Cermec biodigester in Massa Carrara, a seminar to address doubts

Associations and committees have organized an online seminar with Gianni Tamino (ISDE) on April 24th to understand the possible effects on health and the environment.

Editorial board
April 23, 2024

MASSA CARRARA – Biodigesters are plants which, through a process of decomposition of the organic substance anaerobically (without oxygen), they convert domestic organic waste and agricultural waste into thermal energy, electricity and other process outputs. In our country, biodigesters are widespread mainly in Northern Italy but the one in Montespertoli, which has just been inaugurated, is the largest plant in Central Italy.

After a pre-treatment and cleaning process, thanks to a treatment process of the wet fraction without the use of oxygen, the biodigester sends the wet waste into sealed containers where there are bacteria, which favor the transformation of organic matter into biogas and digestate. The biogas is subjected to a purification process called upgradingthanks to which it is obtained biomethane. The solid fraction that remains after the gas extraction process, the digestateis treated to be transformed into compost.

After the Council of State confirmed the regularity of the tender called by Cermec in November 2023, the company owned by the Municipalities of Massa and Carrara created for the construction of a biodigester in the Sir area (reclamation site of regional interest) to be reclaimed before the start of the works, last February Cermec also obtained the integrated environmental authorization from the offices of the Tuscany Region.

Now a group of environmental associations and committees have organized for April 24th at 9pm an online seminar open to the public with Gianni Tamino to answer doubts and questions about biodigesters: this type of plant implements really a circular economy process? Where do they end up chemicals that are released from biogas during the transformation process of the biomass delivered to the plants? What is the energy yield of biodigesters compared to the energy invested? Biodigesters bring economic advantages to consumers and can they survive without state incentives?

The appointment will also be useful to understand if the soil improvers coming from the digestate, used in agriculture for fertilization, are they really safe or, on the contrary, can they contain Pfas and other elements dangerous for health and the environment. The initiative is organized by: Association for Citizens’ Rights (ADiC Toscana); Save the Landscape Association, provincial coordination of Cremona; Network of associations and committees against the Cermec biodigester; NoRigass No National LNG.
Zoom link for connection, Meeting ID: 842 8748 9392, access code: 008411.

Gianni Tamino he was professor of Biology and fundamentals of environmental law at the University of Padua and member of the technical-scientific committee of the international association Doctors for the Environment (ISDE).