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Citrus waste gains prominence with the arrival of the world's largest biogas plant: French multinational invests in new unit to reduce emissions by 20% in the city of SP.
On Tuesday (11), the Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC), a French multinational and one of the global leaders in the production and sale of citrus juices, officially launched the construction of the largest biogas plant in the world produced from citrus waste, located in Bebedouro, in the interior of São Paulo.
Find out what Brazil's new biogas plant will be like
The new unit that will use citrus waste has a total area of approximately 200 m² and an initial capacity to treat 400 m³/h of citrus effluents generated in the local unit of the company, capable of generating more than 50 thousand Nm³/day of sustainable gas. The expectation is a reduction of over 20% in CO2 emissions from the operation in Bebedouro, in line with the company's global commitment to sustainability.
The big difference in the world's largest biogas plant is the use of a specific inoculum developed by LDC itself, which efficiently decomposes citrus waste from processing, such as oranges and lemons.
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During the pilot testing phases, LDC achieved results that surpassed the efficiency of existing technologies on the market by up to 16%. The fuel produced will replace the natural gas traditionally used in the company's industries, representing an estimated 50% saving in the unit's fossil fuel consumption.
The citrus waste treatment process at the world's largest biogas plant will begin in a homogenizing tank and then move to anaerobic lagoons, where the inoculum decomposes the organic matter. The material is then transferred to aerobic lagoons for final filtration. The resulting water, fully treated, will be returned in its entirety to the Paiol River, ensuring that there is no contamination or waste.
World's largest biogas plant scheduled for completion in first half of 2026
It is worth mentioning that the sludge generated by the process can be reused as organic fertilizer in the more than 30 thousand hectares of orchards managed by the company. The construction of the unit is expected to be completed by the end of the first half of 2026, with potential for expansion, given that the total land acquired is 10 thousand hectares, allowing for expansion if demand increases.
According to Paulo Hladchuk, Global Head of LDC's Juice Platform, the largest biogas plant in the world makes a real circular economy model possible and will also reduce pollutant gas emissions by 20%.
Another important point of the project is the possible future production of biomethane, as long as the fuel undergoes a purification process that increases its methane concentration to 96%, allowing its commercial use and in the company's own vehicle fleets.
World's largest biogas plant receives support from the government of SP
The project that uses citrus waste has important institutional support from the Government of the State of São Paulo, which has encouraged investments in renewable energy and biofuels.
O Secretary of Agriculture and Supply of the State, Guilherme Piai, highlighted that this investment of millions of dollars demonstrates confidence in the business environment in São Paulo, which offers legal security, research and availability of credit for agribusiness.
The multinational's investment reflects its confidence in the Brazilian citrus sector, especially in São Paulo, where seven out of every ten glasses of juice consumed in the world are produced. The citrus sector in São Paulo generated more than 45 jobs in the 2023/2024 harvest, a 10% increase compared to the previous year, demonstrating the sector's positive impact on the regional economy.
Source: Globo Rural
