Committed to driving solutions which support the energy transition, Sorigué has embarked on two projects to generate hydrogen from organic waste and plastics, VAL2H2 and Despoliplast, respectively, and also the HarvESt research project which seeks to integrate renewable energy sources into farms to help decarbonise the primary sector. 

The three research projects are being carried out at the biomethane production plant run by Noguera Renovables, a Sorigué, Axpo and Torre Santamaría investee. This plant in Vallfogona de Balaguer (Lleida) processes bio-waste, at present around 73,000 tonnes per year, which generates biomethane that is subsequently fed into the gas grid. 

These projects are led by Sorigué’s Innovation Department in association with various Spanish and international public and private organisations. The department currently has over twenty R&D and innovation projects underway  in the quest for sustainable solutions which can be embedded across its business areas. 

VAL2H2: from bio-waste to renewable hydrogen  

The VAL2H2 project seeks to develop technologies for generating, storing and using renewable hydrogen from organic matter and bio-waste which is hard to recover such as pruning waste. Over the next two years, the initiative expects to produce up to 1 kg/h of hydrogen and experiment with converting it into electricity using fuel cells. 

VAL2H2 targets technological innovations which are built into the entire hydrogen value chain from hydrogen production and purification to its storage. Software simulations will be run and prototypes designed to evaluate varying pressure and temperature conditions. It will also investigate potential uses of the by-products generated in sectors such as agriculture and energy production. 

In this project Sorigué is working in a consortium with Indox Energy Systems, Eurecat, IREC (Catalonia Energy Research Institute), CIEMAT (Centre for Energy, Environmental and Technological Research) and Rovira i Virgili University.  

Despoliplast: fuel from plastics  

Noguera Renovables’ facilities are also hosting the rollout of Despoliplast, a project for recovering non-recyclable plastics.  

The research will validate in a real-world environment catalytic depolymerisation technology which produces fuels from plastic waste. It is also exploring the feasibility of generating high-quality hydrogen from these fuels by steam reforming. 

The equipment works with heavy fraction waste plastics, mostly from car dismantling. The project ends in December 2024 and its results will be crucial to build a large-scale system to cut the amount of non-recyclable plastics which end up in landfill and harness them to produce fuels and renewable energies.  

Despoliplast is an initiative led by Sorigué in coordination with the Environmental and Industrial Applications of Catalysis (AMIC) group at Rovira i Virgili University. 

HarvRESt: farms as future sources of renewable energies 

Noguera Renovables’ facilities are hosting a third innovation project: HarvRESt, which seeks to bring renewable energy sources to farms to enhance sustainable energy production and drive decarbonisation in the primary sector.

This project is to develop an Agricultural Virtual Power Plant (AVPP) and a Decision Support System (DSS) to optimise use of renewable energy sources on farms. The initiative aims to make farms climate neutral, streamline their production and lessen their environmental impact.

This project is currently tracking four case studies in Spain, Norway, Denmark and Italy. At Noguera Renovables’ facilities, Sorigué’s Innovation Department gathers data from its biomethane plant to model the production of biogas from agricultural waste. This study also evaluates the fertiliser potential of the recovered nutrients to step up the circularity of the farm and diversify its income streams. 

The project is funded by the European Commission through the Horizon Europe programme, has 14 partners in Europe and is coordinated by the CIRCE technology research centre.

With these projects underway, Sorigué is cementing its commitment to innovation in proposals targeting the energy transition and supporting decarbonisation. The group is developing solutions which impact various business areas and furnish alternatives in the circular economy, energy efficiency and sustainable construction. 

About Noguera Renovables

In April 2023, Sorigué and Axpo took an 80% stake in Noguera Renovables. The project is designed to ramp up the production of biomethane from livestock using 300,000 tonnes of waste per year to reach 115 GWh in output.

The Sorigué group has extensive experience in treating sewage sludge to generate biogas and is drawing on the knowhow gained from its own R&D and innovation projects to support this initiative. 

Axpo is acknowledged worldwide for managing and marketing renewable energies while the Torre Santamaría farm stands out as the first Spanish livestock holding to develop a circular economy loop for its own energy supply plus feeding gas into the national grid.