Projects biogas production in Brazil begin to lead

Biogas would be enough to supply the city of Rio de Janeiro. There are now, in the world, 1483 biogas plants.


Source: Journal of the Globe - Sustainable Column


In much of the world, the problem of garbage turned into energy solution. There are now 1483 thermal plants that burn waste to produce energy. Japan leads the ranking with 800 eight hundred plants, followed by the European block (452), China (100), and United States (86).
In Brazil, there is only a prototype with 100% national technology operating on the campus of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, on Fundão Island. Is the Green Mill. A full load, such as a plant is capable of producing enough energy to power 15,000 homes, but the cost is still high. Only the prototype was approximately $ 50 million.
Rather than produce power, the great benefit of the Green Mill is turning garbage into ashes. For each tonne of waste entering the furnace, leaving 120 kg of carbonized material. It is less bulk and less weight.
"These ashes can be harnessed in pavement or asphalt paving base of cities, or you can go to landfills, occupying 12% of the area that would normally occupied with all waste being intended," says Mario Amato Neto, president of Green Mill.
The other way to produce energy from waste is beginning to gain scale in Brazil. It is biogas. The organic part of the waste, which is one composed mainly of food scraps, tree pruning or any residue of animal or vegetable origin, takes about six months to decompose and turn methane gas, a greenhouse gas, easily combustible.
São Paulo was the first city in Brazil to take advantage of biogas as an energy source. Twenty-four high power generators entire burn waste gas. The machines transform the landfill biogas into electricity enough to power 35,000 homes in the city of São Paulo.
There are two landfills: together, the Bandeirantes and São João account for over 2% of all electricity consumed in the country's largest city. The burning of biogas still generates extra revenue for the city. Are carbon credits.
Until June last year, was the largest landfill in Latin America. Starting this year, Gramacho in Duque de Caxias, in the Lowlands, will be the sole supplier of biogas in the world for an oil refinery (read more). It is an unprecedented deal, which will give a more noble and lucrative destination for millions of cubic meters of gas.
"We are estimating that it will generate 70 million cubic meters of methane almost pure, which will be provided to Reduc after processing," says Eduardo Levenhagen, director of the Novo Gramacho and Green Gas. Until July, the waste gas is already being pumped to the refinery Thus, we installed 300 points to capture.
The landfill, the biogas is led to a treatment plant for removal of impurities. Dali, followed by a six km pipeline extension to the Duque de Caxias refinery. The biogas volume pumped per day for Reduc will amount to 10% of the entire consumption of the refinery.
In a country that produces 182,728 tons of waste a day, you can imagine what that means in terms of energy? The accounts of the Ministry of Environment, considering the 56 largest landfills in the country, it is estimated that the cumulative biogas would be enough to supply electricity equivalent to the population of the municipality of Rio de Janeiro.
The outlook for 2020 points to a greater production of energy, enough to power 8.8 million people, the population of Pernambuco. On Thursday (28), the Brazilian Association of Public Cleansing reported that production in the 22 landfills where the collection of biogas is a reality is enough energy to supply 1.67 million people.
Experts assure that biogas can be a good deal. "It may be profitable, but it has to be done very cautiously. The government has to do his part also invest in incentives, "says Cynthia Philippi Salles, manager of sustainability management and Arcadis Logos.
Both urban waste as agricultural waste have the potential to boost the Brazilian energy matrix. For a country that is hungry for energy, there's more to relinquish that still insist on calling trash.
André Trigueiro


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