The family-run Kaufel business combines a restaurant, farm, and butcher shop under one roof. With a comprehensive sustainability strategy, the business focuses on regional cycles: feed for the pigs raised for slaughter, as well as potatoes and vegetables for the restaurant, are grown on-site.

In the future, manure and other organic waste will not only be used as fertilizer but also converted into heat and electricity using a PÖTTINGER farm fermenter system. In this way, Kaufel strengthens its self-sufficiency and makes efficient use of available resources.

System with five fermentation boxes

The farm fermenter plant comprises five fermentation tanks and is designed for a processing capacity of up to 600 metric tons per year. The feedstock includes manure from 120 pigs, as well as organic waste, food waste, and slaughterhouse waste.

The biogas produced is used via a combined heat and power plant to generate heat and electricity. During the day, the existing solar power system supports the energy supply; at night, the stored biogas takes over. A gas storage tank with a volume of 40 cubic meters is available for this purpose.

Efficient gas processing

For the first time, this facility is utilizing a new, highly efficient combined heat and power plant with exhaust gas recooling, which enables combustion with exceptionally low emissions. Additional gas cooling and an activated carbon filter ensure that the biogas is processed in a dry and desulfurized state.

With this concept, Kaufel demonstrates how a modern family-run business can make sensible use of waste materials, generate its own energy, and sustainably advance regional value creation.