Energimyndigheten har från Regeringen blivit tilldelad 100 miljoner kronor att fördela som investeringsstöd för att främja en effektiv och utökad produktion, distribution samt användning av förnybara gaser såsom biogas. Myndigheten har samtidigt fått i uppdrag att utveckla en sektorsövergripande biogasstrategi och föreslå åtgärder som på kort och lång sikt kan bidra till ökad användning av biogas. Denna strategi ska också tjäna som ett underlag för fördelning av olika former av stöd inom sektorn. Syftet med detta examensarbete är att sammanställa information som kan bidra som underlag vid upprättandet av den sektorsövergripande biogasstrategin. Ett annat syfte är att bidra med underlag för Energimyndighetens bedömning av var ett investeringsstöd kan ge störst effekt för den fortsatta utvecklingen inom biogasområdet. Detta stöd avser den senaste, ovan nämnda, utlysning som Energimyndigheten gjort inom området. Examensrapporten innehåller bland annat en sammanställning av gjorda insatser inom forskningsområdet biogas de senaste åren, finansierat av framför allt Energimyndigheten, men även en inblick i vilka biogassatsningar som är gjorda av andra nationella aktörer. Ett antal personer från bland annat branschorganisationer har intervjuats för att ta del av deras syn på den framtida biogasmarknaden, vilka satsningar som bör göras och vilka hinder som har störst inverkan. Organisationerna är valda utifrån kriteriet att de ska representera olika delar av biogasbranschen och att olika synvinklar därigenom ska framkomma. Rapporten innehåller slutsatser som dragits av tidigare biogassatsningar hos Energimyndigheten och identifiering av biogasområden där det föreligger stort behov av framtida satsningar för utökad produktion, distribution och användning.  Ett område som i detta examensarbete har identifierats ha stort behov av framtida biogassatsningar är bland annat framtagande av alternativa rötningssubstrat, eftersom mängden tillgängligt substrat nuläget inte är tillräcklig. Detta utgör idag en begränsning för biogasproduktionen. Det bör även satsas mer på förbehandling av substrat innan rötning, vilket ökar gasproduktionen och förbättrar substratutnyttjandet i större utsträckning. Mer satsningar behövs också kring hur biogasprocessens slutprodukt, rötresten, kan bli en mer attraktiv produkt så att återcirkulering av växtnäring kan ske i större grad genom rötrestspridning på åkermark. Detta är av stor vikt eftersom en ökad volym rötningssubstrat ger upphov till större mängd rötrester som ska hanteras. Andra områden som är i behov av framtida stöd är utveckling av befintliga anläggningar för att öka och effektivisera produktionen. För att optimera processerna bör framför allt mer medel satsas på kunskapsuppbyggnad och spridning av den vetenskap som finns tillgänglig. Att länka samman universitet, högskolor och naturbruksgymnasium med anläggningar i drift kan vara det mest effektiva sättet att nå ut med relevant information och kunskap. Ur ett samhällsekonomiskt perspektiv bör mer medel läggas på att öka gödselrötning då detta minskar metanläckage. / Swedish Energy Agency has been allocated SEK 100 million from the government to distribute as investment grant to promote efficient and expanded production, distribution and use of renewable gases such as biogas. The Agency has also been given the task to develop a multidisciplinary strategy for biogas and propose measures which can contribute to increased use of biogas in the short and long term. This strategy will also serve as a basis for the allocation of various forms of support in the biogas sector.  The purpose of this study is to compile information which can be used as input for the establishment of the multidisciplinary strategy for biogas. Another purpose is to provide information to support the Swedish Energy Agency in the assessment of which areas an investment grant will have the greatest impact for the future development of biogas. This grant refers to the latest call of Swedish Energy Agency in the sector. This report includes a summary of what areas grants have been given for research of biogas in recent years, mainly financed by the Swedish Energy Agency, but also an insight into efforts made by other national operators. A number of people from professional biogas organizations have been interviewed to share their views on the future biogas market. Which efforts should be made and the main obstacles to be overcome are other questions discussed. The report contains conclusions from the experience of previous support from the Swedish Energy Agency as well as identification of areas in which there is great need for future efforts in order to expand the production, distribution and use of biogas. Some areas which have been identified in this thesis for need of future efforts in the biogas sector is for example the development of alternative substrates for anaerobic digestion, because the amount of available substrate is at present not sufficient. This is currently a limitation for the biogas production. There is also a need to further develop the pre-treatment of the substrate before digestion, in order to increase the gas production and improve substrate utilization to a greater extent. More focus are also needed on how the end product from the biogas process, the digestion residues, can become a more attractive product to the recycling of plant nutrients by use as a bio fertilizer on farmland. This is of great importance because larger volume of digestion will result in greater volume of digestion residues to be managed. Other areas in need of future investments are the development of existing facilities to increase and optimize the production. In order to optimize the production processes, more resources should be devoted to capacity building and dissemination of the available knowledge. Linking universities and colleges together with operating biogas plants could be the most effective way to reach out with relevant information and knowledge. From a socioeconomic perspective more resources should be spent on increasing the volume of manure digestion then it is today, which also will result in reduced methane leaks.

