From home kitchens to the pumps for refueling waste collection vehicles: the complex process that, starting from the organic waste produced at a domestic level (the so-called FORSU, Organic Fraction of Solid Urban Waste), leads to the production of quality biomethane, an ecological fuel that in recent years has increasingly established itself as an important and valuable source of renewable energy.
To limit the increase in global temperature and prevent the devastating effects of ongoing climate change, it is necessary to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and, in particular, those from the road transport sector, which is one of the items with the greatest environmental impact.
Biomethane is certainly a valid ally in this challenge, considering that it has the same yield as fossil fuel, but with significant benefits for air quality. It should also be remembered that biomethane not only allows to reduce CO2 emissions but also allows to intercept the gas before its dispersion in the atmosphere and, therefore, to effectively reduce the greenhouse effect.
Transforming waste into resources is one of the missions of AEMME Linea Ambiente and the Legnano plant in via Novara inaugurated in March 2022, responds precisely to this desire. It can treat up to 52,400 tons of waste per year (40 thousand of wet waste collected in the municipalities where ALA carries out the urban hygiene and waste collection service and the remaining 12,400 of green waste). Through an upgrading process, the biogas produced is transformed into biomethane, which is then fed, through a network of high-pressure pipes, into the system managed by Snam SpA
Thanks to an agreement between Green Fuel Company SpA (a giant in the energy sector dedicated to the sale of natural gas to end customers throughout the country) and Bioenerys (a company 100% controlled by Snam), which manages the Legnano plant, Green Fuel is committed to reserving 500 thousand cubic meters of biomethane per year for AEMME Linea Ambiente vehicles, thus allowing the same vehicles that operate in our territories every day for waste collection and urban hygiene to be powered by renewable energy. ALA serves 19 municipalities, for a total of over 300 thousand inhabitants.
The company fleet consists of 279 vehicles (12 of which are electric). Of the 140 thousand tons of waste that ALA manages per year, 105 thousand are sent for recovery, with an average percentage of separate waste collection that stands at 75%.
Returning to the agreement between Green Fuel Company SpA and Bioenerys, it is a good example of circular economy, which is good for the environment and the air we breathe.
