This news article was originally written in Spanish. It has been automatically translated for your convenience. Reasonable efforts have been made to provide an accurate translation, however, no automated translation is perfect nor is it intended to replace a human translator. The original article in Spanish can be viewed at Centro de Tratamientos de Residuos del Vallès Occidental (Barcelona)

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The new space of the region, 43,900 square meters, has a budget of € 75 million

Center for waste treatments of Western Vallès (Barcelona)

Javier García14/07/2009

July 14, 2009

One of the great innovations of Reinnova was the presentation of the Centre for treatment of waste of the Vallès Occidental, which will be opened in Vacarisses in mid-2010. The new space will be waste that it cannot capture selectively, as well as selectively collected organic material. The President of the Consortium, Juan Carlos Sánchez, explains to Interempresas in what will be this new centre of the region, built on an area of 43,900 square meters and for which Governments have earmarked EUR 75 million.

At the top of the mountain of Colcardús is that for years has been used as a mass of waste repository. Therein are abstractions of biogas and the treatment of the land to prevent leaks of leachate and other agents. This part will be closed, and therefore the waste will have an entry on the road, will enter into the plants, and start from here, began what is called a process where there will be first segregation of metals, the segregation of plastics and the withdrawal of textiles. It will then go down the nave, where there are two large trenches that will allow the drying of this waste and the inerting, through a German technology called rotopalas, which allows you to temporarily go moving the waste until that is practically without any kind of moisture.

Model of the Centre of treatment of waste of the Vallès Occidental, exposed in Reinnova.

"At the time that withdrew the water, the waste that remains has a significant calorific power," says Sanchez

The transformation of the waste into energy

"This waste then is packaged and moved to the deposit of bullets in Cerdanyola," explains Sánchez. It is of "an important installation because effects on him environment of the untreated waste are very harmful." The generation of leachate of thousands of tons could ultimately affect aquifers, for instance. In this sense, the possibility of treating the waste and inertizarlo is one of the guarantees to prevent further damages, but also the key so that the waste has a calorific power. "At the time that cut off the water, the waste that remains has a significant calorific power," said Sanchez. The question is: what can use as a fuel? According to the Chairman of the Consortium, Yes. "In these days of Reinnova we are seeing experiences in Tarragona, in Mataró, Ayorca, and in much of Europe where they work the new incinerators as energy recovery plants".

The residue can replace the need to burn fossil waste. "I think that this is an aspect to be considered within the Catalan and Spanish energy policy, we are absolutely dependent energy." For Sánchez, the residue is not going to solve this unit, but provides "an important alternative".

The new Centre will also feature a plant of treatment of organic matter. "The fraction we separate in the houses, which is organic matter, would directly be treated in this plant to be able to be ready as composting".