New Trends in Substrates and Biogas Systems in Poland

The amendment to the Polish Renewable Energy Act creates great opportunities for the development of the biogas market in Poland. Years of experience in biogas production in Western Europe and the development of biogas installations in Poland indicate the requirement to look for alternative substrates to those produced from dedicated crop production (mainly maize silage). Feasible solutions include the use of biodegradable waste from agriculture or industry as well as municipal landfill sites. The usage of these substrates in the methane fermentation process offers low cost, high biogas production and the safe management of biowaste. The arguments for using them in biogas installations are persuasive. This article presents new approaches of biogas plant installation solutions which allows for the effective fermentation of biowaste from animal and vegetable production, from the agro-food industry and from municipal waste.