28/03/2017
Price sensitive
Financial Results
From sorted organic waste to biomethane
2017-03-28 santagata_biometano_infografica_eng_opt.1501172262.png A virtuous circle that begins with families and returns to citizens, made possible by the new plant that Hera will create in S. Agata Bolognese within 2018, the first multi-utility in Italy to do so. A € 30 million investment, it will lead to the annual production, at full capacity, of 20,000 tonnes of high-quality natural fertiliser and 7.5 million m3 of biomethane, a 100% renewable combustible, improving the carbon footprint of the Group and the area in which it operates. From sorted organic waste to biomethane http://ha.gruppohera.it/news/biomethanehera ha.gruppohera.it/news/biomethanehera A converted and fully modernised plant With this conversion and modernisation project, work will be done on an already existing site which has hosted for many years a working plant authorised for higher quantities than those now foreseen at full capacity (going from 150,000 to 135,000 tonnes per year, with an ensuing reduction in vehicle traffic) and that will exclusively process sorted waste. Previously, non-sorted waste was taken to the site to be treated and disposed of in the neighbouring landfill. Once the latter's capacity was filled, Herambiente, pursuing the objectives of a circular economy, chose not to expand it, even though authorisation had already been obtained and the project included in provincial planning. The new plant's machinery and operations will be located indoors, minimizing the impact of noise and odours. The air treatment system of the current composting plant is also scheduled to be upgraded, to reduce the odours coming from the phase in which the materials are processed. Composting will take place in cells, constructed inside the plant's buildings, closed and aspirated one by one. The exhausted air drawn out will go through a deodorisation system consisting of biofilters and a water washing unit (scrubber), a technology already used in Northern Europe in similar plants. A filter room, called a foretrough, will furthermore be created, in the area where the waste is transferred and stored, whose function will be to provide further isolation for the area in which waste coming in from the environment is unloaded and stored. Therefore, no combustion plants are foreseen. An innovative solution, and a benchmark for the Italian market The technologies used in the plant are the fruit of research, studies and European competitions that have led Hera to choose the best of what is now available on the market. The project is already becoming a benchmark for the Italian market and will undoubtedly act as a reference point for the entire country. Bearing in mind that new national legislation is expected within next summer, which will promote this type of plant as a source of renewable energy above all by encouraging biomethane production for use in automobiles, further impetus will certainly be added to projects such as this. "Environmental sustainability and a circular economy are two of the main areas on which Hera's innovative policies are focused, with the objective of valorising, and drawing the greatest benefit from, waste and refuse", comments Tomaso Tommasi di Vignano, Executive Chairman of the Hera Group. "This is why we are working on various projects, the most important of which is the S. Agata Bolognese biomethane plant, which also represents a concrete answer to needs such as treating the increasing volumes of sorted waste and contributing to improving both air quality and the carbon footprint. The project respects the guidelines contained in the European commission's "Clean energy for all" package, concerning both energy efficiency, reducing consumption of fossil sources, and second-generation bio-carburant production, including biomethane, coming from waste instead of farmed products. Furthermore, we are already looking into new and innovative processes to valorise other areas of production, such as purification sludge and prunings, to obtain new-generation combustibles". press_release_biomethane_28032017.1490712750.pdf 2016-04-05 16:26:00 From sorted organic waste to biomethane