Accelerating the implementation of methane mitigation projects in the waste sector is essential. To this end, we create the necessary conditions for a sustained expansion of organic waste management technologies.

Capture of
Landfill Gas

Landfill disposal of organic waste generates polluting gases such as methane. This gas can be captured and used as an energy source.

Biodigestion

Biodigestion is a natural process in which anaerobic bacteria break down organic waste to produce biogas (with high calorific value) and digestate (excellent fertilizer).

Compost Plant

Composting is the biological degradation of organic materials under controlled aerobic conditions. The final product, or compost, is rich in nutrients and can be sold and used in gardens, landscaping, horticulture and agriculture, often replacing synthetic fertilizers.

Home Composting

It consists of carrying out the decomposition of organic waste in a controlled manner at home. It’s important to make sure that the process occurs at the right temperature, humidity and aeration in compost bins or in the garden.

Implementing and supporting organic recycling projects has a direct impact on the mitigation of 1,316,313 tons of methane gas in the short term (20 years).

Capture of landfill gas

Landfill projects
Landfill disposal of organic waste generates gases that pollute the atmosphere. Anaerobic bacteria degrade these materials and produce a mixture of gases, including methane and carbon dioxide. This gas can be captured actively or passively with well systems. The captured gas can be burned in flares to avoid methane emissions or burned in boilers or engines, serving as a replacement or supplement to fossil fuels for electricity and heat generation.
Capture systems can be passive or active:
  • Active system: this capture system consists of using an air blower, which through piping is connected to a system of biogas capture wells. The function of the blower is to generate a vacuum inside the collection wells, forcing the biogas out. This gas can be combusted in flares or used to generate energy.
  • Passive system: Vertical wells are constructed through which the gas diffuses and exits through them in a controlled manner from the landfill. The biogas emanating from the well is then incinerated.
It avoids the emission of GHG into the atmosphere and allows the energetic use of the captured methane. Additionally, it reduces the risk of explosions due to methane accumulation in its interior.
The biogas captured in landfills can be used for heat generation in steam boilers and furnaces, as a heating medium in drying industries, crematoria, brick factories, etc. It can also be injected into the urban gas system or used as liquefied or gasified gas. Finally, it can also be used for electric power generation in gas turbines, steam turbines and combined cycle turbines.
The composition of biogas is highly variable and will depend on many factors. Methane is the useful energy component in biogas, the latter having a variable calorific value. Thus, it can be used as a replacement for different energy sources, for example, 1 m3 of biogas can replace approximately 0.58 liters of kerosene, 0.5 to 1.5 kg of firewood, 0.61 liters of gasoline and 0.74 kg of charcoal.

Biodigestion

Bidogestion projects
Anaerobic digestion or biodigestion is the treatment of biodegradable organic waste (vegetables, lignocellulosic waste, animal waste, among others) in the absence of oxygen. It is a natural process by which bacteria -in the absence of oxygen- decompose organic waste to produce biogas and a sludge with biofertilizer properties called digestate, which in some cases is more economical than the biogas obtained in the process, since it does not entail the pollution problems generated by chemical fertilizers.
It is a gas rich in methane (CH4) in a concentration of 30% to 50% by volume and traces of nitrogen (N2), hydrogen (H2), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), water vapor and ammonia (NH3), and there may be other sulfur compounds.
The process of anaerobic digestion of organic waste generally occurs inside a reactor or biodigester where the degradation of organic matter and the production of biogas are a function of the inputs, temperature, organic loading rate and hydraulic retention time of the organic waste in the digester, among other requirements.
The composition of biogas is highly variable and depends on many factors. Methane is the useful energy component in biogas, the latter having a variable calorific value. Thus, it can be used as a replacement for different energy sources, e.g. 1 m3 of biogas can replace approximately 0.58 litres of paraffin, 0.5 to 1.5 kg of wood, 0.61 litres of gasoline and 0.74 kg of charcoal.
Anaerobic digestion can be applied to the organic fractions of municipal solid waste, forestry and agricultural waste and organic waste from industrial processes such as, for example, waste from the agri-food industry, sludge from sewage treatment plants, among other possible sources of supply.
The biogas generated has a high calorific value and can be used as a source of energy production, while the digestate generated is a sanitized sludge that can be used as a high quality fertilizer or soil improver. Depending on climatic conditions, there may be various applications for biogas, such as food cooking, lighting, motor fuel, refrigeration, heating and power generation. Compared to domestic Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), a 10 kg gas cylinder is equivalent to 20 m3 of biogas, because LPG has a calorific value of 11,739 (kcal/kg), while biogas has a calorific value of 6,000 (kcal/m3).

