The University of Barcelona has organized another edition of the Biometa Conference, specifically the 15th Conference on Biomethanization of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW). The conference focused primarily on the circular economy of OFMSW (Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste) and the environment surrounding the plants where it is processed. Proper MSW management is a crucial issue for environmental sustainability, as global MSW generation currently stands at 20 billion tons and this figure is likely to continue rising in the coming years, despite efforts to prevent its generation.
In this context, Raquel Tamarit, R&D&i technician at Facsa, has presented the SYMSITES project, whose objective is to advance towards a circular economy that closes the cycle of materials through the development of different technologies that highlight the importance of urban-industrial symbiosis.
This project aims to recover water, energy, and value-added products such as fertilizers and platform molecules for obtaining biofuels or bioplastics. Furthermore, it stands out for its innovative approach to integrated municipal waste management combined with the reuse and recovery of resources for the industrial sector, creating a symbiosis between the two areas.
Facsa and Fovasa The Spanish members of SYMSITES, along with AITEX, include three groups from the Spanish National Research Council (ITQ, IATA and CEBAS CSIC), the Technological Institute of Galicia Foundation (ITG), the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC), Greene Waste to Energy, Germaine de Cappuccini and Francisco Jover SA.
It is worth noting that these biomethanization workshops have been held every two years since 1997, the year in which the anaerobic digestion of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) was launched in Spain.
