BIOGAS CLEANS ÓBIDOS LAGOON OF CATTLE BREEDING AND SLAUGHTER-HOUSES SEWAGE

Tomorrow, 12th of June, at 3 p.m., in Landal Social and Cultural Development Center (Fontinha road, N.º 1; ROSTOS), will be presented a project related to cattle breeding and slaughter-houses effluents treatment, that will allow a substantial pollution reduction in the area of Óbidos Lagoon.

The system proposed by APAL (Landal Cattle Breeders Association) will be one of the first examples in Portugal of an organic waste centralized unit, that will be responsible for the treatment of effluents produced in cattle breeding and slaughter-houses   situated in Landal Parish (Caldas da Rainha municipality).

This parish has one of the more intensive cattle breeding and slaughterhouses concentration in Portugal, and until now, local managers had no possibility to treat the effluents and waste produced, in the best way. 

In the unit, now proposed, wastes will receive the following treatment and recycling:

1 – Degradation by anaerobic digestion (process in the absence of oxygen) with methane gas production.

2 – Use of methane (a renewable energy) to produce energy and heat.

3 – Use of mud (resulting from anaerobic digestion) to produce compound (that can be used in agriculture in order to increase soil fertility)

4 – Residual waters resulting from the process will be treated locally or send to Águas do Oeste system.

The process now presented by APAL receives total support from Quercus, since it represents an important contribution to solve the serious pollution problem faced by Óbidos Lagoon, allowing also to produce renewable energy e agricultural compound.

Besides important environmental and energetic aspects that characterize this project, it is also an excellent example of sustainable development, for it gives a proper use for a resource (waste and effluents), originating economic compensations and creating jobs at the local level.

Quercus uses this moment to appeal to the Government in the sense that more support is given to these and other projects alike, that provide waste treatment while producing biogas (like in the case of BSE flour: http://64.176.7.196/cir/comunicados/bse13_11_02.htm e http://64.176.7.196/cir/comunicados/bseport9_10_02.htm), namely through the support and financing of the project, as well as the improvement of electricity selling conditions to the National Network.

We would like to recall also that, in agreement with conclusions from the Renewable energies Forum in Portugal, that in 2002 gathered the best national experts in this matters, biogas should have a higher support from the Government when compared to other sources of energy, like the ones coming from fossil fuels.

Lisbon, 28 of May 2003

Quercus – National Association for Nature Conservation

Contacts: Pedro Carteiro +351 934285343