New opportunities to produce biogas
The biomasses to be treated in the anaerobic digestion plant are not usable as they are, but require more or less complex conditioning, depending on the type of waste and the anaerobic digestion technology adopted.
O.F.M.S.W. – Organic Fraction Municipal Solid Waste
It is the Organic Fraction coming from the separate collection of Municipal Solid Waste.
Before being started to anaerobic digestion, O.F.M.S.W. undergoes shredding treatments, removal of plastics and unwanted waste.
These treatments will be more or less refined according to the anaerobic digestion technology downstream of the pre-treatment. In particular:
- Wet anaerobic digestion requires highly refined conditioning, in order to remove plastics and sand, which otherwise would tend to accumulate on the surface of the digestant or on the bottom.
- Semi-dry anaerobic digestion keeps plastics and sands in suspension. The treatment system is very simple and, most of the time, it is just a bag opener with coarse screening.
Considering a current average production in Italy of 100 kg/ab/year of organic fraction downstream of the separate collection, equal to about 6 million O.F.M.S.W. to be sent for anaerobic and aerobic treatment, it is estimated a production of about 500,000,000 m3/year of biomethane and about 1.8 million t/year of high-quality compost.
R.S.M. – Municipal Solid Waste
This is waste that is collected in an undifferentiated way.
In this case, the waste undergoes a long series of mechanical treatments with the aim of:
- Separate the dry fraction composed of:
- recyclable materials such as paper, glass, plastics and metals.
- other high calorific power materials suitable for the production of CSS (Combustibile Solido Secondario, i.e. Secondary Solid Fuel)
- Condition the organic fraction to be treated by anaerobic digestion and subsequent composting.
The compost produced can be used to cover landfills or for the production of CSS.
Recoverable Fractions
Considering a current average production in Italy of about 500 kg/ab/year, equal to about 30 million t/year of municipal solid waste:
Case History
A biogas and biomethane plant is an important choice for a company.
It means converting to renewable energy and adopting new green business strategies, seizing all the opportunities offered by the circular economy.
A sustainable choice, which produces profits for the company and protects the environment.
