Background
Alcarràs Bioproductors is a Catalonia-based initiative bringing together 150 livestock farming families with the aim of contributing to the circular bioeconomy by turning livestock manure into sustainable, high-quality products.
In 2024, the cooperative invested in a biogas plant to reinforce the delivery of its activities in Alcarras, Lleida by moving from electricity to renewable natural gas (RNG) with biomethane production. The team selected a Biogasclean biogas upgrading unit for its operations, manufactured locally in Artea, and provided with close technical support.
Objectives
The overall goal of the co-operative is to find advanced solutions that promote sustainability and maximize the value of livestock manure, benefiting both the environment and the local livestock farming community. The initiative comprises of farming families from Alcarràs and the surrounding area and manages 100,000 cubic metres of slurry and 40,000 tonnes of calf and chicken manure per annum from a total of 189 farms in the area. The farmers benefit from access to digestate, a nutrient-rich, organic fertilizer by-product of biogas production which is used to support soil health and crop growth. At the Alcarràs Bioproductors Biopark, the team built a state-of-the-art biogas production plant, which initially produced biogas for electricity generation.
The Biogasclean biogas upgrading solution UPG-MS was adapted to our needs, giving us the flexibility and reliability we need. Being able to switch from biogas use to upgrading biomethane opens an important revenue stream for our co-operative and the strong operational support we received gives us confidence we can maintain high availability
Results
Using Biogasclean proprietary biogas upgrading technology, the plant now produces RNG as biomethane for gas grid injection, with the valuable digestate by-product used in various agricultural applications.
The plant was commissioned in 2024 and is now producing an average of 500 Nm3/hour of biogas, 100% of which is upgraded to biomethane on site. The biomethane is compressed to create bio-CNG and transported to the Cycle0 local grid injection point by tube trailer. The biomethane production at this plant avoids 10,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions per annum.
Alcarràs Bioproductors’ environmental innovation was recognised in 2026, winning the Premi a la Innovació Tecnològica Agroalimentària (PITA) awarded by the Catalan Government.
