A new biomethane plant in Italy carried out by Pietro Fiorentini
26 May 2022 - SolutionsOn the 25th of May 2022, a new plant for biogas upgrading and injection of biomethane into the network was inaugurated in Cella Dati, in the province of Cremona. It has been entirely designed, manufactured, and installed by Pietro Fiorentini Group.
Completed within twelve months, the plant produces biomethane from livestock manure and plant biomasses cultivated in the adjacent area. It began injecting biomethane into the natural gas distribution network in March. The total volume exceeds 4 million cubic meters per year, the equivalent of the needs of almost 4,000 cars. In addition to biofuel, from the fermentation residue the plant produces digestate, an important fertilizer that can be used instead of chemical ones.
The biogas upgrading solution by Pietro Fiorentini has a capacity of 1,000 Nm3/h from which more than 500 Sm3/h of biomethane is produced and injected into the grid. Already set-up for a further increase in production capacity, the solution upgrades the biogas by separating its two main components, methane (CH₄) and carbon dioxide (CO₂), with a methane recovery of over 99%.
To process the maximum capacity of 1,000 Nm3/h of biogas, the system uses a compressor with two screw end that can operate at full capacity or at different required flow rate, guaranteeing maximum efficiency with a consequent reduction in electricity consumption. The twin screw compressors unit was set-up by Biokomp, a company of Pietro Fiorentini Group that manufactures compression plants for natural gas, biogas, biomethane, hydrogen and industrial gases.
Gianluca Patuzzo, Biomethane Sales Area Manager of Pietro Fiorentini, commented: “With the new plant in Cella Dati, we confirm to be one of the first Italian companies able to design, build and maintain integrated upgrading and injection systems, offering customers the advantages that derive form the collaboration of a single partner in all the phase of the process. Biomethane is a neutral emission source of extraordinary value for local and national farms. Today it represents a tangible contribution to achieving the objectives set by the European Union.”
Carried out for the EGEA Group and Santini Agricoltura Rinnovabile, the biogas upgrading and biomethane injection solution by Pietro Fiorentini in the new Cella Dati plant highlights once again the role of the Group as an accelerator for the development of innovative solutions for renewable energies.
Focus on: EGEA Group
EGEA Group is multi-service group based in Alba. The Group has always been attentive to local needs and operates with a deliberately glocal model. It is present throughout Italy, paying particular attention to local communities and provincial realities where the majority of the economy comes from. Biomethane represents an important development lever for the Group, which intends to increase the number of renewable plants at full capacity (biogas, biomethane, photovoltaic and hydroelectric), as envisaged in the new multiservice industrial plan. EGEA operates a further four biogas plants located in the area between Cuneo and Turin. www.egea.it
Focus on: Santini Agricoltura Rinnovabile
The Santini family has been present in the area for more than 200 years and manages 500 hectares in the province of Cremona with more than 4,000 cattle and another 300 hectares divided between Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany. They have two crops on the farm: one is for biomethane, the other for livestock. In this way, the land is always covered to maximise the absorption of carbon dioxide.
