Transforming wastewater into high added-value products such as biofuels is already a reality in the biofactory developed by Aqualia at the Guijuelo wastewater treatment plant in Spain. The mayor of this town verified the installations first-hand Friday morning at a presentation event.
The agri-food industry is an important economic engine in Salamanca, and the management of its waste poses an important challenge since it entails significant costs. Faced with this concern, the Guijuelo Municipality, Aqualia and the Guijuelo Slaughterhouse (MAGUISA) joined forces in 2019 with TeCH4+ and Bionet Engineering to develop a solution at the local wastewater treatment plant included in the ADVISOR innovation project, with the aim of maximizing the use of bio-waste in existing infrastructures.
Aqualia officials presented the results this morning after three years of research, development and implementation of the new solutions. With the treatment of one ton of the bio-waste studied in Guijuelo, biogas could allow a car to travel up to 2,000 kilometers. This means that making use of 100% of the renewable biogas obtained from the 3,000 tons of bio-waste currently treated in the biofactory would enable a car to make a round-trip to the moon 80 times a year.
Two vehicles are already powered by the biomethane obtained from the water treatment plant installations. The biogas plant can supply up to 50 vehicles, making use of part of the biogas obtained from the transformation of 3,000 tons of bio-waste currently treated at the Guijuelo biofactory.
The presentation of the Guijuelo biofactory was broadcast via streaming for more than 200 spectators and enjoyed the participation of all the agents involved in the biofactory. After the speeches, the delegation visited the installations to learn in situ about the biofactory's installations and operation.
The European Commission recently placed Aqualia to lead the REWAISE European Consortium that aims to implement innovative solutions for the circular economy and digitalisation in the region. This involves a commitment to the continuity and promotion of innovative solutions for the end-to-end water cycle in the Salamanca region.
SOURCE: Aqualia
