Switzerland-headed greentech major Hitachi Zosen Inova AG has announced that it will join forces at the heel of Italy with its longstanding Italian project partner Cesaro Mac Import (CMI) to build the twentieth Kompogas plant for the dry fermentation of biogenic waste in the country. Destined to treat organic waste from the province of Brindisi to produce biogas, the project will make an important contribution to Italy’s strategy to improve its waste management and increase renewable energy.
Shortly before the end of 2022, the contract for the construction of the 20th Kompogas digester in Italy was signed between HZI and CMI), a key player in Italian waste management and a proven engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) sales partner of HZI.
Construction on the plant will commence at the beginning of the year in the south of the region of Apulia in Erchie, around 30 km southeast of the Port of Brindisi.
The client is locally based Heracle Srl, which from late Autumn 2023 will be using biogenic residues from the region to generate renewable electricity in a composting plant on site.
Proven technology winning over the whole of Italy
After various projects in northern and central Italy, the tried and tested Kompogas technology is now also to be used in the south of the country.
At the heart of the treatment process is a plug-flow digester in a reinforced concrete construction.
In this digester, 30 000 tonnes annually of biowaste (OFMSW) and green waste collected separately in the province of Brindisi will be mixed and degassed under anaerobic conditions by a horizontal longitudinal agitator with plough-shaped paddle heads.
This will produce about 10 million Nm3 per annum of biogas, which will be converted into electricity in a combined heat and power (CHP) plant.
The electrical energy generated will be sufficient to power around 2 200 four-person households in the region for a year.
A key component of a waste management system
According to HZI, plants like the project in Erchie are an indispensable step on Italy’s path towards new solutions for dealing with municipal waste, which particularly affects the south of the country.
Resource recovery and recycling have an important place in what is a fundamental reorientation of Italian waste management.
Biogas technology such as the Kompogas digester in Erchie plays a special role, as alongside plants operated by farmers it enables the recycling of biogenic municipal waste, leftovers from food production, and green waste to generate renewable energy with a wide range of possible applications: electricity, heat and vehicle fuel.