This thesis presents the potential of biogas production using food waste collected from the region of Kartamantul in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Biogas can be used for cooking and generating electricity. The study compares two different end uses or markets for utilizing the biogas in the region. The daily food waste collected in the region of Kartamantul is 120 tonnes. This corresponds to a daily biogas production of 13 087 m3. Electricity generated from biogas can replace fossil-based coal electricity while cooking biogas can substitute the common fossil fuel liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG). The price for selling one kWh of electricity to the state owned enterprise PLN is 16.5 USD cents. The price for selling one m3 of biogas for cooking is 38.5 USD cents, which is equivalent to the available price of LPG. The study finds that the avoided emission due to the substitution of fossil-based coal electricity and cooking LPG-gas is around 64 GgCO2-eq per year. Considering the economical results for a life span of 20 years in the first utilization option Biogas for Electricity gives a net present value (NPV) of 2 MUSD while for the utilization option Biogas for Cooking gives a net present value (NPV) of 5.82 MUSD. The breakeven for Biogas for Electricity is 13.8 USD cents per kWhe while for Biogas for Cooking is 25.5 USD cents per m3-biogas. The study concludes that it is feasible to invest in AD plant in the region of Kartamantul where both markets are profitable and environmentally friendly. / Denna avhandling visar potentialen för biogasproduktion med hjälp av matavfall som samlats från regionen Kartamantul i Yogyakarta, Indonesien. Biogas kan användas för matlagning och elproduktion. Studien jämför två olika slutanvändningar eller marknader för att utnyttja biogasen i regionen. Det dagliga matavfallet som samlas i regionen Kartamantul är 120 ton. Detta motsvarar en daglig biogasproduktion på 13 087 m3. Elektricitet som genereras från biogas kan ersätta fossilbaserad koldioxid, medan tillagning av biogas kan ersätta det gemensamma fossila bränslet flytande petroleumgas (LPG). Priset för att sälja en kWh el till det statligt ägda företaget PLN är 16,5 USD cent. Priset för att sälja en m3 biogas för matlagning är 38,5 USD cent, vilket motsvarar det tillgängliga priset på LPG. Studien konstaterar att den undvikna utsläppet på grund av substitutionen av fossilbaserad kolkraft och matlagning av gasol är cirka 64 GgCO2-ekv per år. Med tanke på de ekonomiska resultaten för en livslängd på 20 år i det första utnyttjandegradet ger Biogas for Electricity ett nettopåverkande värde (NPV) på 2 MUSD medan för utnyttjandegraden Biogas for Cooking ger ett nettoförskott (NPV) på 5,82 MUSD. Breakeven för biogas för el är 13,8 USD cent per kWhe medan för Biogas for Cooking är 25,5 USD cent per m3-biogas. Studien drar slutsatsen att det är möjligt att investera i AD-anläggningar i regionen Kartamantul där båda marknaderna är lönsamma och miljövänliga.

