Biomass Processing in the Philippines Made Possible by BHS Biogrinders

March 11, 2022

Dole Inc. generates large amounts of pineapple waste, which the world’s leading supplier of fresh fruit uses to produce biogas in the Philippines. The company is looking to generate around 8 MW of power at the two plants each year in the future. To achieve this goal, Dole is deploying a Biogrinder from BHS to efficiently process substrate.

Pineapple waste, the main raw material for local biogas production, has a high energy content. To facilitate the uptake of nutrients from the waste by the microorganisms in the fermenters, it must first be defibered to achieve reliable, efficient gas production. Defibering und crushing technology from BHS-Sonthofen plays a key role in this step. MEBA Biogas, which is the exclusive distribution partner of BHS-Sonthofen and also supplies feed-in and processing systems for Dole’s biogas plants in the Philippines, installed the first of two Biogrinders in 2021. The RBG 08 Biogrinder, including the screw unit and control system, went into operation at the production facility in Surallah in August 2021, where it has been used to defiber pineapple waste ever since.

The RBG 08 Biogrinder is currently able to process up to 40 metric tons of waste an hour, while also delivering maximum energy efficiency. The contaminant-resistant Biogrinder can be fitted with two, three, or four hammers on each level. In Hardox or stainless-steel models, this can be done on up to two levels. As an added plus, tool changes and upgrades can be carried out in just a few steps. The second Dole biogas plant currently under construction at the Polomolok facility in the Philippines is expected to go online in early 2022, according to METPower’s estimates. It will be using the same feed-in system, including the Biogrinder, as well.