Compost Plant

Compost plant projects
Industrial composting is a biological process of aerobic decomposition of organic matter that is produced by mixing green waste, such as fruits and vegetables, with brown waste, such as garden and pruning waste, in the form of piles. As it is an aerobic process, it is carried out in the presence of oxygen in a natural or forced way. As a result, compost is obtained and methane emissions from waste disposed of in landfills or dumps are reduced.
Composting works by transforming mixed organic waste through a biological decomposition process, which is generated under aerobic conditions and by maintaining adequate levels of moisture and temperature of the mixture. The process works with the presence of microorganisms that degrade the matter by taking advantage of the nitrogen and carbon present in the waste, generating heat and a solid and stable by-product called compost.
The conditions that favor the growth of aerobic microorganisms are: presence of oxygen, adequate temperature, humidity and balanced nutrition. Other factors that can influence their development are: pH, easily solubilized energy sources such as simple sugars and the contact surface or particle size.
To compost, it is necessary to choose a treatment scale that considers the amount of waste to be processed. According to this, the technology that best suits the needs of the territory is chosen. It must consider among the waste a fraction of organic brown waste (prunings and garden waste) and a fraction of green waste, which will be balanced in weight to have a correct carbon-nitrogen ratio. Therefore, the site where this type of technology is developed will require a daily stock of brown waste, as well as an adequate surface area to consider the volume of waste.
Composting plants reduce by 50% the proportion of household solid waste disposed of in landfills or dumps. Avoiding the disposal of a large fraction of organic waste and obtaining organic fertilizer from the process rich in nutrients, which helps to improve soil structure, and can be marketed if the regulations allow it. It also reduces transportation and waste disposal costs at treatment sites, avoiding long transportation distances from urban sites to landfills or dumps.

Home composting

Home composting projects
Home composting is the process of transforming household organic waste into compost (natural fertilizer) through the decomposition of microorganisms and other living organisms. Instead of throwing organic waste in the garbage, home composting allows households to turn this waste into a useful product to improve the soil quality of their garden or orchard.
Home composting is carried out with food waste, such as fruit and vegetable peels, cooked food waste, eggs and coffee grounds, as well as garden waste, such as leaves, branches and grass clippings. These can be placed in containers (“compost bins”) where, under the right conditions of aeration, temperature and humidity, the waste can decompose and generate compost. A core of worms can also be added to accelerate the decomposition process, generating humus, this process is called vermicomposting. Finally, it can also be done directly in the soil where soil insects can help decompose the organic waste.
The conditions that favor the growth of aerobic microorganisms are: presence of oxygen, adequate temperature, humidity and balanced nutrition. Other factors that can influence their development are: pH, easily solubilized energy sources such as simple sugars and the contact surface or particle size.
For medium and large scale composting, a brown organic waste fraction (lignocellulosic material from leaves, branches and grass clippings) is required to equal the green portion by weight and thus provide the carbon fraction. Therefore, the site where this type of technology is developed will require a daily stock of lignocellulosic material.
Home composting is a sustainable practice that reduces the amount of waste that ends up in landfills, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and produces a high quality organic fertilizer that can be used to enrich the soil for plants and reduce the need for chemical fertilizers. It also generates savings for municipalities in the transportation and final disposal of waste.

Do you want to know how to implement these technologies in your country?

If you are part of the Recycle Organics program, please contact your country team to arrange a meeting and receive guidance.

If you want to know how to support or be part of this program, please contact: info@recycleorganics.org