The purpose of this feasibility study has been to guide decision makers in the implementation of abiogas project for the region of Sønderborg, Denmark. The project has been part of Feasibility studies envisioned in the Master Plan for Sønderborg to go carbon neutral by 2029. The study tried to evolve abest alternative for the city and gives a ready document to refer all aspects of biogas. The intensive industrial farming in Sønderborg needs to evolve to compare favorably with the situationin other regions of Denmark. The interests of various stakeholders in the waste cycle should be alignedwith that of farming. Interesting developments in the Bioenergy space hold promise for farmers to usetheir capacities for additional or alternative livelihood in energy. The focus to promote biogas as part ofDanish energy strategy and multiply capacity over the next 3 years has attracted numerous biogas proposals all over Denmark. This study had started off with identifying and estimating very obvious substrate sources. At verymoderate assumptions the value of methane in these sources has been estimated at 9 million m3. Thispotential could easily be increased if economically feasible substrates like energy crops and algae areadded. The SWOT analysis of pig farming in the region brings out the perspectives of farming direction in the near future. The 5 scenarios developed help the decision maker understand the various aspects thatneed to be carefully considered when planning the plant. The best case scenario for the city would bethe energy mosaic scenario which would integrate the high tech focus of local industry, a renewable energy source and a showcase project to make the region stand out among the other regions focused inthe climate change debate. The technological system analysis should help decision makers understand the stakeholders and the various dimensions in biogas that although complicated are manageable. The business case approach to identify utilization of energy and its costs gives a clear picture on the need for using the energy in CHP.The present focus by potential investors on government subsidies to calculate profitability needs to be understood in the context of other similar plants accepting present subsidy levels and the societal benefits, which unfortunately cannot be valued in money terms. At the center of all this is the need for proper stakeholder management within a bound timeframe asidentified by the “Create acceptance process”. The various tools and data are all present in this study,that only need to be arranged and presented by the company eventually handling the strict Projectmanagement goals of this project. / <p>www.ima.kth.se</p>

Biogas is a renewable energy produced through anaerobic digestion, which means that organic matter is degraded by microorganisms under anaerobic conditions. The produced biogas can then be used for cogeneration, electricity, heat or upgraded to vehicle gas. Eskilstuna Energy &amp; Environment AB has four digesters at Ekeby water sewage treatment plant, Eskilstuna. One of the biogas reactor (RK4) is equipped with a jet-mixing system while the remaining digester uses top-mixing. The mixing system is an important parameter to achieve optimum operating conditions for the process regarding gas production and degree of digestion. This study aims to evaluate the two mixing systems, jet-mixing and top- mixing. The design of the reactors is identical and they are assumed to be fed with the same amount of substrate. By collection, analysis and compiling of process- and operational data such as gas production, degree of digestion and energy consumption for the two different systems their performance has been compared to each other. Different operational conditions considering the energy consumption for the jet-mixing system has been done theoretical to try to reduce the energy consumption. The result shows that both rectors operates under stable process conditions, although the result indicates that the gas production for the reactor installed with jet-mixing system is greater than the system with top-mixing system. Hopefully, the result of the study could be used of Ekeby water sewage treatment plant as an indication of how the system could be run. Keywords: Biogas, mixing, mixing system, anaerobic digestion, gas production, energy consumption, degree of digestion, Ekeby water sewage plant. Nyckelord: Biogas, omrörning, omrörningssystem, anaerob rötning, gasproduktion, energiförbrukning, utrörningsgrad, Ekeby reningsverk.

