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ORGANIC WASTE TREATMENT PLANT WITH BIOMETANE PRODUCTION

Plant Data

General

  • Location: Catania (Italy)
  • Coord. UTM (Fuso 33S): 502,872 E – 4,493,845 N
  • Site area: 3,1 ha
  • Existing plant surface: 6.600 m2
  • Enlargement designing period: 2016
  • Task assigned and carried out: Preliminary and Final design
  • Cost: € 21,683,382.40

Treatment

  • Treatment: mechanical pre-treatment,
    anaerobic digestion and aerobic stabilization
    (composting)
  • Anaerobic digestion: no. 2 digestors (dry process) 2,250 m3 each
  • Aerobic biostabilization of digestate: no. 4 closed tunnels (7 x 24 m each)
  • Average process period: 90 days
  • Air forced system: no. 4 blowers 45 kW power and 10.000 Nm3/h flow rate each
  • Air treatment: 80.000 Nm3/h (wet scrubber and biofilter – 600 m2)

Plant Description

The project provides the construction of an anaerobic digestion plant for organic waste resulting from separated collection of MSW (OFMSW), with production of biomethane. The digested sludge will be treated for compost production. The main objective of this project proposal is to limit negative effects on environmental and human health resulting from the MSW management. The project is in accordance with EUís objectives regarding recycling of waste and the reduction of waste landfilling. For this reason, municipalities have been activated measures to increase the MSW separate collection in accordance with the first subparagraph of article 32 (1C) of Italian D.Lgs. 152/2006 and European directive 2008/98/EC.

In accordance with the waste hierarchy established by art. 4 of the European directive and the purpose of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by landfilling, easier separate collection and an appropriate waste treatment are planned, in order to produce organic materials without negative impacts on the environment.

The project is composed of two main working areas inside two existed buildings, located in the Cataniaís industrial area. The activities that will take place in the plant are: waste storage and mechanical pre-treatment; anaerobic digestion; treatment of the digested sludge; biogas upgrading; exhaust air and liquid waste treatment.

The project provides waste treatment capacity equal to 57.000 t/year, of
which 45.000 t/y are OFMSW and 12.000 t/y are green waste used as bulking material during the digested sludge maturation phase.