CDM PROJECTS – PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT

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INTRODUCTION

Kyoto Protocol

The Kyoto Protocol is an international treaty on global warming. It came into force in 2005 in the ambit of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCCC). The protocol codifies a Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) for the creation of projects in developing countries which produce environmental benefits in terms of reduction of the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. At the same time, Certified Emission Reductions (CER) are generated for the promoters of such projects. The environmental benefit for landfills is measured by reference to the lack of release into the atmosphere of the methane contained in the biogas produced by the stacked waste. The amount of methane not released into the atmosphere is converted into equivalent tonnes of CO2, as defined by the CDMs, and these are exchanged internationally in a market where the supply (by the generators of CERs) meets the demand (from those needing CERs to diminish their atmospheric emissions).

OPERATIONS

The intake and combustion plant for biogas produced in a landfill must comply with one of the methods catalogued by the UNFCCC; the promoter of the initiative develops the CDM project with the definitions of the technical specifications of the installation, the data to be acquired and recorded, and the operational requirements of the plant. Biotecnogas supports its customers throughout the preliminary survey and presentation of the project, subsequently constructing and commissioning the plant, monitoring the data acquired which must form the base for the periodic Monitoring Reports to the body certifying the reduction in emissions. We have also taken part directly in the CDM project on the creation of the plant in the landfill in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, as promoters of the initiative in partnership with other companies, directly following the project management – preparation and presentation of Monitoring Reports, auditing inspections for the certification of the CERs with inspectors delegated by UNFCCC and sale of certificates.

ANALYSIS OF THE INFORMATION

The project of the plant to be constructed not only contains the provisions dictated by the method adopted but it must also consider the present and future availability of biogas so that the installation can be correctly sized, prepared for the extensions necessary to ensure the full combustion of all the collectable gas. The experience gained in many landfills in Europe, the Middle East and South America enables us to produce prospects indicating the amount of biogas that can be produced and collected according to the type and quantity of waste deposited, and also define the details of the collection systems and the project for the biogas transport network. The preliminary analysis of the information regarding a landfill and the related waste management therefore enables the sizing of the plant so that it guarantees the reduction of emissions for the full protection of the environment.

OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE TO OBTAIN CERs

To be certificated, the lack of emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere must be recorded through the continual registration (every minute) of the operational parameters of the plant concerning the normalised flow of biogas burnt (in a flare or engines for energy production) and the methane content. The high efficiency flares (ISO 22580:2020) produced and installed by Biotecnogas ensure combustion efficiency of more than 99%. Biotecnogas plants that comply with the Kyoto Protocol are complete with a supervision system in which the information necessary for the production of the report to present when the certification of environmental decontamination is obtained is recorded on a special form.

RESULTS OBTAINED

Over the years, Biotecnogas has supplied its plants to promoters of many CDM projects. The apparatus supplied, in compliance with all the requisites set by the protocol, and following the relative audits, has enabled the certification of considerable amounts of CERs. At present, there are 25 registered CDM projects involving Biotecnogas supplies. These projects have obtained the certification of about 19.7 million CERs, as the result of combustion performances guaranteed by the flares produced by Biotecnogas. About another 6.5 million CERs are awaiting certification.

See the graph on the quantity of CERs produced per individual project registered.