MEMBER’S PRESS RELEASE: Evonik’s SEPURAN® Green integrated by Italian OEM partner TPI

On 30th of June, at Montello S.p.A. of Montello (BG), a new plant for the production of biomethane and carbon dioxide was inaugurated and finally put into operation. This biogas upgrading plant, created by Tecno Project Industriale (TPI), a company of the SIAD Group, is the first example of an industrial plant in Italy capable of producing biomethane and carbon dioxide exclusively from the treatment of the organic fraction of municipal solid wastes (OFMSW).

The technologically advanced plant can break biogas – the product of anaerobic digestion of OFMSW – into its two main components: carbon dioxide (about 40%) and methane (about 60%). The former will be used for industrial purposes, while the latter will be injected into the national gas network for the most part.

This project has been a great opportunity for TPI to use the best of its technologies in the field of biogas upgrading. In particular, the company has developed and industrialized a solution based on the use of highly selective polymer membranes (SEPURAN® Green), allowing 99%-pure methane and total recovery efficiency. Even the carbon dioxide produced reaches a high level of purity, controlled by sophisticated analytics which are able to detect abnormal concentrations of micro pollutants during the production cycle and in which TPI is a technology leader.

The new plant does not release emissions into the atmosphere. It is in fact the first “carbon-negative” plant in Italy, which is capable of introducing less “CO2 equivalent” to the environment than it takes from it. It is undoubtedly another important step towards a more carbon-neutral economy and towards more sustainable environmental protection.