The last round table of the 17th International Congress on Bioenergy focused on the strategies required for the integrated management of substrates and digestate in biogas plants in a sustainable and profitable way.
The panel stressed that ensuring the success of projects requires prioritising the integration of plants into the territory and collaborating with the primary sector, ensuring that the benefits are distributed equitably among all the stakeholders involved.
Sustainability and profitability must go hand in hand; in this way, biogas plants become not only a generator of clean energy, but also an essential element of the circular economy that helps protect the environment and revitalize rural communities.
The panellists were Begoña Ruiz, Director of Technologies at AINIA; Sebastián Farré, Director of Noguera Renovables; Ángel Porta, Manager of the engineering firm Ecobiogás; and Blas Donis, General Secretary of the Union of Small Farmers of Palencia; moderated by David Fernández, Vice President of AEBIG.
Begoña Ruiz stressed that "a biogas plant is not just energy, it is much more." In her opinion, "we have to change our mindset and think of digestate as a valuable product, see biogas plants as nutrient management plantsIn this regard, he advocated encouraging technological innovation, highlighting the implementation of membranes for nutrient recovery and solid-state fermentation as methods to add agronomic value to the digestate.
Industrial symbiosis: the engine of success
Sebastián Farré shared the evolution of his project, which was born in 2012 to solve a problem in the management of waste from a livestock farm. He highlighted the importance of “industrial symbiosis” as a driving force for success in biogas projects. “Here, the primary sector, which had a problem with waste management, has come together with companies that are experts in renewable energies and industrial technologies,” he said.
He also stressed that understanding the nature of waste and its proper treatment is key to optimizing the viability and sustainability of projects.
For his part, Ángel Porta agreed that the success of biogas cannot be focused only on energy: “The energy issue is the excuse to make a circular and sustainable economy in the territory.” Porta stressed the importance of integrating these projects in local communities without causing inconvenience, stating that “we have to be part of the solution, not the problem.” He also warned about the risk of not properly planning the origin of the raw material: “We do not have to bring it from 300 kilometers. We have to do reasonable things”; or the use of the digestate: “application correctly in nearby fields is “the most economical and sustainable strategy.”
The agricultural sector: a fundamental pillar
Finally, Blas Donis spoke on behalf of the agricultural sector, recalling the importance of farmers and ranchers for the success of biogas projects: "Without farmers and ranchers, there will be no biogas."
Donis stressed the importance of avoiding imposing solutions from outside: “The best way forward is through dialogue, not selling smoke”, suggesting that it is key to bring projects closer to the territory and clearly explain the economic and environmental benefits for the sector: “the agricultural sector is like a sponge, very receptive to innovation when its value is understood”. Finally, he called for biogas projects to contribute to both the sustainability and economic profitability of rural farms. “We have to get involved in projects that create wealth in our territory, that are sustainable and that help us comply with environmental regulations”.
