ENERPLUS is a premium enzyme blend optimised for biogas and biomethane plants that handle a variety of challenging feedstocks such as silage, bedding (straw), farmyard manure (FYM), and other animal wastes. It is formulated to be an all-in-one enzymatic solution to boost the breakdown of both fibrous and non-fibrous components, enabling a higher conversion of these substrates into biogas.
ENERPLUS is characterised by very high concentrations of active enzymes, achieved through lyophilization (freeze-drying) which preserves enzyme activity. For plants seeking to maximise methane yields, especially those loading large amounts of crop residues or manure, ENERPLUS offers a way to significantly improve digestion efficiency, reduce feedstock needs by up to 15%, and alleviate common operational issues like heavy mixing loads and pump clogging.
It is essentially a performance enhancer for AD plants aiming for top-tier output and stability.
Up to 15% Feedstock Reduction: ENERPLUS’s potent enzyme formula enables digesters to extract more biogas from each unit of feedstock, potentially allowing a reduction in feedstock use by up to 15% without loss of output. This directly cuts down the cost of feed materials or lets you divert that 15% elsewhere for additional energy production.
Lower Mixing Energy & Faster Throughput: By breaking down solids faster and more completely, ENERPLUS reduces viscosity and mixing difficulty, resulting in less power needed for agitators and a shorter time to homogenise the digester contents. This not only saves electricity but also means the digester can handle higher loading rates if desired.
Eliminates Pumping and Handling Problems: ENERPLUS helps ensure that tough fibrous bits and clumps are degraded. The outcome is a more pump-friendly slurry with minimal risk of clogging or sedimentation. Plants that struggled with straw or litter causing blockages will find operations run much smoother.
Highly Concentrated & Pure Enzymes: The enzymes in ENERPLUS are lyophilised for high purity and concentration. This means each dose packs a strong punch, and you’re not adding much inert material to the digester. It’s efficient in terms of storage, handling, and effect.
Ideal for High-Solids Feedstocks: If you are digesting a lot of silage (with stalky fibers), poultry litter, cattle manure, or straw, ENERPLUS is tailored for you. It can significantly improve the degradation of lignocellulosic material, which is often the bottleneck in those feedstocks.
Enhances Methane Production: Ultimately, by freeing up all the “trapped” organic matter in complex substrates, ENERPLUS boosts methane generation. This can be observed as a higher biogas yield per input tonne and possibly a higher methane content in biogas due to more complete digestion.
ENERPLUS works by introducing a suite of freeze-dried enzymes into the digester. Freeze-drying preserves the activity of enzymes at very high concentrations (no water weight, just active ingredient). Upon addition to the digester (which has plenty of water), these enzymes rehydrate and become active, targeting various components of the feedstock:
Cell Wall Degradation: The enzyme mix contains cellulases, hemicellulases, and lignin-modifying enzymes that attack plant cell walls. By breaking these walls, ENERPLUS releases the cell contents (carbohydrates, proteins, lipids) into the digestible pool. This is especially important for silage (grass, corn, etc.) and straw bedding, which have a lot of fibrous structure.
Starch and Fiber Conversion: Like COMBIZYME, it will have amylases for starch and other polysaccharidases for various fibers. The difference is ENERPLUS is more concentrated, so the rate of conversion is higher. The enzymes quickly reduce long polysaccharides into sugars which bacteria can ferment.
Protein Breakdown: Animal wastes contain undigested proteins; ENERPLUS likely also includes proteases that start breaking those into amino acids and peptides, making them available for acidogenic bacteria. This is helpful for manures.
High Dose of Enzymes: Because ENERPLUS is highly concentrated, the number of enzyme molecules in the digester per dose is very large. This ensures that even if your feeding is heavy, there are enough enzymes to work on all incoming material. High purity means minimal side reactions or inert load.
By speeding up hydrolysis, ENERPLUS ensures that the subsequent steps (acidogenesis, acetogenesis, methanogenesis) are continuously fed with substrates. It’s like turning the digestion process from a slow simmer to a rolling boil – everything proceeds more rapidly.
ENERPLUS makes 100% cell content available to bacteria, underscoring that it tries to leave no part of the substrate unutilised.
ENERPLUS is particularly effective in high-solids digesters or situations where retention time is limited, because in those scenarios, not everything would normally get digested. With ENERPLUS, you can either shorten the retention time or increase loading and still achieve full digestion.
ENERPLUS, given its concentration, is used at smaller doses than broader-spectrum but less concentrated products:
Dosage: The guideline given is 5 kg of ENERPLUS per day for a 1 MW plant, or 2.5 kg per day for a smaller plant (around 500 kW or so). This is a general recommendation; actual optimal dose could depend on feedstock type and VS load. To break that down:
For 1 MW (assuming ~20-25 tonne feed per day), 5 kg/day equates to 0.2 kg per tonne if 25 tonnes feed.
For 500 kW (~10-13 tonne feed per day), 2.5 kg/day is roughly the same ratio.
Method of Addition: Similar to other enzymes, add ENERPLUS daily with the feed. Because it’s so concentrated, it might come in a smaller bag size (2.5 or 5 kg bag). You can toss a bag in or open and sprinkle the content. As it’s also in biodegradable bags of that size, then dosing is super easy (one bag a day for 1 MW plant).
