Botala Energy Solutions: Produce cheap electricity from agricultural waste
Botala Energy Solutions offers farmers and agribusinesses in Africa an opportunity to cost-effectively generate electricity from agricultural waste. By producing their own power, farmers can drastically reduce (even eliminate) dependence on the national grid.
Botala is one of the first engineering companies in South Africa to provide turnkey renewable energy power plants of all sizes. The head office of the company is located in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Our service portfolio not only includes the feasibility design, engineering and construction of waste-to-energy plants such as biogas and syngas, but also solar PV plants including technical services such as energy optimisation and operational support. Whether utilising gas directly for heating or converting it into electricity, Botala offers a one-stop solution to suit the customer’s specific needs.
As the demand for renewable energy increases and environmental awareness rises in Africa, Botala is well-positioned to provide a better alternative energy solution to this incredible continent.
Botala Energy Solutions: Anaerobic digestion technology
Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a biological process that produces a gas principally composed of methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2), otherwise known as biogas. Typical applications for biogas are for energy generation through generator engines, hot water and steam boilers, direct-to-air gas heaters and gas distribution for stove-top cooking needs.
AD is a great technology to be applied when a high-moisture-containing waste source is available. Usually, the processing and disposal of these types of organic slurries are difficult and are mostly associated with generating bad odours, flies and creating groundwater contamination problems. AD solves this problem by breaking down all the volatile organic compounds into biogas. The process also kills all pathogens and reduces the biological oxygen demand (BOD) of the slurry to near zero in order to safely spread it on agricultural land or grassland and lawns as a fertiliser without the problem of bad odours or groundwater contamination usually associated with slurry disposal.
Treatable wastes
The type of waste materials that suit AD well are all manure slurries (pig, cow, chicken, human); food-waste (food processing plants such as fruit juice, soya press, abattoirs, restaurant kitchen waste, etc.); and energy crops (sugar beets, switchgrass, soya beans and corn). Each raw material needs to be processed in its own unique way in order to best prepare it for optimal digestion.
Capacity range
Biogas plants can range in sizes from tens of kilowatts to megawatts, depending on the availability of organic raw materials and the requirement of the user. Botala offers AD plants of any size on a wide range of raw material substrates. We can provide turnkey solutions or other engineering services as required by the client.
BOTALA CASE STUDY
Botala Energy Solutions: Biogas a reality
Biogas – producing energy while getting rid of waste – really does work in South Africa.
Large biogas plants have been going up all over the country, with staggeringly consistent results. In the Heidelberg district, on Caesarsvlei Equestrian Estate, the farmer’s Eskom electricity bill has gone down by three quarters, and he feeds his biogas plant (25kW capacity and minimum footprint of 15 x 20m), with only two tonnes of chicken manure a week.
An 80 kW plant is being commissioned at the Tshwane Food and Energy Centre just outside of Bronkhorstspruit, which will be fed with chicken and pig manure, as well as silage. Even fruit pulp can be used in a biogas plant, as proven at the 3.5 MW thermal plant in Tarlton, which combines its feedstock with silage and manure.
All of these plants actually do work. They produce a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide, which can be used to generate electricity, replace LPG gas for all general uses, for heating systems and boilers, or even running chillers from generator heat recovery systems.
Botala is one of the first engineering companies to bring the concept to South African farms and industries in an affordable and feasible form. Every farm, industry and business is different and has its own specific needs. Botala engineers will visit your farm or business, evaluate your unique situation, and develop a specific solution for you.
With a biogas plant on your farm, you can simultaneously address your problems with electricity costs and manure disposal. Botala offers turn-key package installations and custom engineered solutions for your farm or factory. Convert your manure stockpiles or manure-pond into energy and generate electricity in order to protect your business against the Eskom price escalations.
For any questions, you can mail us at marketing@agri4africa.com or visit our site for other exciting business opportunities!
Contact details
Backsaver Farming Equipment
PEET STEYN. +27 72 340 6234
ELVIS NTSOANE. +27 82 824 6221
MAIL. info@botala.co.za
