• The Bioenergy Cluster of Catalonia and the Packaging Cluster organised an intercluster session on 13 March to learn about the challenges and benefits of bioenergy
• More than 30 professionals from the world of energy and packaging met in Sarrià de Ter
• The meeting concluded with a visit to the Hinojosa Paper Sarrià facilities

On 13 March, the Bioenergy Cluster of Catalonia and the Packaging Cluster brought together more than 30 professionals from the world of energy and packaging to discuss the possibilities of decarbonisation in the packaging sector.

The intercluster meeting took place in Sarrià de Ter, Girona, with a welcome speech by the mayor, Mr. Narcís Fajula, who highlighted the community's commitment to investing in projects that have a direct impact on an energy sustainable industrial model. Marc Cortina, Cluster Manager of the Bioenergy Cluster of Catalonia, accompanied the speech with a contextualisation of bioenergy, which is "the chemical energy stored in living beings, in the form of biomass, the only truly manageable and storable renewable energy source, which can provide heating, cooling, steam, electricity and fuel for transport".

The first presentation was given by Daniel Solé, Sales Manager at VYNCKE, who highlighted the differences between the various heterogeneous combustion processes (coffee grounds, nut shells, vine branches, etc.) and their particularities. In order to make the switch to biomass, issues such as: available plant space, unloading and loading logistics, technology and the quality and quantity of product required must be taken into account.

ATTSU, with the help of its president Francesc Johé, detailed to the attendees one of the fundamental tools for the generation and use of bioenergy: the hips. ATTSU manufactures steam, hot water, thermal fluid, biomass, gas or biogas boilers, among other equipment, with which to generate biomass combustion from suppliers such as VYNCKE. It is essential to know the current boiler offer and their technical needs for their installation in the plants of packaging manufacturers and other manufacturing industries.

Likewise, one of the first companies in the sector in Catalonia to incorporate bioenergy in its plants was Pere Valls, as explained by its administrator Jordi Valls. In 2014, with the aim of leading a pioneering environmental and technological innovation project in Catalonia and given the instability of the price of natural gas at the time, Pere Valls decided to replace almost 100% of its gas consumption with biomass. In this way, they managed to reduce around 3,500 tons of CO2 per year, saving 35% of energy costs, increasing their production activity and supplying themselves almost entirely with renewable and circular energy.

Finally, Cristina Pita, head of Environment at Hinojosa Paper Sarrià, together with Daniel Rafart, director of the Hinojosa factory, explained to Pere Valls how Hinojosa works with bioenergy. The company associated with the Packaging Cluster has more than 75 years of history, in which it has diversified its offer with 20 production plants in Spain, France and Portugal, 2,500 workers and more than 600 million euros of turnover. At the Sarrià plant, they produce 100% recycled paper and closed 2022 with 60% of the steam produced with renewable energy from biomass and biogas boilers.

Àlex Brossa, Cluster Manager of the Packaging Cluster, closed the session and gave way to the visit to the paper manufacturing plant in Hinojosa, where the entire installation and operation, which they manage with  Veolia, could be seen in-situ. 

At the intercluster, the companies Genia Global Energy, Inka Palet, Menshen, TAI Smart Factory, Magic Box Int, AIS Group, Decapulp, Buergofol, Eurecat, Ahidra, Aspapel, Lecta, Witté y Solà, Calcinor and Comexi, as well as invited technical professionals, were able to learn first-hand how to reduce the number of CO2 emissions through biomass and bioenergy.

"The meeting with the Bioenergy Cluster of Catalonia has demonstrated the importance of connecting with industries that generate value and wealth to the packaging sector, such as bioenergy. Decarbonisation is the first step towards a much more efficient system, energetically and economically speaking. We have been able to learn about good practices, available resources and visit the Hinojosa plant, with the warm welcome of the municipality of Sarrià de Ter", concludes Serena Rebollo González de la Aleja, head of Communication and Marketing of the Packaging Cluster.