Good practices
Roquette and renewable energies
Production of biogas thanks to the treatment facilities at the Vecquemont site
Context
Roquette is a French company that extracts starch from agricultural raw materials. This activity is energy consuming and Roquette wishes to position itself on renewable energies! At Vecquemont site (near Amiens), new sewage treatment facilities, with production of biogas, were built following an increase in the capacity of the site. The methane generated is used in the production of the steam used on the site.
Objectives
To transfer potato starch production from Vic to Vecquemont and in this context increase the production capacity of the site.
Restructuring in Roquette’s potato starch production necessary to ensure the continued existence of our activity and thus safeguard direct and indirect employment.
The sewage treatment facilities must be adapted to the characteristics of the effluents (low flow, high load), while respecting the environment, and make the production of renewable energy (biogas) possible too.
Approach
Several studies were carried out in partnership with the ‘Agence de Bassin Artois-Picardie’ (Regional water agency). These studies made it possible to choose the best technologies for sewage treatment! A grant from the ‘Agence de Bassin’ helped the investment since this latter has a positive effect on manure spreading and thus is in step with the quality of the water tables concerned.
These sewage treatment facilities have been operational since August 2007 and process 60 T/D of COD and 4 T/D of nitrogen (capacity equivalent to a city of 600,000 inhabitants). The combustion of biogas makes it possible to produce about 15 % of the steam necessary for the Vecquemont site.
- Savings in fossil energy, reduction of waste effluents, preservation of the water tables
- Economic structuring of potato starch production in France: safeguarding of direct and indirect jobs in the industry concerned.
Contribution to corporate performance
- 50 % increase in the site’s capacity.
- Maintenance and development of the activity thanks to a proper management of the effluents while respecting environmental standards.
