ing Tucuman province. “For the full package, a fee of 40 pesos (USD 20.00) is charged to the owner of each animal slaughtered,” says Manager Alejandro Melián: “This price includes cleaning the carcass, which is stored for 24 hours in a cold room before going on to the consumer. Soon it will also be possible to slaughter goats, lambs and piglets from this region as well.” Damián Leal, Ruben Dario Aguilera and Luis Jurado, members of the slaughterhouse staff, agree on the benefits of the refurbishing project. “Thanks to the biodigester we can heat water to clean the building and shower after work,” says Damián. “The water used to be cold,” recalls Ruben Dario. “Now there are no more bad smells like we had when cattle waste was burned here,” says Luis. The veterinarian Martin Syan travels from San Miguel de Tucumán to La Candelaria to inspect the animals on slaughter days. He reports: “The site has improved a lot. It is more hygienic thanks to the new floor and biodigester. The animals are now slaughtered with the help of an electric shock to the head, putting an end to the suffering caused by the old system using knives.” Maurício Barbosa Peres, the <strong>Odebrecht</strong> Manager for Administration and Finance on the pipeline expansion project, recalls the work the company has done in recent years to install pipelines, building compressors along the lines and supporting communities: “In 2008 we had the idea of installing a biodigester in a local town. After studying the matter, we decided on the slaughterhouse in La Candelaria.” The current amount of gas the biodigester produces is minimal compared to the vast network that supplies the country, but it sets an example for other slaughterhouses in South America: “It is a means of generating energy and preserving the environment.” Guillermo Flanigan, an Argentine national from Buenos Aires, is Responsible for Administration at <strong>Odebrecht</strong> for the pipeline expansion project. He explains: “In La Candelaria, we first thought of installing the biodigester in the town school, but the experts concluded that the slaughterhouse would be the ideal location because we would have products that could be converted into gas. The blood and offal would be more useful. So, we negotiated with the mayor and partner companies.” Young environmental engineers One of those partners is IBS Córdoba, which has assigned three young Argentine environmental engineering specialists – Tomás Portela and Lucas Carissimi, both 27, and Luz María Tebaldi, 29 – to supervise the installation of the biodigester in La Candelaria. “The slaughterhouse really needed a complete overhaul,” argues Tomás. “After six months of work earlier this year, everything was ready,” says Lucas. Luz observes that they put together an Operating Manual for the Biodigester, which they delivered to the mayor and employees of the slaughterhouse. IBS is celebrating the news that companies in Panama and Costa Rica have expressed interest in deploying this system in Central America. The process in La Candelaria was supported by an Argentine government agency, the National Agricultural Technology Institute (INTA), of which Alejandro Saavedra, an expert on alternative technologies, is a member. “We followed of every step of the project and concluded that it is bringing benefits for livestock production, generating clean energy and making it possible to use cattle byproducts as a form of biofertilizer.” Marina Gonzalez Ugarte, who supervises <strong>Odebrecht</strong>’s social and sustainability programs in Argentina, made several trips from Buenos Aires to La Candelaria to take part in the biodigester project. In October, she attended a luncheon offered to the visitors by Mayor Julio Romano and his wife, Maxima, and saw the town’s enthusiasm with the changes that have come about in recent months. “The community is thrilled. Now they can invest more and improve their quality of life,” says Marina. Mayor Romano, a small farmer, takes the achievements brought about by the biodigester into account and is already envisioning other ways of creating jobs in La Candelaria. “We have great weather, beautiful scenery, excellent wine and a rich cuisine. We can attract more visitors from Argentina and abroad. Italian businessmen have made investments here, like Estancia El Milagro, a rural hotel which has been refurbished and has already hosted European visitors.” 54 informa
Ensenada: the work is done while the YPF refinery is fully operational The view up high written by Luiz Carlos Ramos photos by Holanda Cavalcanti Expanding the production capacity of the YPF petrochemical plant in La Plata gives a major boost to the current phase of economic growth in Argentina informa 55
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