ORGANIC WASTE
Turning fruit waste
INTO ENERGY
D
uring 2018, the Western Cape Depar tment of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning took a policy decision to introduce a 100% ban on organic waste to landfill by 2027, with a 50% target by 2022. While this has had a huge impact on many businesses, some have taken it as a welcome push towards achieving their zero waste goals. Organic waste, which forms approximately 37% of the waste stream in the Western Cape, is a resource that has inherent economic value, if it’s separated properly and used either for compost, nutrient extraction or as an energy source. Diverting this waste from landfill will not only save landfill airspace but will help to reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions. Zero Waste Technologies, a subsidiary of GCX, and Elgin Fruit Juices have thus partnered on a biogas plant that will accept the disposal of organic waste.
Zero Waste Technologies has par tnered with Elgin Fruit Juices on a biogas plant that will accept the disposal of organic waste.
The partnership According to Hein Fourie, operations director of Zero Waste Technologies, the Elgin Biodigestion Plant was built in 2013 with the sole purpose of
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with ironing out some of the technicalities required for the digester to star t producing gas. The initial focus was on providing a consulting service on how to run/ operate the biogas facility. Fourie asserts that once they started seeing a disconnect, the decision was made for Zero Waste Technologies and Elgin Fruit Juices to form a collaboration. This new agreement meant that Zero Waste Technologies would take over managing the operation of the anaerobic digester. This is a 50/50 partnership where both companies are equal partners. Elgin Fruit Juices provides the assets, while Zero Waste Technologies provides operational services. Zero Waste Technologies specialises in providing advisory services to clients on how to go ‘zero waste’. The company is focused on alternative waste project development such as waste-to-energy (W2E) and other viable and sustainable inter ventions. It also currently operates biogas facilities and is building a solid pipeline of W2E facilities across the country.
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processing the fruit waste from Elgin Fruit Juices’ normal factory operation and producing biogas, which is rich in methane. The biogas is then used to generate electricity for use on the plant. “The plant, however, had a number of problems within its first year, which prohibited it from producing gas at a sustainable scale,” says Fourie. In 2017, Elgin Fruit Juices was strongly considering closing the plant. This is when Zero Waste Technologies was brought in to assist
The plant When organic matter, such as food scraps, is broken down in an anaerobic environment, it releases a blend of gases – primarily methane