Increased access to energy is a key factor to reduce poverty and to gain increased development and prosperity. Access to energy is not equally distributed globally. On average a Swedish person consumes more energy than 12 individuals in Tanzania. The Msambara village arose in the 1930s. 80% of the inhabitants are children and the families are large. Life expectancy is 52 years for women and 54 for men. The entire region is very poor and the standard of living in Msambara is low, even compared to other parts of the country. In rural Msambara in Tanzania the cooking method is very primitive and is usually carried out indoors on three stones. Indoor pollution is contributing to eye infections. Incomplete combustion not only emits greenhouse gases increasing global warming, but also more directly emits particles effecting human health. Women and girls are particularly vulnerable to burning caused by air pollution, especially since they are responsible for cooking. The women pull a heavy load in the household work. They are responsible for raising and caring for children, managing farms, collecting firewood, fetching water, visiting the market and cooking for the family. The adoption of biogas technology reduces the need for traditional energy and thereby reduces environmental degradation. In addition, the residue is an improved agricultural fertiliser. Biogas technology has social considerations; burning of biomass for cooking reduces indoor air pollution and reduces workload to collect firewood, often performed by women. Moreover, biogas is desirable from an economic point of view. The method in this work can conveniently be divided into three different parts. These are the designing and construction process as well as the socio-economic study. The socio-economic component is split into two different sections, which are field study and data modelling. The study shows that the social negative impact may or may not be reduced by the introduction of the biogas facility, but the biogas facility in the way it is made will potentially contribute to sustainable economic growth for the household. It also shows that the household’s organic waste produced from human, animal, kitchen and garden waste is enough to provide the necessary gas needed for cooking and no additional firewood will be needed. Two diary cows, in addition to the household’s waste, will provide enough gas needed to introduce cooling capacity for food storage. By adding cooling capacity in the household, time will be saved from the food preparation process but the introduction of biogas itself will not reduce the individual work burden when no cooling capacity is installed. The study also shows that placing the digester in the ground makes a stable environment for the mesophilic and methanogenic microbes. The Socio-economic study indicates that by introducing an alternative method to cooking, positive health effects will arise and the household benefits economically. It is not possible from this thesis to conclude that by adding and treating human toilets as a substrate that possible health benefits will take place. / Sammanfattning Ökad tillgång till energi är en nyckelfaktor för att minska fattigdom och för att få ökad utveckling och välstånd. Tillgången till energi är inte jämnt fördelad globalt. En svensk person konsumerar i genomsnitt mer energi än 12 individer i Tanzania. Byn Msambara uppstod på 1930-talet, 80 % av invånarna utgörs av barn, familjerna är stora. Medellivslängden är 52 år för kvinnor och 54 år för män. Hela regionen präglas av fattigdom och levnadsstandarden i Msambara är låg, även jämfört med andra delar av landet. I Msambara som ligger på Tanzanias landsbygd är tillagningsmetoden mycket primitiv och utförs vanligen inomhus på tre stenar. Den rökiga inomhusmiljön leder ofta till ögoninfektioner. Den ofullständiga förbränningen frigör inte bara växthusgaser och bidrar till den globala uppvärmningen, utan mer direkt avges partiklar som påverkar människors hälsa. Kvinnor och flickor är särskilt utsatta för luftföroreningar eftersom de är ansvariga för matlagning. Kvinnorna drar ett tungt lass i hushållsarbetet. De är ansvarig för uppfostran och vårdnaden utav barnen, hushållsarbetet, sköta jordbruket, samla ved, hämta vatten, besöka marknaden och att laga familjens mat. Introduktion av biogasteknik minskar behovet av traditionell energi och miljöbelastningen. Rötresten är dessutom ett förädlat gödningsmedel. Biogas introduktionen ger positiva sociala konsekvenser då det leder till reducerade luftföroreningar inomhus och minskar behovet av att införskaffa ved, vilket nästan undantagslöst utförs av kvinnor. Dessutom är biogas positivt ur ekonomisk synvinkel. Arbetsmetoden är tydlighetens uppdelat i tre delar. Nämligen dimensionering av rötkammaren, uppförandet av densamma och en okonstlad socioekonomisk studie som i sin tur är uppdelad i en fältstudie och simulering. Studien kan inte visa på att summan av de sociala negativa effekterna minskar med införandet av biogasanläggningen men däremot att den potentiellt bidrar till stärkt ekonomi för hushållet. Den visar också att hushållens organiska avfall som produceras i form av avfall från människor, djur, kök och trädgård är fullt tillräckligt för att producera den nödvändiga gasen som behövs för matlagning. Ingen ytterligare ved kommer att behövas. Två kor förutom hushållets avfall ger den biogas som krävs för att driva ett kylskåp vilket ökar hållbarheten vid matförvaring. Genom tillförandet av kyleffekt till hushållet frigörs tid vilket innebär en tidsbesparing. Införandet av biogas i sig minskar inte den individuella arbetetsbördan. Studien visar också att placeringen av rötkammaren i marken utgör en stabil miljö för de mesofila metanogena. Den socioekonomiska studien visar att införandet av den alternativ matlagningsmetoden medför positiva hälsoeffekter och är ekonomiskt gynnsamt för hushållet. Från denna studie är det inte möjligt att dra slutsatsen att tillförandet och behandlingen av den mänskliga toaletten i rötprocessen ger hälsofördelar.

