A public-private project for reduce the amount of waste even with theartificial intelligence, in Sicily. What seems like a titanic undertaking for years, so much so that in recent weeks the Region has given the OK to the new waste plan with two incineratorsit could come to fruition in Castellana Sicula plant hubin the province of Palermo. The plant would push the territory towards circular economy and energy recovery. Inside it will produce both biogas That Css (Secondary Solid Fuel), which can be used as fuel in cement factories or incinerators.
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Thanks to artificial intelligence 90% of waste recovered
The structure will be built in an area adjacent to the current one Balza di Cetta landfill. The objective of the project is not only environmental but also economic. “If everything goes as best as possible, 90% of waste, both differentiated and undifferentiated, will no longer go to landfill. And that famous 10%, if it is of quality, can be used as fuel”, states the mayor of Castellana Sicula, Francesco Calderaro. “Moreover, the entire SRR Palermo Est is enclosed within 80 kilometres. Consequently, logistics will represent one of the fundamental elements”.
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In Castellana Sicula waste from 38 municipalities
The contract between Srr (Society for the Regulation of the Waste Management Service) Palermo Eastern Province And the society Biowaste Ch4wholly owned by Asja Ambiente Italia was signed in 2021. This is the concession through finance project for the definitive and executive design, construction and subsequent management of a waste treatment plant. They will come from separate waste collection and the valorisation of the residual fraction coming from 38 member municipalities. The entities involved are: Alia, Alimena, Aliminusa, Altavilla Milicia, Baucina, Blufi, Bompietro, Caccamo, Caltavuturo, Campofelice di Fitalia, Campofelice Di Roccella, Castelbuono, Castellana Sicula, Cefalà Diana, Cefalù, Cerda, Ciminna, Collesano, Gangi, Geraci Siculo, Gratteri, Isnello, Lascari, Mezzojuso, Montemaggiore Belsito, Petralia Soprana, Petralia Sottana, Polizzi Generosa, Pollina, San Mauro Castelverde, Sciara, Scillato, Sclafani Bagni, Termini Imerese, Trabiam Valledolmo, Ventimiglia di Sicilia, Villafrati.
Bureaucracy for the waste plant in Castellana Sicula
The company brings more to the table 55 million euros for the construction of the plant. It is an international group that operates in the field of the environment and energy production from renewable sources. The structure will remain the property of the SRR Palermo Provincia Est but it will be managed for 25 years by Asja Ambiente. Next steps: executive phase and implementation. “The works will begin between January and February next year – explains the mayor of Castellana Sicula, Francesco Calderaro – and will be completed in 2027.” In the meantime, SRR confirm that they do not neglect thesecondary plant engineering envisaged in the area plan. In particular, the works to be carried out in the Balza di Cetta landfill and in the composting plant of Castelbuono. However, as the president of the Srr Palermo eastern province Fiandaca explains, there is no shortage of bureaucratic and funding problems. “The Region, at times, fails not only to plan well but, above all, to use and allocate public spending. Spending well translates into systems and services for citizens.”
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Biomethane injected into the Snam gas pipeline
The plant has a maximum treatment capacity of 42,500 tonnes/year for organic section (FSU), 60 thousand for the residual fraction of MSW – solid urban waste and 8 thousand of dry fractions from separate collection, 300 of bulky waste and 1,500 for electronic waste (WEEE). There will be three main activities: OFMSW treatment section – mechanical pre-treatment, anaerobic digestion, production of biogas and upscaling the biomethane and compost production). Biological mechanical treatment for waste MSWbulky waste and dry fraction of MSW (mechanical separation treatment, anaerobic stabilization, biogas production, upscaling of biomethane, CSS production (Secondary Solid Fuel) and secondary raw materials, for example, paper, plastic and ferrous and non-ferrous metals. Separation and collection of recyclable material of bulky waste and mechanical treatment and volume reduction with final packaging. As well as selection of processing and safety of WEEE. “We have foreseen the possibility of recovering biogas then transformed into biomethane to be introduced into the Snam gas pipeline – explains Rocco Martello, sole director of Owac Engineering -. This will close the part of the treatment of undifferentiated waste.”
Artificial intelligence for waste treatment
The waste treatment plant in Castellana Sicula is “one of the experiences of excellence not only in Southern Italybut on the entire national territory”, second Tommaso CassataCEO of Asja Ambiente Italia. A project that, for waste management, does not disdain theartificial intelligence which “will allow for increasingly efficient waste treatment but, above all, will allow Municipalities to finally be able to plan waste treatment costs”, explains Cassata. Today, however, they are “often slaves to uncertain markets and fluctuating prices”.
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No to the waste-to-energy plant in Termini Imerese
Also there mayor of Termini Imerese, Maria Terranova, says she is satisfied with the project which, in addition to the innovation of waste treatment with artificial intelligence, will make it possible to “significantly reduce the costs of landfilling waste”, she declares. However, she says she is against the waste-to-energy plant. “We are waiting to know concretely the functionality and location which interests us very much – comments the first citizen – moreover I have reiterated several times how the city of Termini Imerese is absolutely not available to welcome a plant like the waste-to-energy plant because we have already paid a lot in environmental terms during the Some years”. In Sicily we have been witnessing a paradox for years now: separate waste collection increases but the cost of landfilling undifferentiated waste also increases. Over the last ten years the cost of tariffs has skyrocketed. “We went from 120 euros per ton in 2014 to 380 euros per ton in 2023 and, in some cases, even to 450 euros per ton – recalls Terranova – In Sardinia we are around 97 euros per ton”.
Tags: Sicily plant reduces waste creates biogas artificial intelligence
