R&D project with IVACE

Within the R & D strategy of Ingelia, a project has been initiated for the development of a sustainable biorefinery system applicable to the recovery of citrus residues, based on combining the hydrothermal carbonization technology, already developed by Ingelia, with anaerobicdigestion and the cultivation of microalgae for a full use of citrus waste and its return to the environment, in an example of circular economy.

The project has made it possible to demonstrate the feasibility of using the resources contained in the citrus residues that are generated in the garment warehouses and in the processing and juice industries (rejects, rotten, skins, surpluses), transforming them into products of commercial value, beyond the hydrochar pellets and limonene extract, which Ingelia had previously shown. The new products obtained are:

• The biogas obtained from the organic matter contained in the wastewater of the process, which can be used as fuel within the plant itself, reducing the energy cost thereof, and,
• Biomass of microalgae for the production of biofertilizers.

The project has received financial support from the European Union through a subsidy managed by the IVACE, in the line of SME R&D.