News
– This project, part of the LIFE programme and co-financed by the European Commission, seeks to contribute to a more sustainable and independent Europe in energy matters
– LIFE MERLIN is led by Cetaqua- Water Technology Centre, and has the participation of other four Spanish organisations
Climate change and environmental degradation, as well as the dependence of the European Union (EU) on energy imports from non-EU countries, represent a great challenge for the EU, and therefore it is necessary to look for alternative energy sources that are more sustainable and of Community origin. To this end, the LIFE MERLIN project (Maximising biogas production with cutting-Edge technologies for greater Resource availability and digitaL tools for Increased efficieNcies) is launched. LIFE MERLIN will develop an innovative and efficient solution to boost the production of biogas from waste of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs).
The project, part of the LIFE programme and co-financed by the European Commission, will combine the pretreatment of sludge from urban wastewater with an anaerobic co-digestion process -that is, a digestion process of two or more raw materials- of waste from food companies. The pilots, located in the Monte Orgegia (Alicante) and Murcia Este (Murcia) treatment plants, will maximise the production of biogas that can later be used as a source of energy for the operation of the facilities themselves.
In this way, LIFE MERLIN technology will promote a circular economy and, in addition, minimise the use of fossil energy sources and consequently reduce greenhouse gas emissions thanks to the use of waste. This technology will also contribute to reducing the import of energy from non-EU countries.
LIFE MERLIN, led by Cetaqua – Centro Tecnológico del Agua, is also undertaken by Createch 360º, Aquambiente Circular Economy Solutions -ACES-, Aguas de Alicante, and EMUASA-Aguas de Murcia, and it is foreseen to last four years.
Within the framework of the initial meeting of the project held in Barcelona last week, Marcel Vilaplana, Project Manager at Cetaqua and coordinator of the LIFE MERLIN project, stated that “LIFE MERLIN will contribute significantly to achieving the objectives of the European Renewable Energy Directive (2018/2001/EU), which establishes that 42.5% of the energy produced in Europe must be renewable in 2030.”
In this sense, he stressed that, in addition to contributing to the production of biomethane in the Monte Orgegia and Murcia Este treatment plants, the solution that will be developed within the framework of LIFE MERLIN will be replicated, over a period of 5 years, in six other plants. of water treatment in Palencia, León and Sant Feliu de Llobregat, to study its subsequent large-scale replication.