<p>Detta arbete innefattar planering, uppbyggnad och inkörning av teströtningsanläggning för biogasproduktion, bestående av batch- och tankreaktorsystem. Arbetet inbegriper även utförandet av experiment, på batchreaktorsystem, som syftar till att ge en första inblick och vägledning för vidare studier kring optimering av processen med inriktning på tillsats av kolkälla och justering av kvoten mellan kol och kväve. Utifrån de resultat som erhållits vid försök på batchreaktorsystemet observerades en positiv effekt, gällande ökad nedbrytning av VFA, vid tillsats av glukos till systemet. Igångkörning av tankreaktorsystemet gav erfarenheter gällande handhavandet av anläggningen samt driftsäkerheten, vad gäller t.ex. återstart efter strömavbrott, loggning av gasflödesdata, pålitlig substratdosering och substratuttag utan syreläckage in i systemet.</p>

Wastewater sludge is considered a valuable source of nutrients and energy. Freeze/thaw treatment is an efficient dewatering method for wastewater sludge management in First Nation communities located in cold climate conditions. Natural freeze/thaw is a simple, practical and low cost method, which can effectively dewater sludge. The objective of this research is to evaluate dewatering, nutrient recovery and organics separation of wastewater sludge originating from different wastewater treatment processes using freeze/thaw processing. The results of experiments showed the effectiveness of this method in sludge dewaterability and solubilisation of organics and nutrients. The sludge solid content increased by approximately 10-fold after treatment. It was effective in solubilisation of about 15.2%, 33.5% and 21.5% of total nitrogen, total phosphorus and total chemical oxygen demand to soluble one, respectively for the non-BNR sludge. However, anaerobic digestion of the solid cake post freeze/thaw treatment did not show enhanced methane yield compared with fresh sludge. / February 2017

Challenges surrounding energy have gained increased attention, which is not least reflected in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Energy issues have also become a pressing matter for most countries in the last decades. The reasons for this are not only related to the effects of the emission of greenhouse gases (GHG) from fossil fuels and their impact in climate change, but also span through other issues such as security of energy supply with geopolitical considerations and competitiveness of industry. To address these issues, a collection of public policies ranging from the international to local levels have been implemented. Sweden has historically had lower energy prices than its European counterparts, which has resulted in its industry having a relatively higher share of electricity in the total energy use by industry. The share of electricity accounts for 35% of total energy use in Swedish industry. This has led to efficiency measures being overlooked by industry, and the pulp and paper industry is by far the biggest energy user, with a share of 51% of the total energy use by industry. The variation of energy prices, and particularly electricity prices have obvious implications on the competitiveness of this sector. Production of biogas in pulp and paper mills has been gaining attention, and is now the target of an increasing number of scientific studies. The interest for this industry is not only related to security of energy supply and the environmental performance of the biogas itself, but there are also considerations regarding the biogas plant as an alternative to treat the large flows of wastewaters and other waste stream in this sector. There is an estimated biogas production potential of 1 TWh within this industry in Sweden, which accounts for 60% of the current biogas production in the country. Pulp and paper mills commonly rely on aerated biological treatment to deal with waste streams with high organic content This biological process has a high energy demand, and the integration of an anaerobic treatment, along with the use of the biogas for heat and electricity can yield a net positive energy recovery for the combined plant. This project analyses the current energy and material performance of an anaerobic biological treatment combined with an aerobic biological treatment in a recycled board mill. The anaerobic treatment is performed upstream of the aerobic one and removes most of the chemical oxygen demand of the wastewater. Energy and material balances for the plant are presented, and a comparison of the wastewater treatment plant running before and after the start-up of the biogas plant is made. The plant operation with the anaerobic digestion has shown an increased energy use of 9.4% coupled to an increased flow of wastewater of 7.7%. The average biogas production is 72 Nm³/h, which accounts for 440 kWh and is currently being flared. The introduction of AD has largely decrease the organic load in the aerobic treatment, by nearly 50%. This project ends with an optimisation model implemented with the optimisation tool reMIND to investigate potential optimisation strategies for the operation of the combined plant. The model has shown to be adequate to describe electricity use with mean error below 10%. For the biogas production, the mean error was of 16%.

