Mushroom-biogas complex agrisystem INTERHUB MISSION Sevilla 19/10/2017 Adrienn Somosné Nagy, PhD. a.nagy@pleurotus.hu Pilze-Nagy Ltd.

Mushroom-biogas complex agrisystem at Pilze-Nagy Ltd. The Pilze-Nagy Ltd. is in the business of oyster mushroom substrate production, growing and trade. It is a family run enterprise, which started its operation in the vicinity of Kecskemét in the beginning of the 1990s. The company is the country largest oyster mushroom producer and exporter. The company is also considered as one of Europe’s largest oyster mushroom grower based on plant size and annual revenues.

Biogas projects in KECSKEMET Agricultural biogas plant Biogas projects in KECSKEMET Sewage sludge biogas reactor Landfill gas City of Kecskemét Population: 108.181 people Households: 42.541 Area: 32.136 ha Built-in area: 3.189 ha Agricultural area: 15.952 ha arable 2.793 ha orchards 2.989 ha grass 5.187 ha forest

Driving force Energy cost increase in mushroom growing Difficulties with utilization spent mushroom substrate – over 3000 tons of biomass per year Question of profitability and sustainable development Meet the environmental standards

BIOGAS power plant . Pilze-Nagy Ldt. during the project development has established a biogas power plant with 330 kW electric and 400 kW thermal capacity biogas-engine (cogen-set) utilizing agricultural residues. The produced thermal energy will be used in the mushroom – production – facilities. The whole procedure works full – automatically, just the input and output –activities have to be done manually.

The biogas power plant Substrates: Outputs: Agricultural residues: 3200 tons of spent smushroom substrate, poultry and rabbit manure Waste materials: food and food processing wastes Outputs: Biogas production: 1 000 000 m3 per year Engine electric capacity: 330 kW Net electricity production: 1 500 MWh per year Heat utilization: not measured yet Digestate: 8 000 m3 per year Project budget: 350 M Ft (1,4 M Euros) 33% of the budget covered by subsidy (Hungarian Government and EU co-fund) Actual efficiency: 75-80%

Oyster mushroom growing Digestate (fertilizer) Agricultural fields Substrate production Straw Oyster mushroom growing Digestate (fertilizer) biogas 10% In this complex agrisystem about 4.000 tons of wheat straw, as an agricultural by-product is utilized in five levels. In the first step 12.000 tons of oyster mushroom substrate is made. Half of it is sold to mushroom growers (product 1), other half is used in the own production to grow oyster mushrooms. 1 million kgs of fresh oyster mushrooms are put on the fresh market every year (product 2). All the organic wastes from mushroom production (spent mushroom substrate) are turned into biogas during the anaerobic digestion in the 330 kW electricity capacity biogas plant. From the biogas 1.500.000 kWh net electricity is generated (product 3) and supplied to the national grid. The side-product of the anaerobic fermentation, the digestate is separated into solid and liquid part than given back to the fields (200 ha) as a plant fertilizer (product 4). The heat, which is the side-product of the energy conversion, is used in the mushroom drying plant to produce dried mushroom products (product 5). Additional minor source of incomes comes from waste treatments. Grid Mushroom drying Heat Electric energy

Multilevel utilization of energy stored in the straw: value generation in 5 levels Bioconver-sion rate Technology Product Product type Time dim. Biomass with 100% energy Cereal growing Straw Agr. By-product < 1 year 20% Mushroom growing Mushroom substrate Mushrooms Food ~ 50-60 days Biogas production Electricity Renewable energy ~ 40-50 days Heat – dried mushrooms 36% 24% Soil preparation Digestate Fertilizer ~ 2-3 years Value 1 Value 2 Value 3 Traditional procedure: the straw is applied into the soil directly, but the bioconversion takes more years, and only 1 income can be expected. Utilization of the straw in a multiply system serves the development of sustainable agriculture. Value 4 Value 5

Circular bio-economy In this complex mushroom growing agrisystem, biogas production and agricultural crop production work in close cooperation. All organic wastes from mushroom production (spent mushroom substrate) are utilized in a biogas plant in order to decrease the environmental footprint of the production and serve the sustainable economy. It is a good example of circular economy: The initial feedstock (straw) is cycled, renewable energy production is involved, while fresh mushrooms are part of the healthy human diet, and finally value generation happens in all parts of the value chain.

Due to the population growth, by 2030 the world need: Conclusion 50% more food Cultivation of edible mushrooms migth be the only current process that combines the production of protein-rich food with the reduction of environmental pollution. Sánchez C. Cultivation of Pleurotus ostreatus and other edible mushrooms. App. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 2010. In the mushroom-biogas agrisystem renewable energy production involved too – contribution towards the development of circular bioeconomy. Due to the population growth, by 2030 the world need: 30% more water 45% more energy

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