Organic waste recovery challenge
Get the best from waste organic components and methanogenic value.
1) Turning organics into a source of green energy
With its high methanogenic value, organic waste can significantly contribute to green energy production (heat, electricity or gas-to-grid) thanks to Anaerobic Digestion technologies.
2) Restoring natural capital as soil fertilizer
Applying compost on top-soil is one of the best solution to revitalize soils. Compost reduces the need for chemical fertilizers, promotes higher yields of agricultural crops and can help reforestation, wetlands restoration, and habitat revitalization efforts.
3) Positively impacting climate change
Compost contributes to carbon sequestration. According to the 4 per 1,000 initiative, an annual growth rate of 0.4% in the soil carbon stocks would halt the increase in the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere related to human activities.
Veolia's solutions for organic waste recovery
Reliable services to local authorities, retailers, hotels, restaurants and F&B industrials that ensure full environmental performance.
Dedicated solutions for organic waste recovery
Veolia has developed an extended expertise on all biological treatment technologies and recovers over 3 million tons of organic waste each year.
Biological process that transforms, in the absence of oxygen, organic matter into biogas (rich in methane and CO2), and into a solid or pasty residue, called digestate. Rich in non- degraded organics and minerals, the digestate can undergo another stage of treatment, depending on local regulations, to be recovered.
This is a continuous process.
Physical and biological process which allows washing (leaching) of soluble organic matter contained in the waste by recirculation of leachate. This process operates in batch. At the end of the process, solid matter can be treated by composting or biodrying, depending on the expected final recovery (compost or SRF respectively). The liquid fraction will be treated by wet AD.
Physical process that removes humidity from biodegradable waste, by ventilation (that may be heated), to produce a Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF) which will be recovered as energy.
Biological process that transforms, with the presence of oxygen, the organic matter into a stabilized and sanitized product, rich in humic compounds, called compost. This reaction generates heat and CO2. Compost is an organic soil fertilizer.
Our added value
Bioconversion
We transform biowaste/coproducts into proteins for animal feed thanks to insect farming (Black Soldier Fly) to create high value by-products.
QualiagroTM
Our QualiagroTM 20 years research program on composting with the French National Institute of Agronomic Research (INRA) is an unparalleled knowledge base on the agronomic value of composts and their positive impact on the environment.
METHA-DataTM
METHA-DataTM is a web application which provides online access to characteristics, composition parameters and methane potential of organic waste. A key tool to determine the best recipe of organic waste to optimize Anaerobic Digestion process.
CARBO PROTM & SOIL ADVISORTM
Developed in partnership with INRA (French National Institute for Agronomic Research) CARBO PROTM, is a decision making tool to define spreading scenarios for residual organic products and their impact in carbon stocks in soil over time.
SOIL ADVISORTM is a smart application to help farmers to optimize fertilization using organic fertilizers such as compost.
AEROcontrolTM
With AEROcontrolTM, we measure the temperature and automatically adapt the air flow rate to achieve optimal biological degradation conditions and improve the quality of the compost produced.
VALOBIOTM
Our internal blended training program VALOBIOTM, created in 2002, shares the expertise on biological treatment across all our teams in every country to ensure operational and environmental performance.
Our references in the organic waste recovery
Méetha, Soudan
Key figures:
• 170 Nm3/h of biomethane
• 16,000 m3 of liquide digestate per year
Territorial Anaerobic Digestion
SAS Meetha, located in Soudan (western France),is a solution to treat the 20,000 tonnes of organic waste coming from agriculture (manure, slurries, cereal waste,...) and food industry by-products (whey, glycerin, organic waste, green waste,...)
Developed in collaboration with a farmer, the site is a local response to recover organic waste into biogas through Anaerobic Digestion. As from September 2019, the biomethane is directly injected in the gas grid.
The digestate is then spread on nearby agricultural fields for a quick assimilation by the soil and the plants.
The site is a great example of circular economy including local farmers all along the process with a territorial approach.
Bardowick
Key figure:
• 40,000tpa wet-AD process
Anaerobic Digestion
Based in Northern Germany, the wet Anaerobic Digestion (AD) facility offers a recovery solution for nearby municipalities, retailers and Food & Beverages industries.
Due to the large scope of organic waste, a 40,000tpa wet-AD process was implemented along with depackaging units to best fit with incoming waste streams.
The 600-800 Nm3 per hour of biogas, with high methane content, are converted into electricity supplied to the national grid thanks to Combined Heat and Power (CHP) engines. The digestate is used as a liquid fertiliser for agricultural amendments, meeting the German standards.
