In January 2021, local policy officers from the Region of Murcia (Spain) visited the facilities of the Valuewaste project in Cañada Hermosa (Murcia). Technicians that work in these facilities -the Valuewaste Pilot Plant- guided the visit and explained the work that takes place in its different sections.

The Plant receives biowaste from the City of Murcia, where the Valuewaste project has developed a pilot experience to collect the Organic Fraction of Municipal Waste (biowaste) generated by citizens, restaurants and local food markets.

The work of the Pilot Plant

Once the biowaste gets to the plant, it is treated in a “digester” -specific equipment needed to digest the biowaste. Then a system of three valorisation lines converts the digested product into new high added-value products: ingredients with applications for food and feed and fertilisers. In detail, each valorisation line develops the following work:

  1. Value chain 1 develops food and feed ingredients (proteins, peptides, fats and nucleic acids) from methanotrophic bacteria that feed on biomethane that arises from the anaerobic digestion of the biowaste in the Digester.
  2. Value chain 2 develops food and feed grade protein from insects (namely, black soldier fly) larvae fed with biowaste and/or digestate that comes from anaerobic digestion of the urban biowaste.
  3. Value chain 3 develops biobased fertilisers (struvite/ammonium sulfate blend) with nutrients recovered from the residual dewatering liquid coming as well from the process of anaerobic digestion in the Digester.

Parts of the Valuewaste Pilot Plant

The Pilot Plan is built bringing together various pilot units developed and installed by Valuewaste project partners.

  1. The pilot unit from Entomo Agroindustrial installed in Cañada Hermosa (Murcia Spain) the 2nd of November.
  2. The pilot unit delivered by NURESYS during October 2020 (Shipment of the Nuresys Pilot Unit to Murcia!).
  3. The unit delivered by Nuresys is coupled to the anaerobic digestor installed by INDEREN (INDEREN successfully delivered 2 digester tanks of 100m3 and 20m3) where urban biowaste is initially treated.

Altogether, the different pilot units will work to carry out processes developed and designed by the Valuewaste project. As a whole, this system will be replicable across other cities throughout Europe, maximising the potential impact of the work done.

Watch bellow (Spanish) the visit to the Pilot Plant!