It would be the first plant of its kind in Spain and would be responsible for upgrading non-recyclable municipal solid waste to circular methanol that would be used to produce advanced biofuels.
The material recovery project at El Martell is sponsored by Enerkem (a technology leader) and Agbar (a global water and waste management specialist); Repsol S.A., a global energy company engaged in upstream and downstream petroleum operations. They joined the joint venture Ecoplanta Molecular Recyclin Solution (Ecoplanta) and plan to locate the circular methanol plant in El Morrell (Tarragona).
José Luis Bernal, executive director of chemical products at Repsol, announced the joining of forces with important and innovative partners in waste management as a commitment to the circular economy.
This project has great relevance as it was shortlisted among more than 300 projects submitted to the European Innovation Fund 2021 and was presented with the aim of contributing to the fight against climate change and is supported by the European Union. This project is a pioneer in circular economy that seeks to optimize the reuse of urban solid waste and thus benefit recycling and material valuation.
This project would help to avoid the emission of 200 tons of CO2 each year and reduce waste that would otherwise end up in the landfill.
Forecast
This operation is scheduled to begin in 2026, and it is expected to process 400,000 tons of non-recyclable urban solid waste from nearby eco-parks each year, equivalent to the waste produced in a year by 800,000 inhabitants, in order to avoid the use of virgin raw materials. Approximately 240 thousand tons of circular methanol will be produced from these wastes.
State-of-the-art technology will be used for the valuation of non-recyclable municipal solid waste. The plant will be managed by the joint venture in which Enerkem will be the technological partner and owner of the gasification technology used.
Ecoplanta will provide great benefits for the optimization of material recovery rates in Spain and will cooperate with the objectives of the European Union to minimize the volume of solid urban waste that, today, is destined to landfills, and in this way, this project is a great alternative to reduce incineration.
The International Iberoamerican University (UNIB), offers a Master’s Degree in Project Design, Administration and Management with a specialization in Architecture and Urbanism.
Photo: All rights reserved.
