Regulatory Compliance and Thermal Recovery in Digestate Management
To comply with European animal by-products regulations (EC 1069/2009), the facility must pasteurize the resulting digestate before it can be used as an agricultural fertilizer, creating a closed-loop circular model that replaces synthetic fertilizers in rural sectors. According to HRS Heat Exchangers, the DPS unit handles 200 tonnes of digestate daily. The system uses a corrugated double-tube heat exchanger to elevate the digestate temperature to 75°C. By recovering roughly 50 percent of the thermal energy from the hot pasteurized material to warm incoming feedstock, the plant cuts carbon dioxide emissions by 375 tonnes per year.
Spain’s Rapid Biomethane Capacity Growth
This operational milestone arrives amid a broader surge in Spain’s renewable gas sector. Official deployment data shows the country’s operational biomethane sites expanded from 12 facilities in 2024 to 25 sites in 2025. Projections indicate that total operational plants will reach 46 facilities by the end of 2026, climbing further to 90 projected sites by 2027. Industry suppliers note that efficient digestate management systems remain essential as anaerobic digestion deployment accelerates across the region.
Did you know?
The newly integrated pasteurization system recovers approximately 50 percent of thermal energy from treated digestate, offsetting 1.75 million kilowatt-hours of thermal energy usage every year.
Global Biogas and Biomass Infrastructure Developments
The Spanish plant’s commissioning parallels several international developments in renewable energy infrastructure. In the United Kingdom, the National Energy System Operator (NESO) published a strategic assessment indicating that sustainable biomethane output can reach 30 TWh annually by 2050 without environmental trade-offs, though scaling beyond that mark will require cross-sector balancing against competing land and feedstock priorities. Current UK biomethane injection sits at 6 TWh annually, according to NESO figures welcomed by the Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association (ADBA).
Meanwhile, in Japan, engineering firm Kawasaki Heavy Industries announced plans to renovate the 1,070MW Taketoyo coal-and-biomass co-firing power plant. The firm will upgrade dust collection systems and install fire monitoring equipment on the Taketoyo No. 5 unit to secure wood pellet fuel-conveying safety ahead of a planned biomass operations resumption in June 2028. In a separate Japanese project, renewable energy producer Renova resumed operations at its 74.8MW Tokushima-Tsuda biomass power plant following repairs to a damaged steam control valve linked to the high-pressure turbine.
Pro Tip:
When scaling anaerobic digestion assets, integrating double-tube heat exchangers can drastically reduce thermal energy overhead by recycling excess heat directly into incoming organic feedstock.
Frequently Asked Questions
What feedstock does the Spanish anaerobic digestion plant process?
The facility processes a mixture of whey, olive pomace, chicken manure, and pig slurry to generate renewable gas.
How much biomethane does the facility produce for the grid?
According to project data, the plant produces 58 GWh of biomethane annually, providing renewable gas for roughly 11,000 homes.
Why is digestate pasteurization required under European regulations?
Under European animal by-products regulations (EC 1069/2009), digestate must be pasteurized at 75°C before it can be safely applied as an agricultural fertilizer.
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