The company Možura plans to build a power plant for the production of electricity from landfill biogas at the Možura landfill location. This is evident in the request for a decision on the need for an environmental impact assessment report submitted by the company to the Environmental Protection Agency.
The document states that the construction of the biogas power plant is planned at the Možura landfill location, on the plateau next to the existing incineration plant with an eco-torch.
The total area of this plot is 24 hectares, and the space is intended for a sanitary landfill and a recycling center. All four sanitary cells are located on this site, as well as the complete infrastructure necessary for the efficient operation of a modern sanitary landfill.
The future biogas power plant will have a capacity of 0.999 MW, and the entire facility will be positioned next to the existing incineration plant with an eco-torch. The space for collecting (aspiration), treatment, burning, and electricity production from biogas occupies an area of 1,200 m2.
The document reminds that the municipalities of Bar and Ulcinj have built a modern regional landfill for the disposal of municipal waste at the Možura location in Bar.
The goal of landfill gas (LFG) extraction is its conversion into a useful form of energy, i.e., the production of electricity and hot water by burning landfill biogas produced in sanitary cells. It is estimated that every million tons of solid municipal waste in the landfill can produce approximately 300 m3 of LFG per minute.
As explained, biogas power plants are facilities that use the bacteriological process called anaerobic digestion (for obtaining biogas from animal manure, other organic fertilizers, energy crops, and agricultural residues). Anaerobic digestion is a stable and proven technology that provides a solution for energy supply, with care for the environment.
By converting waste into energy, biogas power plants reduce unpleasant odors and pathogenic bacteria, produce high-quality fertilizer, and significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Unlike “fossil” natural gas, biogas is a carbon-neutral renewable energy source. Of all renewable energy sources (sun, wind, water), biogas is the most significant for environmental protection.
The Možura landfill itself consists of a landfill body, a landfill gas treatment system, a basin for receiving runoff water, a plant for treating and discharging runoff water, an external drainage system for collecting surface atmospheric water and wheel wash water, waste measurement equipment, space for waste control and analysis, and space for temporary waste storage.
In order to manage waste more efficiently and operate the landfill, this project includes the construction of a biogas power plant on the plateau next to the existing incineration plant with an eco-torch. The landfill gas generation system would consist of 1 + 1 container units to maximize the variability of landfill gas flow and maximize the operational life, as stated in the project description.
The elements of the biogas power plant include a pre-treatment platform, belt foundations for container generators, a shaft connection – a pipeline from the existing capture system, valves for directing the flow of landfill biogas, primary treatment removing moisture, secondary treatment of biogas removing H2S in activated carbon, container power generator 0.999 MW 1 (gen set1), container power generator 0.999 MW 2 (gen set2) – backup, stainless steel pipeline and insulated stainless steel pipeline, operational and safety valves, pit for receiving condensate water with a pump for transfer to the lagoon, other auxiliary installations, and the MBTS substation of the power plant for transforming the output voltage of the generator 0.4/10kV with cable duct to the existing substation 10/0.4kV.
The position of the construction of the newly planned power plant will be connected to the existing infrastructure. There is a dirt road near the power plant, while it connects to an asphalt road in the immediate vicinity, which is connected to other facilities at the landfill.
The use of biogas cogeneration plants – CHP technology ensures higher overall energy efficiency. In addition to producing electricity, these plants efficiently generate heat from the unit burning landfill biogas. Landfill biogas CHP projects can use the energy through internal combustion engines, gas turbines, or microturbine technologies.
The Možura sanitary landfill will use technology for the production of electricity from LFG. The biogas plant will consist of two container generator sets with a capacity of 0.999 MW, which will be connected in parallel and positioned on belt foundations. The two sets will not operate simultaneously, but in case of problems or the cessation of one, the other will take over its role.
The generators will be connected to the substation of the output voltage 0.4/10kV with cable duct to the existing substation 10/0.4kV. Before entering the generators, the gas will go through two types of pretreatment, primary and secondary. Primary treatment includes cooling and compression of biogas, removing particles and moisture. Secondary treatment uses a series of purification procedures, chemical and physical, based on final use.
The document also states that the technology for the production of electricity from LFG includes internal combustion engines. This is, as explained, the most commonly used conversion technology when it comes to LFG due to its relatively low cost, high efficiency, and the size of the engine that provides biogas extraction on many landfills.
Internal combustion engines are used on landfills where there is the possibility of extracting enough biogas to produce 800 kW to 3 MW or where sustainable landfill biogas flow rates in engines are approximately 500 to 1850 m3/h at 50% methane. Several engines can be combined for projects larger than 3 MW – it is stated, among other things, in the document.
