Biogas is an important source of renewable energy
Biogas is a mix of various types of gases, mainly methane and carbon dioxide, produced by bacterial fermentation, in the absence of oxygen and at a controlled temperature, from organic plant or animal waste. It is one of the most widely used alternative sources of renewable energy production since it can be easily converted into electricity and heat.
Biogas is generated from waste materials originating mainly from agricultural processes and livestock farms. Biomass is generally stored in special tanks or closed tanks. Under optimal and precise conditions, microorganisms transform the organic material first into acetic acid and hydrogen, and subsequently into carbon dioxide.
Wolf System designs and manufactures tanks for the production of biogas
Wolf System, with over 50 years of experience, ranks among the most important designers of buildings for agriculture and industry, including the construction of tanks for the production of biogas. Wolf System produces circular tanks made of reinforced concrete cast on site, based on its own steel formwork patent, which has sealed the success of Wolf System’s construction system over the decades in this sector.
One of the most recent projects is the construction of four circular concrete tanks for the “La Serenissima” breeding farm located in Calcinato, in the province of Brescia. More in detail, a recirculation tank, a mixing tank, a 25-metre diameter fermenter and a 32-metre diameter post-fermenter were built. A modern and efficient biogas production plant that represents a solution for circular energy production because it allows energy to be produced from what would otherwise become discarded waste.
Wolf System relies on Pittini steel for its projects
In order to fabricate the foundation rafts, vertical walls, central pillars and slabs, more than 70 tonnes of electro-welded wire mesh and single bars, which were bent and shaped if necessary, were used. Electro-welded wire mesh and bars are essential elements for the construction of the reinforced concrete tanks constructed by Wolf System.
In order to reinforce the vertical walls of the circular tanks, custom-made electro-welded wire mesh was developed to speed up and simplify the assembly and installation of the framework on the construction site. This type of wire mesh is formed of longitudinal wires coupled together so that the sum of the surfaces of the wire pairs is equivalent to the area required by the structural calculation, but at the same time it is more flexible than the same panel of wire mesh that would be obtained with single wires of a larger diameter. With this solution it is therefore possible to lay the mesh panel on the curved formwork without previously calendering the framework, optimising not only the installation phase but also the transportation and storage at the construction site.
Most of the wire meshes utilised feature “overlapping tails” that provide the correct longitudinal and transversal overlap foreseen in the calculation phase while avoiding the use of unnecessary material that could adversely affect the adherence to the concrete cover.
The electro-welded reinforcements planned for the vertical walls completely replace the use of machined iron, allowing a considerable reduction in the time required for the use of manpower and guaranteeing a high degree of precision in installation because the pitch of the reinforcement is always constant and in compliance with the project specifications.
The collaboration between Wolf System and the Pittini Group is a long-standing and consolidated partnership based on the reliability guaranteed by Pittini steel, the punctuality of delivery times and the close cooperation between the technical, sales and logistics departments of the two companies.