In Seville, southern Spain, the municipal water company has introduced a pilot project to produce electricity using methane from fermented oranges.
EMASESA, a member of Aqua Publica Europe (European Association of Public Water Operators), aims to achieve energy self-sufficiency in the city’s WWTP (Copper Wastewater Treatment Plant), which is already generating electricity from organic matter. The plan is to eliminate excess electricity by 2023.
“The project started as a result of Emaseza’s interest in achieving energy self-sufficiency in the urban wastewater treatment process,” said Jaime Palop, CEO of the company.
EMASESA aims to achieve energy self-sufficiency in the copper wastewater treatment plant
Not just orange fruit
In this way, facilities such as the 13 GW Cupero wastewater treatment plant by 2020 will reach nearly 95% self-sufficiency, the CEO said. “The wastewater treatment plant in Covero, given its treatment capacity, location and level of technology, could be an important environmental center,” he said.
“The current challenge facing EMASESA is to get Koppero to outperform other wastewater treatment plants over other wastewater treatment plants,” he says, adding that the average self-sufficiency rate for the four largest plants operated by EMASESA is 70%.
The city collects 5.7 million kilograms (126 million pounds) of fruit deposited on the streets by 48,000 trees in the city during the winter, and generates 35 tons (39 tons) of clean energy to power Edar Copero. The city council employs about 200 people to collect fruit.
Then, 35 tons of juice extraction process passes to generate electricity through biogas, while the peel is fertilized and converted into fertilizer for use in agriculture. In the purification process, the organic matter is stabilized in the wastewater by anaerobic digestion, which produces biogas rich in methane (65%), which is used as a fuel in CHP engines to generate electricity, Paul explained.
The plant is expected to generate approximately 1,500 kilowatts of electricity, equivalent to consuming 150 homes. To achieve this, the city would need to invest 250,000 (10,310,000).
The tests will produce 1,000 kilowatts and 50 kilowatts, enough to power five homes a day. If all of the oranges in the city were recycled and put back into phase, it could provide electricity to 73,000 homes.
The region produces around 15,000 tons of oranges, but most of the region’s fruit is exported to the UK, where it is produced in mysterious circumstances.
Orange for the Round Economy
Seville has also launched an organic waste collection system launched by Container, an urban waste management company, with 340 containers installed in the city and 340,000 e-cards issued to the public.
The mayor’s representative, DW, said the city aims to collect selected biological waste, increase the recycling rate, increase public awareness about waste management, and send less waste to landfills.
This process consumes about 65% of the energy of the urban water cycle. Palop said achieving self-sufficiency in wastewater treatment plants is a clear step towards mitigating the effects of climate change.
Seville collects 5.7 million kilograms of fruit from the streets with 48,000 trees
Seville collects 5.7 million kilograms of fruit from the streets with 48,000 trees
Spain has submitted plans to convert its entire electrical system to completely renewable sources by 2050.
According to the country’s draft climate change and energy change law, greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced by 90% from the 1990 level.
“EMASESA is developing a guide to encourage other companies in the water sector to increase gas production by coding organic waste and doubling this activity in other companies and cities,” Ballop said.
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