Environment and circular economy transition in China

The project supports the deployment of biomethane and other renewable energies through different activities:

·       Construction of a new pilot biomethane plant: During the project implementation period, the project will develop a replicable flagship biomethane pilot plant based on German Best Available Techniques (BAT) and Best Environmental Practices (BEP) in Inner Mongolia. The plant will treat 400 tons of swine manure and 37 tons of corn straw daily from the nearby farms with a biomethane production capacity exceeding 10,000 m3 per day and 50,000 tons of organic fertilizer per year.

·       Installation and Test of a modern monitoring system: An online monitoring system for biogas plants in China will be established and applied in order to collect real-time data and measurable indicators from different biomethane plants and transfer to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. Furthermore, the pilot biomethane plant will be equipped with an automatic control system that measures inputs (i.e. amount of feedstock) and outputs (gas quality and quantity) of the biomethane plant. 

·       Formulation of policy recommendations and standards for biomethane plant: A policy committee consisting of experts from GIZ, REEA, GICON, Evonik and Binder as well as experienced international and national experts from academy, industry, and government will provide their policy recommendations based on the implementation experience from the Sino-German cooperation biomethane pilot plant and the collected data from the online monitoring system. The recommendations will include global benchmarks and best practices regarding environmental, technical and governance aspects.

·       Capacity building: A systematic training programme on design, construction, operation, maintenance and data connection will be developed. Along with the trainings, onsite visits at the biomethane pilot plant will help the relevant practitioners to understand and to be engaged in the learning process.

·       Establishment of a web-based knowledge and exchange platform: The frequent exchange between German and Chinese biogas industry is limited currently but necessary in the long term. The project aims at involving relevant stakeholder to join the strategic alliance of China’s biomethane sector for further knowledge sharing. By facilitating the exchanges and dialogues among the participants, this platform will play a significant role in establishing the foundation for future potential cooperation.