Clean sheet for a greener future. Representatives of local businesses, the Naldeo design office and Prodarom met last Friday in the premises of the national union of perfume industries, avenue Riou Blanquet.
A meeting, in the form of making contacts, for a major objective: “Be able, ultimately, to treat 100% of our carbon waste locally” summarizes Marie-Thérèse Costa, research manager at Prodarom. Process them to turn them into a usable energy Source. Vast design; but there are people there…
Indeed, the project is led by a consortium bringing together the CCI Côte d’Azur, the company Green Energy 06, GRDF and Prodarom, therefore. The union which brings together more than 70 member companies, “including 48 in the Grasse region”from Mul to Firmenich, via Mane, Robertet, Parfex or Payan Bertrand, represented at this exchange meeting.
Methanization, gasification or both?
“We had already carried out a study, which revealed the strong methanogenic potential of our industriescontinues Marie-Thérèse Costa. Initiatives exist: Kerry has a methane digester; Mane, Robertet or Payan Bertrand have an ecological wastewater treatment plant. But why not do something global? The goal is to have a unit [entre 600 et 2.000m2, pour laquelle il faudra identifier du foncier] to treat our waste and produce biomethane, and why not hydrogen. It will depend on the process chosen: methanization or hydrothermal gasification, or even both combined.”
For greenhouse gas emissions divided by five
This is the whole purpose of the feasibility study which is beginning and must be completed during the first half of 2025. “The idea would be to be able to move on to experimentation straight away.” If, here again, the coming months will allow the figures to be refined, an initial assessment shows an overall mass of waste close to “the 10,000 tonnes annually”, between spent grains (plant extraction residues), effluents (wastewater) and sludge. At the end of the chain, the energy produced (heat, electricity) will allow the establishment of collective self-consumption, by dividing greenhouse gas emissions associated with industrial gas uses by five.
An “environmental gain” (and financial) to which is added another: that of transport. “Currently, waste is processed near Tarascon [Bouches-du-Rhône]explains Marie-Thérèse Costa. Here too, the approach makes sense to shorten travel. Perfumers are not the last to adopt the circular economy but, with this project, we are taking a step forward.”
