Somos FCC N27

What are the main advances that this plant incorporates compared to others? Since its start-up in 2009, the Las Dehesas Biomethanisation plant has undergone continuous evolu- tion to adapt to changes in legis- lation and to respond to the pro- blems of citizens and the needs of the client, the Madrid City Council. Throughout these years, impor- tant works have been carried out, such as the construction of an advanced biofilter to improve the deodorisation system and three contract modifications, with hea- vy investments both in civil wor- ks and in updating equipment and processes. The most important, in 2017, was the adaptation and modification for the treatment of the selective collection of organic waste that was implemented in the city of Madrid. In view of the progressive imple- mentation of selective collection of the organic fraction in the di- fferent districts, the Madrid City Council informed us of the need to adapt a treatment plant that would allow the recovery and recycling of the selective organic fraction independently of any other flow. FCC Medio Ambiente then took up the challenge and we modified the facilities, expanding the plant’s capacity to 218,000 t/year, buil- ding new reception pits and adap- ting the pre-treatment equipment to the new FORS fraction. The Las Dehesas Biomethanisa- tion plant is currently responsible for treating and recycling 100% of the selective organic waste collected in the city of Madrid. In 2022 it treated more than 230,000 tonnes, producing around 24 mi- llion cubic metres of biogas. On the other hand, the most recent work, and the one that is giving us the most visibility, has been the construction of a new R&D centre and a classroom for dissemination: the R&Dehesas centre. What is the I+ Dehesas centre and what has it meant for the team to parti- cipate inR&Dprojects? The R+Dehesas centre was initially created as a space to house the pilot plants and prototypes of European re - search projects of which FCC Medio Ambiente is a member. From a production plant, participating in R&D projects is a challenge and a lot of effort, but it has also allowed us to lift our eyes from the everyday and look at the big picture, giving us a broader vision. 3Working on R&D projects leads us to change the day-to-day issues of tonnes and cubic metres of biogas for future technologies and the develop- ment of new processes. In addition, being part of European con - sortia, with numerous partners, has led us to meet and create strong networks with other very powerful companies and technology centres. Today, the R+Dehesas centre has be- come a space for generating ideas, disseminating knowledge and a place where we share future projects and new challenges with other professio- nals and researchers in the sector. Which of the ongoing research pro- jects is the most interesting and the most complex? All ongoing projects have a com- mon link: their aim is to obtain high added-value products from the bio- logical transformation of organic waste. This concept is called “Bio - refinery”. Transformation can be through mi- crobiological processes (using di- fferent species of bacteria, fungi, etc.) or macrobiological processes through insects. These proces- ses convert a heterogeneous and mixed material into a homogeneous product that acquires value for the industry. As partners in the SCALIBUR, DEEP PURPLE and INSECTUM projects, we are working on processes to obtain pro- ducts such as bioplastics (PHA), ectoin, chitin, protein meals and acetic acid, among others. These are complex and very interesting projects, but undoubtedly the one that arouses most interest is the one we are developing together with the University P E O P L E 19 P E O P L E