In Afyonkarahisar, a firm that makes fruit juice generates electrical energy from the biogas of about 100 tons of fruit waste per day and turns the leftover trash into fertilizer for its plantations.
In addition to outlining the firm’s goals, the general manager of the company explained its strategy for sourcing all of its energy from renewable sources and its commitment to the idea of zero waste as a means of ensuring a sustainable environment.
The fruit juice company has put into practice the “Biogas and Electricity Production from Fruit Waste” project in an area of 20,000 square feet as part of the “Sustainable Biomass Use Project to Support the Development of the Turkish Economy on the Path to Green Growth” carried out in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, General Directorate of Agricultural Research and Policies (TAGEM), and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), Daily Sabah reports.
At the biogas power plant it developed, the firm converts biogas into electrical energy and supplies it to the municipal grid. The fruit juice plant uses the steam created during the energy generation process, which is carried through pipes.
Additionally, the solar panels mounted on the factory’s roof supply 2.3 megawatts of the typical 3.4 megawatts of power required for fruit juice processing. Other businesses collect the fruit seeds that are separated after processing and use them as solid fuel.
The factory’s general manager described its environmental initiatives and stated that in 2018, they began evaluating the trash produced by processed fruits.
He also added that the biomethanization production companies are the places where they can best assess fruit wastes, therefore they launched the creation of biogas production with that thought in mind. This plant, which they began actively using in 2019, has a 1.16-megawatt hourly capacity and processes about 100 tons of fruit waste daily.
He said that they provide waste-free fruit manufacturing to consumers and that their biogas plants turn sustainably generated fruit trash into electricity and steam generation. These plants for concentrating use this steam.
He said that because of their effort to produce both biogas and power, they were given the “Energy Globe Awards” the previous year. Additionally, they believe that one of the key components of sustainability is the use of renewable energy. The global carbon footprint of fossil fuels is significant.
“Hence, we’re thinking of getting it from our resources,” he said.
