WHAT IS LIFE CHANDELIER?
LIFE CHANDELIER is a pioneering European project funded by the LIFE program, whose objective is to demonstrate an innovative solution for the production of high-quality vehicular biomethane in rural areas, using agri-food waste. This project addresses one of the great environmental challenges of our time: the mitigation of climate change through the efficient and traceable production of biomethane, a renewable fuel with a significantly lower environmental impact than traditional fossil fuels.
The project focuses on the integration of advanced technologies to improve the efficiency and reduce the cost of biomethane production, while ensuring the economic and environmental sustainability of the solution. This will be achieved through the valorization of agri-food lignocellulosic waste and the implementation of a modular and flexible biomethane production system that can be replicated in different regions.
LIFE CHANDELIER Project Launches to Foster Sustainable Vehicular Biomethane Production using Agri-food Wastes in Rural Areas
Zaragoza, October 4, 2024. In September 2024, the LIFE Project CHANDELIER embarked on its mission to foster sustainable vehicular biomethane production in rural areas. This groundbreaking initiative, with a budget of €3.9 million allocated over three years, represents a significant stride towards fostering sustainability in the transport sector and rural development. Coordinated by the Aragon Food and Nutrition Cluster, LIFE CHANDELIER is set to make a high impact with a strategic consortium formed by a leading meat industry, innovative companies and technology centres specialised in bioenergy and agrifood waste management: GUCO (Grupo Arcoiris), Genia Bioenergy, Inderen, Instituto Tecnológico de Aragón and Eurecat.
About Biomethane
Biomethane can make a significant contribution to climate change mitigation in the European Union (EU). The European Commission (EC) estimates a biomethane production by 2030 of 350 TWh, thus saving about 110 M tonnes CO2eq emissions, around 6% of the total effort to achieve the required 55% GHG reduction.
LIFE CHANDELIER has identified a high potential to increase the production of advanced biomethane while improving the current management of agri-food waste in rural areas, and aims to demonstrate the optimized and traceable production of biogas and vehicular biomethane (making use of blockchain technology) and profitable (according to ISCC EU 202-5 and 205 standards) in small-medium scale plants, through the simultaneous pre-treatment by extrusion of complex lignocellulosic agri-food waste (in particular, olive pomace, almond shells, vine shoots and cereal straw) and its anaerobic co-digestion with other agri-food organic waste (slurry and slaughterhouse waste). Within the framework of the project, different combinations of agri-food waste generated in rural areas will be optimized, with the aim of maximizing biogas production. The solution is complemented by an innovative biogas upgrading system, based on hydrophobic membrane technology, a more profitable and environmentally friendly alternative compared to traditional methods such as water washing or chemical absorption. The proposed cost-competitive and feedstock-flexible solution, based on modular and innovative technologies, will lead to a significant reduction in GHG emissions (up to 80%) and enable the profitable production of biomethane in rural areas for a sustainable transportation. In this sense, the quality of the biomethane will be validated as Bio-CNG in a high capacity vehicle (HDV) that will travel 120,000 km during the duration of the project. LIFE CHANDELIER will also include digital modeling of the different processes integrated in the proposed solution, with the aim of optimizing biomethane production and facilitating expansion and replicability in other ecosystems, regions or types of raw material.
Matarraña-Aragon (Spain)
Matarraña-Aragon (Spain)Aragon-Matarraña (Spain) is the case study analysed in the frame of LIFE CHANDELIER. Matarraña is a Spanish rural area with intense agriculture and livestock activity declared Nitrate Vulnerable Zone by the European Commission and one of Europe’s largest producers of olive products, wine and almonds. LIFE CHANDELIER’s accomplishments will undergo rigorous testing and validation through the demonstration site to be located in Spain at the existing Valderrobres biogas plant currently operated by GUCO and Genia Bioenergy.
