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08.09.2011
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Eco-friendly biomethane from Industriepark Höchst
Undersecretary Mark Weinmeister and Mayor Petra Roth commission innovative biomethane-upgrading plant – Joint project between Infraserv Höchst and Mainova AG
Eco-friendly biomethane is now being produced at Industriepark Höchst. The new biomethane-upgrading plant at Industriepark Höchst was jointly commissioned by Mark Weinmeister, Undersecretary in the Hesse Ministry of the Environment; Petra Roth, the Mayor of Frankfurt; Roland Mohr, Managing Director of Infraserv Höchst; Constantin H. Alsheimer, CEO of Mainova AG; and Sabine Kuhlus and Heinrich Lienkamp, Managing Directors of Infranova Bioerdgas GmbH. The new plant was built as a joint project of Mainova, a utility, and Infraserv Höchst, the industrial park's operator. The partners co-founded Infranova Bioerdgas GmbH to operate the facility. The plant upgrades biogas produced at Industriepark Höchst from organic waste and sewage sludge to pipeline-quality methane and then injects it into the public grid.
Undersecretary Weinmeister: Important part of the move toward renewable energy
"Biomass-derived energy is an important part of Hesse's move toward renewable energy. Green heat and power is playing a growing role in our region's economy. Biomass and biogas, however, have a crucial advantage over other renewable energy sources: They can be stored and used to generate power on days where there is not enough sun or wind to produce energy with solar cells or windmills," said Undersecretary Mark Weinmeister. Frankfurt Mayor Petra Roth said, "We can manage our industrial policy, as evidenced by Mainova and Infraserv Höchst's strong relationship in the name of sustainability."
Roland Mohr: Energy efficiency is an ongoing challenge
Roland Mohr emphasized that the need to efficiently and cost-effectively supply energy at industrial sites can easily be reconciled with eco-friendly and sustainable energy strategies that include greater use of renewable energy. "We face the ongoing challenge of streamlining the energy supply and distribution system at our park, primarily by optimizing costs in the interest of our customers. However, efficient energy use helps us to conserve natural resources, too. Our successful energy mix proves that alternative energy can be used effectively in an industrial setting, too," Roland Mohr said.
Alsheimer: Contribution to regional climate protection
Mainova CEO Constantin H. Alsheimer, noted, "This modern plant represents a significant contribution to climate protection in the Rhine-Main Region. It helps reduce natural gas consumption, which is already an eco-friendly energy source. And it demonstrates the exceptional technical abilities of the Mainova Group and Infraserv Höchst." Alsheimer added, "This new plant is a major component of our generation strategy until 2015: Mainova AG plans to invest EUR 500 million in efficient and climate-friendly heat and power generation plants."
Biogas plant supplies electricity and steam from waste
The biogas processed in the new upgrading plant comes from the nearby biogas plant that Infraserv Höchst commissioned in 2007. It generates biogas from sewage sludge produced at the site along with organic wastes such as fermentation residues, spoiled food or other digestible waste. The plant, one of the largest of its kind in Germany, uses an innovative new method of processing industrial sewage sludge with co-substrates. Unlike many other biogas plants, the facility in Industriepark Höchst does not use food crops.
Until now, the biogas had been used in downstream packaged co-generation units to generate electricity and steam for manufacturers at Industriepark Höchst. It is much more efficient, however, to upgrade the biogas to pipeline quality and inject it into the public grid.
State-of-the-art engineering
As the new plant's operator, Infranova invested a total of EUR 5 million in the project. The plant first strips out all unwanted substances from the biogas. Next, the raw biogas is compressed to grid pressure. Liquefied gas is added until the gas reaches the necessary calorific value. Finally, the biomethane is odorized and injected into the public natural gas grid. Infranova's plant stands out for its use of two state-of-the-art features. First, it uses amine scrubbing to upgrade the raw biogas to pipeline quality. Second, its level of methane slip (uncontrolled escape of methane) is extremely low, mainly because the amine scrubbing process is highly effective and minimizes methane slip as much as technically possible.
The new plant will produce up to 80 million kilowatt-hours of biomethane per year – enough to supply about 4,000 households. Replacing conventional natural gas with climate-friendly biomethane from Industriepark Höchst conserves our finite natural gas supplies and eliminates around 16,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year.
The new biomethane-upgrading plant was officially commissioned by (from left to right): Constantin H. Alsheimer, CEO of Mainova AG; Mark Weinmeister, Undersecretary in the Hesse Ministry of the Environment; Petra Roth, Mayor of Frankfurt; Roland Mohr, Managing Director of Infraserv Höchst; and Sabine Kuhlus and Heinrich Lienkamp, Managing Directors of Infranova Bioerdgas GmbH.
© 2011 Infraserv GmbH & Co. Höchst KG 
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About Mainova:
Mainova AG is one of Germany's largest regional utilities. A publicly traded company based in Frankfurt/Main, it supplies around one million people in Hesse and neighboring German states with electricity, natural gas, heat and water each day. It also serves numerous businesses throughout Germany. In 2010, the Mainova Group employed nearly 2,900 people and generated around
About Infraserv Höchst:
Infraserv Höchst operates advanced technical infrastructure for the chemical, pharmaceutical and related process industries. It is the Frankfurt-based operator of Industriepark Höchst. Infraserv GmbH & Höchst KG supplies companies with energy and utilities, disposes of various wastes, and provides business space and infrastructure. Its service portfolio also includes environmental, security and safety services as well as health products. The wholly owned subsidiaries of the Infraserv Höchst Group include Infraserv Logistics, Provadis Partner für Bildung und Beratung GmbH, and Technion, a provider of pilot plant services.
Infraserv GmbH & Co. Höchst KG has 1,900 employees and 140 trainees on its payroll. The Infraserv Höchst Group has 2,700 employees and 171 trainees. In 2010, Infraserv Höchst and its subsidiaries generated approx. EUR 1.2 billion in revenues.
Industriepark Höchst is home to some 90 companies in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, basic and specialty chemicals, crop protection, food additives and services. Some 22,000 people come to work at Industriepark Höchst. The site covers 460 hectares (1,137 acres); 50 hectares are still available for use. The companies at Industriepark Höchst invested around EUR 495 million in the site in 2010. Total investment since 2000 amounts to roughly
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