“The peristaltic pump was one of my best purchases in recent years“, says Carsten Rube. The biogas plant operator, farmer and agricultural entrepreneur knows exactly what he is talking about. He has had to invest heavily in equipment and technology since he started producing biogas.
Before installing the LSM peristaltic pump on the farm in 2018, I had to climb into the pre-pit almost every fortnight”, the electricity producer and heat supplier for Korbach town hall reluctantly recalls. “Then I stood in the food waste to repair the rotary lobe pump which had been damaged by foreign bodies
Carsten Rube
Since the LSM peristaltic pump was installed at his company on the outskirts of Korbach in northern Hesse, it is finally finished.
But that’s not all.
Since the peristaltic pump transports the digestate from the pre-pit to the main fermenter, Rube enjoys a much easier and safer operation.
The peristaltic pump was one of my best purchases in recent years.
Carsten Rube
In contrast to the past, contaminants such as glass, bones or stones, which are still contained in the substrate despite an upstream screening unit, no longer interfere with the operation, as the peristaltic pump has a very large free passage.
The maintenance intervals are much longer. Carsten Rube tells us that he has to change the hose of his pump twice a year. Maintenance is quick and easy because the pump is installed at ground level in the hall and is therefore easily accessible.
Within a few hours, the pump is operational again. Without any negative impact on the biogas production process!
The throughput of the Korbach biogas plant is about 40 m3 per hour. At this flow rate, the LSM pump only runs for a few hours a day in order to supply the main fermenter with sufficient energy-rich substrate.
The LSM pump is also very economical. It only consumes about 7,300 kilowatt hours of electricity per year, which is less than 2% of the electricity consumption of the entire biogas plant, Rube calculates.
The fact that the biogas producer has to pay a slightly higher purchase price for an LSM pump than for lobe pumps is quite reasonable, says Carsten.
The service life is considerably longer and the maintenance costs are much lower.
I have been through a lot of tough times in recent years, but in view of the ambitious climate targets, waste-to-energy remains an indispensable element of a sustainable energy supply for the future.
Carsten Rube
Learn more about peristaltic pumps for biogas…
Find out how a peristaltic pump works…
20 November 2019
