Europe's leading producer of canned goods reduces its electricity bill thanks to biogas

When new regulations required Bonduelle to build a wastewater treatment plant for its food processing factory in Nagykőrös, Hungary, the company turned to Veolia, whose specialists suggested a solution using sludge-sourced biogas to produce steam.

100% biogas energy recovery

The Nagykőrös plant produces canned peas, corn and beans. These manufacturing processes require a significant amount of energy, traditionally provided exclusively by natural gas. In 2010, new Hungarian regulations introduced more stringent criteria for the treatment of wastewater and a whole range of other pollutants before discharge. To meet these standards, Bonduelle had to install a treatment plant, creating a major source of biogas. Veolia – the site's energy provider –suggested using that biogas as feedstock in a small back-up boiler that had previously been put to little use. The solution was swiftly implemented as soon as the treatment plant was up and running. The boiler provides three metric tons of industrial steam, all of which is used in the factory, achieving a recovery rate of 100%.

Optimal Investment

50 to 60% of the biogas is currently used to generate heat at the Nagykőrös plant, saving almost 350,000 cubic meters of gas and avoiding 650 metric tons of CO2 per year. The process can cut energy bills by up to 17% depending on the quantity of biogas produced, while offering an economically efficient solution for treating biogas.

 

Laszlo Toth
Bonduelle Central Europe

For a canning factory, reducing long-term energy costs is vital. Recovering biogas from the treatment plant is an excellent solution. The process draws on new technology developed with Veolia and has been a complete success.

 

Customer benefits

  • Strict compliance with technical and environmental regulations
  • Smaller carbon footprint
  • Reduced reliance on fossil fuels
  • Lower energy bills and operating costs

 

Solution

  • Using biogas from wastewater sludge to produce steam

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17% reduction on annual energy bills

350,000 m³ of natural gas saved/year