BIT Congress 2023, a meeting on the circular bioeconomy with biogas as the protagonist
Last week, the BIT 2023 Congress took place in Vic, an event to learn about and share trends, innovations, business projects and government strategies focused on the circular bioeconomy. “Bioeconomy, Innovation and Technology” are the three themes that make up the acronym and define the transversal axis of the annual meeting. The second edition of the congress was held on 30 and 31 March in the Sucre building in Vic, within the framework of the traditional Mercat del Ram of the agricultural and livestock sector. With more than 300 participants, the meeting was a resounding success and allowed the creation of new synergies between the energy sector, especially focused on bioenergy.
In the context of the current climate emergency and the scarcity of primary resources, there is an urgent need to move towards a more circular, sustainable and environmentally friendly social and economic model. This change must be transversal, multidisciplinary, efficient, and collaborative. This year, and following the need to be energy independent, “biogas” has been the protagonist of the congress edition. This year, and following the need to be energy independent, “biogas” has been the protagonist of the congress edition. The by-product of anaerobic digestion plays an important role in the energy transition, and now more than ever it is necessary to promote the generation of renewable gases to complement the trend of electrification of energy.
"Without biogas there is no energy transition", is the motto of the Bioenergy Cluster of Catalonia, a cluster that encompasses more than 130 companies in the sector and where Màrius Aguirre, co-founder of Envolta, leads the biogas commission. Envolta Energia develops bioenergy projects as well as leads the drafting of a guide to promote biogas in Catalonia, which is why we participate as attendees in this meeting, a space to create synergies, contacts and knowledge.
Thus, the event brought together professionals and experts from different sectors involved in the biogas value chain, such as the public and private sectors, from policies to engineering, gas companies in the world of research, from investors and promoters to farmers and ranchers in the primary sector… In addition, Catalonia has a great potential for organic resources to generate this type of renewable gas that has not been used until now like other countries in Europe. The meeting wanted to underline the importance of promoting the transformation of the primary sector, so that food production is more efficient, healthy and respectful of the environment.
At first, Jaume Sió, from the Department of Climate Action of the Generalitat, opened the congress by putting the public in context on public strategies and the current state of the biogas sector. “The main value chains of the biogas sector are: correct forest management for fire control, the valorization of livestock manure, organic waste and by-products of the food chain, and the correct environmental management of landscapes and wastewater treatment with the aim of having a more sustainable soil fertilization”said the Deputy Director General of Agri-Food Transfer and Innovation of the Generalitat.
The Minister of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda, Teresa Jordà, then inaugurated the institutional event by presenting the biogas plan for Catalonia 2030. This is a strategy of the Generalitat de Catalunya that will have an initial investment of 25 million euros, to recover livestock manure and organic waste as resources to obtain biogas, and take advantage of it for the generation of heat, electricity, biomethane and biofertilizers. One of the main objectives is to involve the primary sector in the energy transition, as well as to give value to territorial cohesion. The goal is to generate 1.1 TWh of biogas annually by 2030, to achieve this it will be necessary to install 90 biogas generation and use plants. From the outset, the government will focus on promoting and promoting new facilities in livestock farms and cooperatives, as well as making it easier for existing plants to be able to connect to the grid to inject biomethane through “upgrading”, a treatment technology to transform biogas into biomethane.
Currently, and also necessarily, the circular economy is a growing sector. The scarcity of resources, energy and water give way to rethinking the economic model in which we live. Rethinking the model involves giving value to each stage and by-product of a product’s life cycle, recovering the waste generated and recognising it as value-added resources. Following this line, biogas plays a key role in the circular economy, as well as with the aim of guaranteeing food security and sovereignty. The BIT congress, co-organized by the BETA Center, the Vic City Council and the Department of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda of the Generalitat de Catalunya, and intends to promote solutions, generate new opportunities, facilitate growth, knowledge and development of projects and businesses based on biogas, the result of the anaerobic digestion of organic matter.
During the 2 days of the congress, attendees were able to attend conferences, round tables, participatory workshops and time for networking. The different activities addressed a very broad vision of the sector, starting with European and local strategies, through success stories of biogas plants both in Catalonia and in Europe, the technical, economic and social feasibility, the importance of developing new technologies and knowledge through km0 research, without forgetting the great challenge represented by the good management of digestate. More than 40 speakers, experts in their field, have given presentations following all branches and areas of the bioenergy sector, focusing on 5 very interesting and diverse round tables:
- “Models of biogas plants for the recovery of livestock manure and organic waste from the agri-food sector“, where different European and local success models were presented, and the current situation of the sector was put into context.
- “What makes a biogas plant viable? Business Visions“, moderated by the president of the Bioenergy Cluster of Catalonia, different perspectives on the economic sustainability and financial profitability of a biogas plant were shared.
- “Contribution of biogas production from municipal waste and WWTPs“, where professionals from the Waste Agency of Catalonia have discussed the great role of the management of sewage water and sludge as great energy resources within the biogas value chain.
- “Strategies for the management and valorization of digestate: strategic, technical, legal and logistical aspects“, a round table critical of the great challenge or problem represented by the correct management of digestate and its outputs as compost, biofertilizers and treatment of water contaminated by nitrates
- “Session of advances in applied research in the field of biogas. Scientific Vision”, a space to present innovation and technology projects from different research centers focused on improving the processes of a biogas plant.
- “What is the future of biogas in Catalonia? Strategic visions.” Where it has been concluded that now is the time for great opportunities to promote biogas within the energy transition, and where different strategies were presented to achieve the ambitious objectives set by European and local energy plans, such as the EU Gren-Deal or the Circular Bioenergy Strategy 2030 of Catalonia, the biogas plan of Catalonia, among others.
Envolta Energia, actively participates with the Bioenergy Cluster of Catalonia to produce a guide to promote biogas in Catalonia, as well as developing biogas plant projects in the territory. The BIT congress has represented an opportunity to create synergies in the sector.
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