles, the biogas must be upgraded to Natural gas quality levels by removal of Carbon dioxide and the other gases present. After upgrading, the clean Methane rich biogas, now known as Bio-Methane, is compressed to high pressures (~250 bars), stored in cylinders and filled into vehicles. Vehicles using Bio-Methane fuel have dramatically lower emissions than those driven by non-renewable CNG, petrol or diesel. As Bio-Methane is derived from waste in a net energy positive process, vehicles driven on Bio-Methane represent a very clean and practical form of energy that actually helps in greening of the environment. This 100% renewable fuel, if adopted on a wider scale, can provide a sustainable and future-proof solution for vehicle fuel and reduce our dependence on non-renewable resources.