Kirk secures contract in Honduras

Kirk Group has secured its first anaerobic digestion and biogas project in Honduras.

This would be the first project of its kind in the region, where palm oil biogas plants are popular for the generation of renewable energy.

Kirk will design, supply and install one 6,000m³ glass-fused-to-steel tank complete with the industry-leading Biodome double membrane roof. This will be an addition to the existing biogas plant located within the Oil Mill Plant of Aceites y Derivados, Aceydesa, made up of 15 cascading fat traps and four opened anaerobic lagoons.

Due to the oil extraction process from treating 60 tonnes per hour of fresh fruit bunches, approximately 272,000m³ of palm oil mill effluent (POME) is generated. By treating the POME in the existing open anaerobic lagoons, a high level of methane is released in the atmosphere.

The addition of the new anaerobic digester will result in the methane produced being captured in the digester roof where it will be treated and used as renewable electricity and exported to the national grid. This new process will eliminate approximately 28,000 tonnes of CO2 being released in the atmosphere every year.

Other benefits of the addition include: reducing the dependence of fossil fuels in the region’s energy sector, improving air quality, reducing the odour caused by the degrading of the organic matter contained in the POME and the creation of job opportunities for the surrounding communities including construction and operation of the new improved plant. The project is set to commence in January 2014 and is expected to take one month to complete.