Overview
EN ISO 24252:2022 (ISO 24252:2021) provides guidance for biogas systems based on anaerobic digestion for non-household, non‑gasification applications. The standard addresses safety, environmental, performance and functionality aspects across the full lifecycle: design, manufacturing, installation, construction, testing, commissioning, acceptance, operation, inspection and maintenance. An informative explanation of scope is included in Annex A.
Excluded topics include boilers/burners not specific to local biogas, gas‑fuelled vehicle/ship engines, the public gas grid, biomethane quality specifications, transportation of compressed/liquefied biogas, transportation of biomass/digestate, and biomass sustainability assessment.
Key topics and technical requirements
EN ISO 24252:2022 covers a wide range of technical and safety areas relevant to biogas production, conditioning, upgrading and utilization:
- Safety principles and safety studies: risk assessment, HAZOP/HAZID, Explosion Protection Document (EPD).
- Environmental requirements: emissions, odour prevention, soil and surface water protection.
- Materials and structures: selection, structural stability, reuse of equipment.
- Process system facilities: gas‑side design, cooling, condensate and particle removal, desulphurization.
- Pressure protection and safety distances: design for overpressure, venting and mitigation.
- Monitoring and control: electronic monitoring, gas detection, instrumentation and process control.
- Buildings and services: ventilation, gas detection inside buildings, fire‑fighting and lightning protection.
- Operational resilience: facilities for power failure, flare/thermal oxidizer requirements for surplus gas.
- Biogas pipelines: materials, civil design and moisture/contaminant removal for untreated biogas.
- Biomass handling and digestate: supply, storage, stabilization and site‑specific considerations (including landfill‑related requirements).
Applications and who uses this standard
This standard is intended for professionals and organizations involved in non‑household biogas systems and is practical for:
- Plant designers and engineers - to specify safe, compliant systems for anaerobic digestion and biogas conditioning.
- Manufacturers and equipment suppliers - for component selection, materials and performance requirements.
- Installers, contractors and commissioning teams - to follow best practices during installation, testing and acceptance.
- Operators and maintenance staff - to implement inspection, monitoring and maintenance regimes.
- Safety and environmental officers, certifiers and regulators - to assess risk, compliance and environmental controls.
- Consultants and project owners - for project planning, HAZOP studies and ensuring lifecycle performance.
Related standards
EN ISO 24252:2022 was prepared by ISO/TC 255 (“Biogas”) and adopted by CEN/TC 408. Users should consider complementary standards on biomethane quality, transport of gaseous fuels and local regulatory requirements when designing and operating biogas facilities.
