Canada-headed anaerobic digestion technology major Anaergia Inc., through its Italian subsidiary Anaergia S.r.l., has announced that it has entered into a contract with Circular Renewable Evolution S.r.l. (CREvolution) to supply its proprietary technology and equipment for an advanced anaerobic digestion facility, valued at approximately CA$13 million. It will form part of a EUR 50 million broader initiative to recover degumming soil residues at Eni’s Gela biorefinery in Italy.
The project brings together CREvolution, and Anaergia as strategic partners in developing an integrated, pioneering system for recovering and regenerating degumming soil while producing biomethane, aka renewable natural gas (RNG).
This initiative represents a breakthrough in the sustainable production of renewable diesel (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil – HVO), sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), bionaphta, and bioLPG.
Degumming soil recovery and regeneration
Degumming is a process used in the refining of vegetable oils, where crude vegetable oil is treated with water and/or acid to remove impurities, such as phospholipids and metals, commonly referred to as gums.
The new demonstration-scale facility will recover and regenerate degumming soil – a clay-based material used to purify vegetable oils during the HVO production process – transforming it from a residual by-product into a reusable resource.
Currently, spent degumming soil is treated externally before landfill disposal. By integrating anaerobic digestion (AD) with a thermal treatment process, Anaergia’s system will both recover the material for reuse and produce RNG, as a clean-energy by-product.
Through this initiative, we are setting a new benchmark for sustainable HVO production. The integration of Anaergia and CRE’s advanced technologies not only reduces waste and costs but also demonstrates how strategic partnerships can drive innovation toward a more circular economy, said Fabrizio Lami, COO of CREvolution.
Anaergia’s scope includes the supply of an advanced anaerobic digestion system that incorporates its proprietary mixing and pumping technologies, designed to process materials with high dry-matter content and viscosity, enabling the facility to:
- recover over 80 percent of the degumming soil residues,
- generate over 70 GWh of RNG annually,
- materially decarbonize energy use at the Gela refinery, and
- significantly reduce operating and waste disposal costs.
Installation and commissioning are expected to be completed by May 2027.
This collaboration underscores Anaergia’s strength as a technology partner. This solution, which helps CREvolution to transform what was once considered waste into renewable energy and reusable material, is designed for replication globally and for building a framework that can be expanded across a rapidly growing HVO market, said Assaf Onn, CEO of Anaergia.
Platform for scalable growth
The facility will serve as a blueprint for a new circular-economy model in the HVO industry – one that transforms waste into renewable energy and reusable resources.
Once validated, the Gela model is expected to be replicated across Eni’s biorefineries and is expected to be adaptable to more than 250 existing HVO plants worldwide, a market that is projected to expand by more than 35 percent by 2030.
This initiative demonstrates Eni’s commitment to sustainable innovation with measurable impact. By regenerating degumming soil through an integrated process that also produces renewable energy, we significantly reduce waste-disposal costs and operating expenses while advancing circularity across our biorefining operations, commented an Eni spokesperson.
The initiative positions Anaergia, together with its partners, at the forefront of a rapidly evolving sector that links decarbonization, resource recovery, and sustainable growth to new opportunities for technology leadership and long-term value creation.
