In line with the group’s commitment to decarbonisation, Althenia Sando offers innovative solutions specialised inCO2 neutralisation, including the generation of biogas energy from biomass; the installation of tree stands for forest biomass plants; and the planting of urban and forest trees as natural CO2 sinks.
Biomass is a renewable energy resource consisting of organic matter from natural or induced biological activity. It is found in various forms available for processing, such as: biomass-forestry and forestry residues; residues from wood processing; organic fraction of municipal or industrial waste, and the organic fraction of sewage or industrial sludge.
Through the waste treatment services, projects are being developed related to the production of ozone from renewable oxygen from a green renewable hydrogen electrolyser; the capture of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the upgrading of biogas to biomethane; and of cogeneration gases for combination with green hydrogen (H2) and the production of synthesis gas and biomethane. In particular, energy generation in wastewater treatment plants, together with the Conacon Sando Energy division, uses the process of anaerobic biodigestion (transformation of decomposition gases into energy) of sewage sludge.
The solutions that use this method offer advantages both in the absorption of carbon dioxide and in the elimination of odours and the subsequent obtaining of bioproducts through energy recovery. They also develop projects for biogas capture in waste treatment plants that are compatible with traditional landfill and compaction systems.
These solutions reflect the effective integration of the circular economy in the processes implemented by the company, which allows the production of 696,000 m3/year of biogas and the generation of electrical and thermal energy of 11 GWh/year.
Althenia Sando also offers tree or forest management solutions such as the planting and management of new wooded areas, both through the reforestation of degraded, overexploited or burnt areas and the afforestation or creation of forest mass through the planting of trees on land where there was no forest before. These services offer environmentally sustainable solutions such as reducing excessive density, contributing to fire risk mitigation, and promoting resistance to pests and disease. In addition, the waste generated is entirely usable, with high energy efficiency, in biomass plants that generate renewable energy.
Forests, like soil and oceans, are considered natural carbon sinks, as they absorb CO2 in the air. Therefore, through forest management solutions, Althenia Sando promotes the increased utilisation of forests, which is likely to impact the decarbonisation process and thus mitigate the effects of climate change.