If your plant is exactly 1 MW, use 5 kg daily. If it’s larger, you might scale up proportionally (e.g., a 2 MW plant might need ~10 kg/day, or use two bags). If smaller than 500 kW, maybe use half of a 2.5 kg bag (they might provide measuring scoops or you weigh it out).
Integration: The enzymes should be introduced where they can mix well – either in the central mix of the digester or a premix tank. For instance, you could mix the dose in a bucket of warm water and pour it into the digester to ensure quick distribution. But since it dissolves in digestate anyway, it’s not absolutely required to pre-dissolve.
Timing: Add at feeding time so that new feed is immediately exposed to enzymes. If you feed continuously, you might split the enzyme into multiple doses through the day. If you feed batch-wise, just add with each batch.
Monitoring: You should expect to see a reduction in viscosity or an increase in biogas within a week or so. Keep an eye on stirring power consumption (some modern plants can monitor torque or power draw of mixers; a drop indicates easier mixing). Biogas composition might shift to slightly higher methane if previously a lot of VFA were leaving undigested.
Since ENERPLUS is potent, ensure to not drastically overdo it; follow recommended amounts, as extremely high enzyme levels may theoretically lead to too rapid fermentation (which could cause foaming or souring if acid production outpaces methanogenesis). However, at recommended levels, it should be balanced.
ENERPLUS comes in biodegradable bags of 5 kg or 2.5 kg. The packaging likely corresponds to common dosing units:
A 5 kg bag might be meant for larger plants (~1 MW/day).
A 2.5 kg bag for ~500 kW/day or for splitting for smaller plants.
Having them in small units makes it easier to dose accurately and maintain enzyme activity (you open a fresh bag when needed, not a big bag that sits open).
Storage: Similar to other enzyme products, store in a dry, cool place. Freeze-dried enzymes are generally stable but can slowly lose activity if exposed to moisture or high heat. Keep bags sealed until use. Maybe store in an airtight bin if the bag is opened and not all used.
Handling: With the small bag sizes, handling is straightforward. Just before use, you can either toss the bag in whole (if confirmed that it dissolves, which biodegradable suggests yes) or open and pour. If pouring, PPE like dust mask and gloves is advised, as the fine enzyme powder can be airborne and cause irritation or allergic sensitivity upon frequent exposure. The product is safe to handle with normal care, just avoid breathing it in or getting it in eyes.
After handling, wash your hands. If any residue is on the floor, clean it to avoid slick spots (enzyme + moisture can degrade material on floor making it slippery).
Compatibility: Since the bag is biodegradable, it’s water-soluble. That’s great because you don’t have to handle the powder directly if not desired – just throw the closed bag into the mixing tank or inlet, and it will dissolve and release enzymes. This also ensures you get the full dose in the digester with no leftover in a container.
ENERPLUS, being a performance enhancer, can significantly bolster the economics of a biogas plant:
Feedstock Cost Reduction: Up to 15% less feedstock for the same output means if you’re spending, say, £100k a year on silage, you could save £15k. Or if you’re procuring waste, you can handle more waste (get more tipping fees) without needing more feedstock for co-digestion. Over years, these savings are substantial.
Increased Energy Production: If you keep feeding the same, that 15% effectively becomes extra biogas, which translates to extra electricity or biomethane revenue. For a 1 MW plant, a 15% boost could be ~0.15 MW extra (in ideal conditions), which is significant. Even a 5-10% actual realized gain in output can pay back the cost of ENERPLUS many times, given energy prices and incentives.
Operational Savings: Less energy spent on mixing (maybe a few kWh saved per day) and pumping (less wear and tear, possibly smaller pumps suffice, etc.) saves on utility bills and maintenance costs. If mixers last longer or don’t need to run at full power constantly, that’s a hidden saving.
Preventing Problems: If ENERPLUS prevents one serious issue like a digester overflow due to crust, or a pump failure due to fibrous buildup, you avoid repair costs and downtime. Downtime in a 1 MW plant could be on the order of £1000+ per day lost revenue, not to mention repair costs. By smoothing operations, ENERPLUS indirectly secures your income.
Expanding Feedstock Options: The ability to handle straw or litter more efficiently could allow you to incorporate those cheap resources more. For example, straw has a lot of energy but is slow to digest; ENERPLUS speeds that up, meaning straw could replace some expensive maize silage. That substitution saves money and might get you gate fees if it’s waste straw from farms.
Scale and Shipping: ENERPLUS’s concentration means shipping and handling costs are lower for the effect it delivers (compared to less concentrated products). So the cost you pay mostly goes towards active ingredient, not filler or water. This makes it a good value if you consider cost per unit of VS broken down.
In summary, ENERPLUS is a strategic investment to maximise output and minimise waste. Biogas operators who adopt it effectively turn their digesters into higher-performance units – either achieving more output with the same setup or maintaining output with less input. Both outcomes improve the bottom line, often with ROI in the range of several hundred percent, especially if feedstock is a major expense or if the plant was previously underperforming due to feed complexity. The key is that ENERPLUS unlocks value that would otherwise remain untapped in your substrates.