The new Urca Energia plant for the production of green CO2, in Rio de Janeiro, will start operating in less than 2 years
The Urca Energia Group announced last Monday (7th) that it will begin construction of a green carbon dioxide production plant, which will be located at the Seropédica Waste Treatment Center, in Rio de Janeiro. The plant – which is the first of its kind in Brazil – will make full use of the biomethane that is generated from organic landfill waste. The project is part of the Gás Verde portfolio.
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With the works already started, the green carbon dioxide production plant will start operating in less than two years
The company, which was recently acquired by the Urca Energia Group, already has a biomethane plant in Seropédica and two other power generation plants using biogas, one in Nova Iguaçu and the other in São Gonçalo, in Rio de Janeiro, which by 2023 will be transformed into biomethane plants.
The high investment for the construction and acquisition of all the equipment for the new green CO2 plant is around R$ 45 million, but the total investment value in Gás Verde is R$ 1,2 billion. With works in full swing, the Urca Energia Group expects the green CO2 plant to start operating in 18 months.
Around 100 tons of green carbon dioxide will be generated daily at the plant, representing approximately 10% of the average daily consumption recorded in Brazil, which is 1.100 tons. This product is commonly used in the Food and Beverage industry, during the gasification processes of liquids – such as soft drinks and beers – and also in the freezing of foods. In the Metallurgy sector, CO2 is used in the heat treatment of welds. In the Sanitation sector, it is used specifically for the treatment of effluents.
Urca Energia Group has sought investments that contribute not only to business, but mainly to the environment
According to the executive director of the Urca Energia Group, Marcel Jorand, when investing in the partial or total use of carbon dioxide, he not only wants to remain in line with the purpose of the company's financial negotiations, but also to make investments that may have a positive effect on the environment.
Throughout the process of treating biogas to biomethane, a stream of gases, consisting of 42% carbon dioxide, is instantly generated, a stream that will be sent through pipelines from the biomethane plant to the green CO2 plant, where the treatment will take place to raise its carbon dioxide concentration to 99%. At the end, the gas will go through a liquefaction process, so that it can be stored and sold to distributors.
Contracts in sight
Gás Verde already signed a contract with the brewing industry Ambev, in January this year, for the supply of biomethane. The biomethane generated within the Seropédica Waste Treatment Center, in Rio de Janeiro, is used at Ambev.
It is transported from the treatment center to the brewery and is injected into the high efficiency burners located in the boiler, generating the steam needed to be used in the production processes, being a much more sustainable source of heat energy, also reducing carbon emissions. The goal is to reach zero emissions by 2040. Gás Verde intends to supply around 5,5 million cubic meters of biomethane/year.
