Granada biorefinery – A 100% circular facility
The Granada Sur Biorefinery of Emasagra has set up an ambitious environmental strategy in order to become the European reference of circular economy in the field of sanitation and wastewater treatment. Its 2020 roadmap "Zero Energy, Zero Waste" aims to make the plant entirely energy self-sufficient by 2020 thanks to the recovery of its effluents. If a surplus energy is generated, it will be injected into the local grid. Almost 100% of the treated water is reused for irrigation purposes of woody crops in the surrounding area of the biorefinery. Thanks to energy efficiency measures and the optimization of the biogas production, the energy rate of self-supply has risen up to 82%, and it is confirmed that it will generate energy to the local grid by 2018. Regarding waste, all the digested sludge is used as as an agricultural fertilizer, and the greases and sands are composted for gardening use.
- In November 2015, 3 electric vehicles as well as an electric vehicle charging station have completed the installation: the new infrastructure is supplied with the energy from on-site biogas production.
In 2017, the facility reached:
- An energy self-supply rate of 82,6%, meaning 3,5 GWh were produced through biogas cogeneration;
- 100% of the 18,04 Hm3 treated water were reused for irrigation;
- 100% digested sludge, greases and sands has been recovered: 19.369,1 Tn of digested sludge were used as an agricultural fertilizer or composted;
- 25 Tn of greases and 308 Tn of sands were composted for gardening use in 2017.
There are plans to build a 100kWh solar power generation park in order to complete this state-of-the art biorefinery.