Enhancing Productive Biogas Use in Mexico

The WISIONS-project "Removing barriers to Greenhouse Gas mitigation in medium scale agricultural livestock activities within Mexico" has been successfully concluded. "WISIONS of sustainability" is an initiative by the Wuppertal Institute supported by the Swiss-based foundation ProEvolution. Through SEPS (Sustainable Energy Project Support), WISIONS supports innovative energy projects.

The project was implemented by the International Renewable Resources Institute of Mexico (IRRI) with the main aim of demonstrating the feasibility of using converted gasoline motors for biogas generated mechanical and electrical energy, to further mechanise more than one million medium scale farms in Mexico, improve their productivity and efficiency and reduce their environmental burden.

The project comprised two main phases. In the first phase, complete productive biogas and water treatment systems were installed at four medium scale livestock farms. The biogas is used to meet the thermal energy demand at the farms and to generate electricity.

In the second phase, the project aimed to demonstrate the feasibility of adapting and applying commercial gasoline motors available in the Mexican market in order to provide mechanical and/or electric power to small and medium farmers by using their biogas.

The project has already led to significant advances in the application of biogas for small scale electric power (between 5 and 10 kW) and has opened the door to the further development of the technology. All the installed motors are currently under a monitoring and maintenance regime for the next 12 months to improve data on the operating parameters and benefits of these systems.