FORSU in the circular economy

The FORSU plant is an example of circular economy: two main products are obtained from organic waste and the fraction that comes from the separate collection of greenery: BIOMETHANE and COMPOST.

The plant produces a quantity of BIOMETHANE sufficient to heat, in one year, 4,600 families or, alternatively, to power 7,600 cars (with an average journey of 15,000 kilometers a year) or 190 BUSES (with an average journey of 50,000 kilometers a year). year). For vehicles that use biomethane, mobility will be completely sustainable, as the environmental impact of emissions will be zero.

The BIOMETHANE produced is a completely renewable energy source that replaces fossil fuels and will thus avoid the emission of approximately 14,000 tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere per year. To absorb this quantity, 2,500 hectares of forest would be needed.

The combustion of the biomethane obtained from the plant equalizes the balance of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere: it is the same that had been fixed by photosynthesis in the plants that are treated in the plant.

A further ecological advantage in the use of biomethane is that of preventing its diffusion in the troposphere following the uncontrolled decomposition of waste: methane is in fact one of the most powerful greenhouse gases, while its energy use essentially degrades it into carbon dioxide and water .

The plant will also produce 53,000 tons of quality COMPOST each year. And also 10,000 tons of "food grade" liquid carbon dioxide for industrial uses (eg: use as an additive for packaging modified atmospheres or as propellants for beverages; as a processing aid for supercritical extraction; as an ingredient for carbonation of beverages).

Quality compost is a soil improver required by current legislation and is a product that embodies a high environmental value. Organic waste together with the collection of greenery constitute an important part of municipal waste: by allocating it to the composting process, it is subtracted from the normal management circuits, making it possible to significantly reduce the quantity of municipal waste destined for disposal. The use of compost as a soil conditioner also makes it possible to reduce the use of non-renewable resources used to produce chemical fertilizers and represents a concrete opportunity to put concrete environmental sustainability actions into practice.