Just before the start of the green technology expo “Ecomondo” in Rimini, Botres Global CTO, Dr. Markus Grasmug shared his opinion on the development of biogas technologies in Italy.
Next to the expo in Rimini, there is the UN Climate Change Conference in Bonn, what role do biogas plants play in the context of global climate change?
Only in Europe we are producing more than 100 million tons of organic waste and residues annually. Although in the mid 1990’s a EU regulation came out that banned the disposal of organic waste in landfills, there is still an incredibly high volume of organic waste not being treated accordingly – even in Europe. Talking about the rest of the world, well,…..organic waste on landfills illegally, or even legally dumped, produces a lot of uncontrolled greenhouse gas emissions and contamination of ground water. Our biogas plants follow strictly the zero-emission principle from pre-treatment via AD and digestate treatment. This approach has been especially developed for the Italian market.
What is the status on biogas technology for organic waste in Italy today?
According to the worldbiogas association there are currently around 2.000 biogas plants in Italy. The biggest problem is that a high percentage of them does not work properly. Especially the agricultural technology which uses a “flat” fermentation tank with a large diameter is not suitable for OFMSW (organic fraction of municipal solid waste) at all! Therefore, we see a lot of plant operators go offline, simply because of not willing to adapt their technology to top standard.
All biogas technologies claim to offer the best solution – Which technological approach does Botres Global use in their biogas plants?
There are a lot of suppliers out there, as well as different approaches and technologies to produce energy from organic residues. In my opinion, the most successful technology is the one with a high performance which can also treat a high volume of organic waste. Botres implements the same successful technology in their plants as the waste management facility S.E.S.A. has done in Este, where more than 400.000 tons of OFMSW are being treated annually! In Turkey, for instance, where Botres has become one of the most important turn key providers, our technology has prevailed!
Why is the Italian biogas market important for Botres Global?
Botres Global has a vast experience in the Italian organic waste market. Together with the outstanding pre-treatment machinery – Bio Scraper – which has been developed for Italian FORSU specifically, Botres Global is able to address and solve all problems an operator of such a facility might face.
In terms of implementation, Italy is one of the leading countries in the field of biogas. Although a large number of installations do not work properly, the Italian government has been supporting companies for over a decade to tackle the problem of waste in a sustainable way. Especially because of the high demand of waste treatment solutions in Southern regions of the country. Beside the given legal and environmental circumstances, Botres has built up a huge network in Italy over the past years and runs its own branch office in Bolzano.
Botres Global designs, builds and operates modern bio refineries worldwide that produce clean energy, clean water, high-quality fertilizer and protein-rich feed and food from organic waste. All with zero emissions.
Interested? Please contact us:
Botres Global GmbH
+43 660 717 86 85
The interview was made by Sofia Peron, currently living in Milan and preparing for her master thesis in Environmental Science