Expected results

The Life Landfill Biofuel project aims to demonstrate the technical performance of a profitable system for obtaining biomethane and its use as fuel in vehicles

The biomethane obtained will be used in an IVECO brand waste collection truck owned by the FCC company and three SEAT cars. The duration of the project is four years and, once this period ends, it will be replicated in other FCC landfills in Europe. Check all the project activities.

This new recovery methodology will produce an alternative biofuel (1,584 million m3 / year of biomethane) from an innovative sustainable source on a pre-industrial scale in a landfill managed by FCC and that will have a contribution of biogas extracted from the landfill of 378 m3 / h – 1/4 of an industrial scale that produces a production of 200 m3 / h of biomethane.

Reduction of air pollutants: Pilot plant (3 L.V,1 H.V):

96.7% of biomethane (98.25 less CO₂ tons)
99.9% of NOx (501.06 kg)
99.4% of VOCs (186.97 kg)
99% of PMO (102.09 kg)
99.8% of SO₂(197.02 kg)

First preindustrial scale demonstration of an innovative cost-effective solution for biogas upgrading extracted from landfills allowing valorisation of 200 m³/h of biomethane as fuel for NGV or grid injection

Three years after the project (2 replicas of 800 m³/h biomethane each & one extension of pilot plant, 800 m³/h):

96.7% of biomethane (40,487 less CO₂ tons)
99.9% of NOx (171,531.0 kg)
99.4% of VOCs (63,677.4 kg)
99% of PMO (38,544.3 kg)
99.8% of SO₂(77,155.0 kg)

Decrease of environmental impact of road transport providing an alternative fuel for Natural Gas Vehicles (NGV) that will reduce CO₂ emissions by 14.7% (20.7 kg/100km) heavy-duty and 15.4% (2.1 kg/100km) light weight vehicles compared to diesel.

Definition of new exploitation protocols of the biogas wells to improve efficiency (7%) and quality (96.7% enriched CH4) of biogas recovered from landfills. This exploitation model of landfills will be transferred to other regions to be implemented in other landfills promoting valorisation of biomethane as fuel for vehicles.

Definition of a new business model for managing companies of landfills based on commercialization of biomethane as fuel for vehicles through the analysis and removal of the technological and financial existing barriers to these investments and through intensive collaboration with stakeholders.

Identification of at least 7 landfills for a short-term replica of the solution and elaboration of a detailed Replication Plan in order to enable at least 2 replicas of all the solution during the 3 years after the end of the project. FCC operates waste landfills throughout Europe and have already identified some potential landfills in Spain, Austria, Hungary, Polonia, Rumania, Slovakia, Serbia and UK where the solution can be replicated. These entities will provide technical assessment to the consortium to guarantee that the replication plan considers the characteristics of other EU landfills.

Creation of 5 full time (FCC) and 8 part-time jobs (7 FCC and 1 UGR) during the demonstration, increasing this figure to 15 full time, 24 part-time, 6 direct jobs & 15 indirect jobs (during the 3 years after the project) and the biogas upgrading pilot plant operates at full capacity.

Analysis of advantages & environmental & socio-economic benefits of the new biogas upgrading integrated solution.

Landfills in the EU

Municipal waste from 2035

10%

The European Union has more than half a million landfills that can only accommodate 10% of municipal waste from 2035, as dictated by the new Waste Directive that will come into force in 2020. The development of projects to obtain Biomethane from organic matter is an opportunity to boost the circular economy and turn waste into a resource that, collaterally, will reduce emissions from road transport.