LIFE-DRY4GAS in the 1st Summer Course - Biogas production in farms and sustainable uses in mobility

On July 15th and 16th, the 1st Summer Course of biogas production in farms and its mobility applications, in the framework LIFE SMART AgroMobility, took place in Campus Duques de Soria at the University of Valladolid. Virginia Pérez, researcher in the Renewable Energy Development Centre, CEDER-CIEMAT, and LIFE-DRY4GAS coordinator, participated in the course.

The main objective of this course was to make known the technologies and possibilities of biogas production in the farm sector. During the two days, short presentations were shown related to the process: biogas production, uses of biogas in mobility, farm integration, sustainable fertilization and emissions reduction. Furthermore, other LIFE projects about emissions reduction, fertirrigation and renewable gas were presented. The opportunity of assisting to a biogas production laboratory was offered.

Virginia Pérez, the LIFE-DRY4GAS coordinator, made an exposition on July 16th, under the title: “LIFE DRY4GAS project: Waste Water sludge solar DRYing FOR energy recovery through gasification GAS”, where she explained the main differences between gasification gas and biogas and the gasification technology. Virginia Pérez provided a general view of the LIFE-DRY4GAS project, whose objective is reducing the environmental impact associated with conventional management of sludge from waste water treatment plants (WWTP). Other objectives are the CO2 emission reduction, acoustic emissions reduction, reduction in odor nuisance, hygienic improvement of the sludge, agricultural valorization of sludge and promotion of a green and circular economy. The proposed solution is being implemented in the WWTP of San Javier, Murcia. Currently, it is under construction, so several photos of the progress of the building works were shown.   A prototype with a solar dryer, a gasification plant, gas combustor and Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) to get electrical energy will be develop. In addition, gasification ashes mixed with sewage sludge will be reused as a fertilizer to evaluate their effects on the agricultural soil of a grapefruit plantation.