Bondalti Water is developing a new agro-industrial project, the largest in Spain in this area, in the Navarra area, consisting of the installation of a hybrid system - anaerobic and with MBR (membrane bioreactor) technology - in a community facility dedicated to wastewater treatment for a group of companies in the agri-food sector.
After the completion of this expansion phase, which will provide significant economic and environmental benefits, it will be possible to treat around 1.45 million m3 of wastewater per year.
Due to the reduction in energy consumption, estimated at around 73%, the hybrid system represents significant gains compared to conventional aerobic systems. Anaerobic treatment (without aeration) allows a significant reduction of organic matter, of about five thousand tons per year, which means that very few loads end up reaching the aerobic system. On the other hand, since MBR has ultrafiltration membranes, a high-quality permeate is obtained in physico-chemical and microbiological terms.
Another advantage associated with the anaerobic system is the production of biogas, which can be used for energy recovery. This facility is expected to produce 1.5 million m3 of biogas annually, with a conversion to biomethane of approximately 700,000 cubic meters. “With more than 3 GWh/year of electricity generated from clarification gas, we will be able to cover almost all of the customer's electricity consumption”, underlines the commercial director of Bondalti Water, Antonio Alonso.
In environmental terms, as a result of this conversion process, the treatment plant will emit less than 3650 tons of greenhouse gases per year.
In parallel with the installation of the anaerobic phase, a new centrifugal sludge dewatering system will also be integrated.
Also noteworthy is a specialized SCADA, with instrumentation, automation and programming developed by Bondalti Water, for full online and remote supervision of the entire process adapted to the customer's needs.
The intelligent combinations of wastewater treatment and reuse, energy generation and environmental protection are the guarantee of the future viability of this type of facility. The proven concepts and high-efficiency technologies in the biogas component lead to solutions that are particularly suitable for combating energy price fluctuations and rising sludge processing costs.
Bondalti Water will be responsible for the complete management of this plant for six years.
