An integrated biogas production and upgrading facility was opened as a joint project of LABIO and Gasum in Kujala, Lahti, on March 5.
The facility will produce 50 GWh of upgraded biogas from 44,000 tonnes of waste per year. The Kujala facility is the largest producer of upgraded biogas in Finland in terms of production capacity, Gasum said in a statement.
The Kujala facility is capable of using raw materials such as biowaste from homes, industry and retail operators. Sludge from wastewater purification plants can also be processed by the facility.
From the LABIO waste processing process biogas moves on to the Gasum upgrading facility from where upgraded biogas is transmitted via the gas pipeline network to end customers.
The sludge, or digestate, created in the waste processing facility is composted into fertilizer or plant growth substrate products at Kujala. Heat energy from the composting process is also used to heat the biogas facility. This process on the whole helps save natural resources and represents the circular economy at its best, according to the statement.
The commissioning of the Kujala biogas facility began in October 2014, and full production capacity will be reached in phases by 2016. In addition to Kujala, Gasum feeds biogas into the gas network from Mäkikylä, Kouvola, and Suomenoja, Espoo.