The challenge to reach carbon neutrality of the EU agri-food industry

Given the prominence of the agri-food industry in the European Union (EU) economy, this sector is crucial for reaching the 2050 carbon neutrality as aimed at in the European Green Deal. However, reaching carbon neutrality in the agri-food sector is challenging. One of the main reasons is the unsustainable waste management, which is responsible for considerable emissions of Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) such as methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and carbon dioxide (CO2). Therefore, the agri-food industry needs a solution for sustainable management of its waste streams that would limit the carbon footprint of the industry and be profitable since currently waste and by-products management account for a significant cost in the operations of agri-food stakeholders. In Spain, a good example of a region where the agri-food sector is intensive is the Galicia (located in the northwest of Spain). In Galicia, the primary sector and the agri-food industry are two of the leading net Gross Domestic Product (GDP) contributors accounting for the 8% of the GDP of the region. The most prominent is the dairy sector, according to regional government records, Galicia produces approximately 2.8 million tonnes of milk accounting for 1.56 % of EU’s entire milk production, in similar production rates as Finland, Hungary, Sweden or Portugal. The region, particularly the northern provinces like Lugo, has one of the highest LiveStock Units’ densities (LSU) in Spain, accounting for more than 60% of the total. Most of dairy farms operating in the region are intensive, with sizes typically ranging from 40 to 200 LSU, and these enterprises are increasingly becoming under pressure to handle both slurry and manure. EU Directives are putting stricter restrictions on fertilizing practices, especially when it comes to slurry and manure, putting the focus on nutrients added to the soil and their impact on aquifers and groundwater. Concerns are arising, as traditional slurry applying techniques (e.g. splash plates), are no longer allowed according to new Spanish regulations due to their high NH3, CH4, and N2O emissions.

Anaerobic Digestion as a core technology

AD for biogas production is a proven technology that is well known in the municipal waste and wastewater treatment facilities. It is commercially ready to use and has multiple benefits. The motivation behind LuGaZ is that, despite its multiple benefits, AD is not yet widely implemented in the agri-food sector, especially in the dairy industry, considering the whole value chain. Although food and beverage industry produce high amounts of organic waste, the management of this waste is usually externalised and represents a cost for the companies. The valorisation of this waste through AD could lead to energy savings, reduction of environmental impact and carbon footprint, reduction of waste management cost, etc. However, the typical AD business model is not suitable for agri-food companies (SMEs as a vast majority) without subsidies mainly due to the amount of waste necessary is too high to run the plant with own waste. In the current context, increasing the requirements of Europe to be independent from Russian Natural Gas (NG), made necessary to promote new sustainable AD concepts to increase the demand of biogas solutions, also closing the loops for fertiliser to reduce the increasing cost of raw materials in the dairy sector.

LuGaZ Zero Waste plant in local way

The idea behind LuGaZ is a Zero residue plant oriented to dairy sector to manage organic and non-hazardous waste from it, but also considering the most interesting agri-food waste from closing area to ensure a proper biogas production to make the plant economically feasible. The fact to allow other agri-food industries in the area to manage their residues, drives to a GHG emissions curbed by 86% comparing to the baseline (51,603.97 tonnes CO2-eq avoidance). The organic waste is valorised into a high value product: biogas (biomethane) contributing to decarbonizing the NG grid up to 16,8 GWh per year, more around 1,900 equivalent mean household consumption. Additionally, other valuable by-products are obtained, becoming inputs for new value chains: organic fertilizer, and high-quality water and CO2 for industrial utilization.