INTERNATIONAL
Spain: Chiclana’s municipal fleet speeds up transition to biomethane
The mayor of Chiclana José María Román headed the presentation of the new Volkswagen Caddy Trendline, acquired by Chiclana Natural, the third biogas powered vehicle that joins the municipal company’s fleet. The 110 HP van will provide service to the Municipal Delegation for the Environment. The other two NGVs (one Fiat Dobló and another identical to the newly added) service the Chiclana Natural’s Water Department. The acquisition of the three has been carried out in the modality of renting. The biogas is generated in the WWTP of Torno, through the All Gas project, led by Aqualia.
With this addition, there are already seven vehicles powered by biogas supplied experimentally by the All Gas project. Thus, the three vehicles serving Chiclana Natural are joined by other four operated by Aqualia (the first was launched in May 2016), to perform fuel tests that have been made since the size real algae cultivation railways came into operation.
“Ten years ago they presented us with a project, in which, through the treatment plant waters, algae could be grown to produce biogas. And the place chosen was Chiclana because of the saline space in which the purification station is located. However, we did not know what was going to happen,” said the mayor. “The result of this project is being a success, because there are already seven vehicles that are running on biogas from the Chiclana wastewater treatment process.”
Moreover, Román said: “These vehicles are very competitive economically, since they are three times cheaper when refueling than any other gasoil or gasoline vehicle. In addition, the cost of water purification is also cheaper for the city. But, if that were not enough, it is also positive in environmental terms, since atmospheric CO2 is fixed and oxygen is released into the atmosphere, which leads to a circular economy. The idea is that this initiative can also be also used in urban transport.”
“We are developing something that is breaking all the schemes. What we are doing is transforming the wastewater into purified water, producing a biomass that later becomes a non-fossil biofuel. This is how we are creating our own fuel, this is a fuel that we can generate on a daily basis without relying on foreign countries,” said Aqualia’s head of Sustainability area and project manager, Zouhayr Arbib.
Biogas is a clean and renewable energy and will be one of the many topics addressed at AltFuels Iberia 2019, taking place on 11-14 June at IFEMA Trade Fair Center, in Madrid. It will be an event consisting of first level conferences and exhibition of vehicles of all kinds, refueling stations, components, plants, road and marine engines, as well as the entire universe of the alternative fuels industry with the latest technological developments, multiple options for networking, business and new advances. For more information, please contact
