Foz do Iguaçu – Company Itaipu Binacional opened this Friday (2) the first facility to manufacture biomethane, a non-polluting gas which shares several features with natural gas. It is a result of purification of biogas, which is obtained by mixing sewage, organic waste and lawn refuse. This method for obtaining biogas is a substitute for the usual animal excrement-based process. According to the company, this is the first biogas manufacturing unit of this sort in Brazil.
The plant, which saw BRL 2.16 million in investment, has the capacity to put out 4,000 cubic meters of biomethane per month. The plant is currently operating at one-fifth of full capacity, according to Itaipu Renewable Energies superintendent Paulo Afonso Schmidt. The biomethane from the plant will be used as fuel for vehicles. According to Schmidt, the current output can fuel 80 to 100 vehicles at an average mileage of 800 km/month.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
