European Bio-Energy Projects

ANDI-POWER
CIFRU
Objectives
This project aims to demonstrate an
efficient and viable solution for the
management of residues from small and
medium-size citrus juice industries.
The developed methodology is based on
the anaerobic digestion of this biomass
stream and succeeds not only in the
adequate management of this waste
stream but also provides an excellent
investment plan generating a significant
energy amount from renewable
(=sustainable) sources.
Energy utilisation
of citrus fruit residues
Challenges
The management of the Solid Waste stream
resulting from the Citrus Fruit Juicing Process
is considered the major problem of the juicing
industries.
Uncontrollable disposal induces odours, insect
reproduction and pollution on surface and in
underground water. On the other hand, sanitary
landfilling generates leakages of high Biological
Oxygen Demand value (BOD=120.000 mg/l)
which it is impossible to treat conventionally.
The most common way of disposing citrus fruit
residue safely is by processing it to produce
animal food. The main disadvantage of this
method is the consumption of huge amounts of
energy but also the amount of leakage is a
problem as it is difficult to treat it conventionally
due to the high concentration.
Energy production by citrus fruit residue
provides an alternative solution that will greatly
contribute to the solution of the juicing factories’
solid wastes disposal problem.
The major advantages of the proposed method
are the following:
- Complete elimination of the juicing factories’
solid wastes,
- Utilisation of the energy content of the citrus
residue,
- Energy production from Renewable,
- Energy Sources.
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The citrus fruit residue is fed to the energy
production power plant where, through their
anaerobic digestion and under very strictly
controlled conditions, biogas is produced. The
methane content of this biogas is high enough
so that when it is fed to gas engines thermal and
electric energy is produced. The sludge that
comes from the anaerobic digestion of citrus fruit
residue is treated in a special way and leads to
the production of fertiliser (compost) with a high
purity and considerable sustenance for the soil.
Project structure
The project implementation strategy is based on
a team of excellence and relies on a multidisciplinary
approach in order to execute a logical
and performance-guided sequence of work
packages for the successful completion of the
project. The aim is to demonstrate a full-scale
anaerobic digestion plant fed with citrus fruit
residue producing renewable energy. The scope
of the project is to design, manufacture, install,
commission, operate, optimise and monitor
the citrus rejects anaerobic digestion plant for
the supply of 2 MWe to the public grid and
8000 tons/a steam to industrial applications.
The innovative process has been designed to
process citrus residue to biomass suitable for
continuous anaerobic digestion and power
generation, an approach that can find numerous
applications in equivalent industries in Greece
and the EU. The consortium will be led by
ENVITEC, the most experienced company in