M1RCENJournal, 1988, 4, 151-158

24 Status of biomethanation development

in the Philippines

P.F. Ventura
Central Azucarera de Tarlac SA, Metro Manila, Philippines

Introduction
The commercial utilization of biogas is an accepted practice in many developed
countries like Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the United States
and many others. In the Philippines, however, the commercial production of biogas
from agro-industrial wastes is still in the development stage with only two known
successful users of the process.
Considering that our country is basically agriculture based, raw material for
biomethanation abounds owing to the number of livestock farms and alcohol
distilleries and the production of agricultural residues. Full exploitation of the
industrial utilization of these raw materials for energy and power could significantly
reduce dependence on imported fuel oil and improve the country's economy. Apart
from energy and power, solid and liquid biofertilizers are produced that could
supplement imported commercial inorganic fertilizers. However the drawback of
biomethanation development at present is the lack of financial support and the limited
experience in the field.
The two major agro-industrial enterprizes that have commercialized the bio-
methanation process are: the Maya Farm located in the Antipolo Hills of Rizal
Province, 30 km south of Manila, and the Central Azucarera de Tarlac, located in
Tarlac Province, 125 km north of Manila. The basic raw materials are hog manure and
distillery slops with filter cake, respectively.

Biogas production and utilization in the Maya Farm

The Maya Farm is the first enterprize to produce and use biogas on a large industrial
scale. Its present livestock population of more than 25 000 pigs produces over 18 tons
of manure per day. The methane digester is a set of several units made in concrete
(Fig. 1). The units are fed once a month with a mixture of manure and water in a ratio
of 1:4. The temperature is mesophilic. No heating is required because the ambient
temperature is tropical. After metering and partial purification, the biogas is stored in
a multiple gasholder for energy and power generation (Fig. 2).
The plant produces roughly 1158 m 3 of biogas daily. About 1000 m 3 of biogas are
used to run an electric generator to produce 1500 kWh of electricity. The biogas is also
9 Oxford University Press 1988
 152 P. F. Ventura

Outlet valves

;i / I! 0'eers I
To CO2 scrubber =l~i

-~ ,',.,', ~ ,'', ~-,,.-

Plan

_ __~ lil~ .... ~ Ill II, .... Iii

Fig. 1 Fed-batch digesters for agro-industrial operations (Maya Farms, Antipolo).

used to heat the scalding tanks in the slaughterhouse. In the rendering plant, where
the bones, blood, meat scraps and other wastes are converted into feed materials, the
cooking and drying is done with biogas. In the meat-processing plant, the ham, bacon,
hotdogs, and meat loaves are processed with biogas. In the canning plant, biogas is
used in the preparation of the soup stocks and vegetables. The feed mill, which mixes
over 20 tons of feed daily to supply the piggery requirements, is powered by a four-
cylinder gasoline engine converted to run on biogas. Similar conditioned and
converted engines pump manure slurry and water with a total water-pumping capacity
of 400 gallons/min. The rest of the biogas is used to run a 12.5-kVA generator to light
the whole installation and 60-kVA generator to run the refrigeration unit at night.
The properties of the biogas produced are given in Table 1, and the mineral
composition of the solid and liquid effluent used as biofertilizer is given in Table 2.

Wastewater treatment of the Central Azucarera de Tarlac (CAT) distillery and sugar
factory
A pilot plant with a 120-m 3 capacity, with a cylindrical, mild-steel digester tank was