Energy demand, greenhouse gas emissions, and operational costs are continuing to rise year on year in the wastewater treatment sector, with traditional treatment options unable to provide sustainable solutions to increasing volumes and tightening quality standards. Current processes produce inherent fugitive greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, whilst also generating large quantities of sludge for disposal. Anaerobic ponds (APs) are natural wastewater treatment processes that have traditionally been confined to a pre-treatment stage of larger stabilisation pond systems. Consequently, current standard guidelines are not suited for low temperature, weak strength wastewaters, or for the emerging usage of APs for energy recovery and enhanced organic breakdown. To establish effective guidelines for adapting AP design for this purpose, this thesis explores the fundamental mechanisms with APs, in order to provide design alterations to enhance AP performance for full flow domestic wastewater treatment with a focus on the UK water sector. Initially, a literature review of current AP design guidelines was conducted to determine the current state of the art and understand the fundamental design processes currently adopted. The review found that most APs are currently underloaded, largely to avoid malodour emissions, but this leads to unnecessarily large footprints and inhibits the digestion process through restricting biomass/substrate contact. It was concluded that the current design guidelines are not suitable for recent AP developments and application, such as covering to prevent odour escape, and the use of baffling to improve mixing and enhance organic degradation. A pilot scale study was conducted on UK domestic wastewater to gain insight into the limitations of current AP design for this application and identify areas for optimisation. The pilot trial demonstrated the efficacy of AP usage for low temperature, weak strength wastewaters, even with unoptimised design. Decoupling hydraulic and solids retention time lead to biomass retention and subsequent acclimatisation, and was able to compensate for the low temperatures and weak wastewater. It was concluded that APs can provide an attractive alternative to current primary treatment options, through reducing GHG emissions and providing less frequent desludging requirements. To optimise AP design, the effect of baffle configuration on AP hydrodynamics and the subsequent impact on treatment efficiency was investigated, in order to develop structural designs specifically targeting enhanced anaerobic degradation. Advantages found in baffling APs included improving mixing patterns between baffles, enhancing biomass/substrate contact, and creating an overall plug flow effect through the entire pond enabling the retention of biomass. Furthermore, the removal mechanism with the pond can be manipulated with use of baffles, with different orientations generating different flow patterns and therefore creating conditions preferential for greater solids settlement and capture, or mixing and contact. Following trials on single stage alternate baffling configurations, the development of a novel two stage AP design was trialled, applying knowledge gained from trials of differing baffle orientations to target separate stages of organic breakdown. Further trials were conducted on the staged AP to establish optimal loading rates to be applied to APs in order to maximise performance and reduce physical footprint. These trials led to recommended design improvements including shorter hydraulic retention times (HRTs) to enhance mixing and decrease physical footprint, and improvements to the staged AP design to greater separate the stages of anaerobic digestion and provide optimal conditions for the stages at different points in the AP. Finally, the knowledge gained from experimental work was used to present evidence for the inclusion of APs into decentralised WWT through flowsheet modelling of a proposed AP treatment works compared to a current base case. Advantages were found in decreasing sludge management requirements whilst providing suitable primary treatment, with additional potential benefits in renewable energy generation, which could increase both with improved biogas yields and the option of combining with other renewable technologies. In some circumstances, it may be possible for an AP flowsheet to operate entirely off-grid, eliminating the need for costly infrastructure such as permanent access roads and national electrical grid connection.

Biogas is a renewable gaseous fuel with low calorific value and a low burning velocity. This burning characteristic makes stabilizing biogas flame difficult especially in high flow velocity applications, and hence presenting a real challenge for power generation systems. This thesis presents an experimental investigation of the effect of burner geometry (i.e., fuel nozzle geometry and swirl strength of the co-airflow) on the stability limits of a turbulent non-premixed biogas surrogate flame. Three different co-airflow swirl strengths (S = 0, 0.31, 0.79) were implemented using swirl generators with vane angle of 0º, 25º and 50º, respectively. Six different fuel nozzle geometries were used in order to study the effect of fuel jet centerline velocity on the stability limits of a low swirling (i.e., 25º) non-premixed biogas flame. Moreover, the biogas surrogate fuel composition was kept constant (60% CH4 and 40% CO2 by volume) using a mixture of pure methane and carbon dioxide gases. The results of the effect of co-airflow swirl strength on the stability limits of biogas flame revealed that the swirl plays an important role on both the flame mode and its stability limits for both attached and lifted flames. The experimental results revealed that at low swirl strength the attached flame lifts off and stabilizes at a distance above the burner, while at high swirl strength the flame remains attached but shortens and burns blue. Overall, the high swirl attached flame was found to stabilize over a wider range of flow conditions in comparison to the attached and lifted flame produced by low swirl. Importantly, the central fuel jet characteristics (induced by varying the fuel nozzle geometry) were found to drastically influence the upper and lower blowout limits of the low swirl biogas lifted flame, while multi-hole fuel nozzle geometry was found to significantly enhance the stability ranges. 2D PIV data was used to explain the stability limits and the experimental flame results were used to propose semi-empirical correlations capable of describing the turbulent biogas blowout stability limits. / October 2016