Earthpower
Key figures:
• Food waste wet AD to produce 4,900 MWh of electricity per year
Anaerobic Digestion
EarthPower is Australia’s first food Anaerobic Digestion (AD) facility designed and licensed to accept solid and liquid food biomass from municipal, commercial and industrial sectors in the Sydney region. The facility processes food waste to produce green electricity and a nutrient-rich-by-product fertiliser for the agriculture and horticultural markets.
EarthPower can receive up to 50,000 tons of food waste per year and is able to produce enough green electricity to power over 3,600 homes. Waste heat from the cogeneration engines is used in the fertiliser drying process and also to heat the digesters.
Parcé-sur-Sarthe
Key figure:
• 25,000tpa optimized aerobic biological treatment of green and organic waste
Composting
The small size composting platform in Parcé-sur-Sarthe faced the challenge of treating larger volumes with no additional surface.
Veolia developed and implemented AEROcontrolTM, an innovation based on taylor-made composting windrow aeration system and an algorithm designed to control the aeration according to compost temperature.
The system measures the compost temperature in different windrow spots and adapts the amount of air to be blown under each windrow to optimize biological degradation conditions.
This innovation makes organic material composting more efficient, quicker and easier to manage.
Little bushy warren
Key figures:
• 75,000tpa composting facility
• 55,400tpa of compost
Composting
The site aimed at receiving large quantities of green garden waste and targeted the recycling of garden waste through an optimised natural open air windrow process, resulting in an high-quality product.
The temperature, moisture and oxygen content for each windrow is monitored to ensure optimum conditions are met.
Little Bushy Warren produces a PAS-100 and Soil Association accredited compost, trade marketed as Pro-Grow through BtoC retailers.
The facility also provides space and access to recycling education for the public in order to raise awareness on the environmental benefits of recycling.
Essenheim
Key figure:
• Percolation and 7,000 MWh of electricity generated per year
Anaerobic Digestion
The challenge was to integrate a percolation and a dry AD process into the 48,000tpa Mainz-Essenheim existing composting plant.
The objectives were the plant’s emissions reduction, a design of the composting unit as “a system within a system”, the production of a high-quality compost and the production of electricity from renewable resources using a percolation and an AD process. 8 tunnel digesters were implemented using the biogas for the production of electricity and heat.
The input waste (green waste and organic waste) are recovered into biogas and compost, or recycled into secondary raw materials.
Rostock
Key figure:
• 45,000tpa organic waste dry AD with gas-to-grid
Subsequent to the statutory prohibition on the dumping of unsorted solid waste materials, the municipality of Rostock looked for a service provider for an all-round process management.
Veolia operates a 195,000tpa mechanical sorting facility aiming at producing Solid Recovered Fuels (SRF).
For the organic fractions, the facility also includes a 45,000tpa dry Anaerobic Digestion (AD) process that produces over 22,000 MWh of raw biogas annually.
The resultant biomethane (approx. 75%) is both fed into the public gas grid and used in a cogeneration plant producing >4,700 MWh of electricity annually.
Artois Méthanisation
Key figure:
• 32,000tpa organic waste wet AD on an integrated organic waste center
Anaerobic Digestion
Located in the heart of a farming region which supplies the food & beverage industry, the Artois Methanisation site (near Arras, North of Paris) is a Veolia owned Anaerobic Digestion facility developed on an existing composting site partly supplied through river transport.
With a mobile depackaging unit, the site can treat any flow of biowaste and recover various packaging (PP, PET and PEHD bottles, tin cans, etc...).
Artois Methanisation hosts a pilot center of expertise offering advanced methanogenic sampling and testing capabilities used to optimize the “recipes” to improve the AD throughput. It also comprises biogas as well as digestate quality proof testing.
Veolia Veolia is the leading provider of environmental services for organic waste recovery
With a strong experience all across the organic waste value chain, from collection to recovery and land spreading. Operating in 8 countries more than 120 Composting and Anaerobic Digestion sites using different technologies.
Veolia is recognized globally as a leading R&D actor with our QualiagroTM 20 years research program on composting as well as partnerships with major institutes such as the French National Institute of Agronomic Research (INRA) or Agro-Paritech.
Veolia facilities are equiped with detection and fire protection systems in accordance with NFPA rules (US National Fire Protection Association). Based on high quality and certified products, Veolia developed dedicated compost and fertilizer brands such as ProGrow, Vital and ADS.
CONTACTS
Development, Innovation and Markets: [email protected]
Technical and Performance Department: [email protected]
