Enerfip in Freewheeling Day 2 · The key to the fields

On the way to this second day! On the program: 90 km by bike, a visit to an exceptional methanization unit, and a country picnic!

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Day 2 – A warm welcome in Lauragais

Today, we have an appointment to visit the methanization unit of the Cler Verts company. And despite the many adventures of yesterday, it's a team with high morale that starts the day with a short 16 km warm-up. So we leave Beauteville behind us, heading for Belesta-en-Lauragais!

We meet Jean-Luc Da Lozzo, head of the methanization unit, at the Gardouch lock – one of the 63 that mark the Canal du Midi. After taking the time to watch a boat pass by, it's time to hit the road. Follow the guide! A distinguished host, Jean-Luc tells us the history of the Canal du Midi throughout the journey that takes us to the methanization unit, through the prettiest little roads of the Lauragais region.

It's 10:30 a.m. when we arrive at the site. It is designed to make this still little-known technology accessible to the general public, and Jean-Luc, with his characteristic pedagogy, takes the time to give us a very detailed tour.

Again, many thanks to Jean-Luc and his team for their welcome and for the time they gave us! We left feeling full of a good dose of science and conviviality!

Cler Verts, the very definition of the circular economy

A whole ecosystem revolves around this methanization project. The unit plans to spread the digestate on agricultural areas located within a 15km radius. It allows the treatment of 18,000 tons of organic waste each year thanks to supply agreements signed with major retailers located in the Toulouse region.

Commissioned in 2016, the project required the construction of a building of more than 2,800 m2. A waste reception area, mixer, co-generator, digester, digestate storage pits, etc., it houses all the elements necessary for the operation of the methanization unit.

Beyond the methanization, this multifaceted project also includes the recycling and recovery of wood, as well as a photovoltaic power plant. The electricity produced is then sold to EDF, and the heat is used directly by the site for cleaning and drying wood chips. The short circuit, without compromise!

Hey Mathias, what is methanization?
Okay, it's true, this concept doesn't sound very sexy. However, the sequence of actions that makes it possible to produce energy from waste are fascinating in their complexity and ingenuity... Initially, methanization is a natural process of degradation of organic matter by bacteria in an anaerobic environment – ​​that is, in the total absence of oxygen. This process takes place naturally in the stomachs of cows, or when organic matter settles to the bottom of water. As a side note, it was during one of his daily walks in the marsh that the count and scientist Alessandro Volta put his finger on this phenomenon and named it – without much originality, we agree – “marsh gas”.

A bucolic picnic

The scents of the unit having not cut our appetite – because obviously, inside, it doesn’t smell like roses! – the Cler Verts team invites us for a friendly picnic in a plain surrounded by undergrowth (and sheep). Will such a welcome be matched?

55 km towards Carcassonne

We would have liked to stay in this haven of peace, but we must continue! We get back on our bikes to head back towards Carcassonne to reach our accommodation for the day.

3 hours later, our host welcomes us to an unusual place: a tastefully refurbished former convent. After a quick debrief of the day, we head to a tapas bar to end this second day in style! Because yes, 90km on a bike doesn't wear out your shoes, but it does make you hungry. Despite the sore glutes, the team is delighted with their day and morale remains high. We can't wait for tomorrow!

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You're going off the rails!

Renewable energies and preconceived ideas

What is this "swamp gas" used for?

The benefits of this gas are multiple. It allows for a circularity of resources: the waste of some becomes wealth for others. This circularity can be local and the benefits for the planet are direct and significant. Indeed, it allows the production of renewable energy through the local reuse of resources.

But we can cite other advantages such as:

• the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions
• the improvement of soil and air quality
• the production of a natural fertilizer, which avoids the use of chemical fertilizers
• the creation of local and non-relocatable jobs

How does methanization work?

First, the organic waste is placed in a large tank called a digester.

This tank is emptied of its oxygen so that the bacteria can begin to digest. To optimize this process, the material can be stirred and the temperature controlled.

Using enzymes, the organic molecules are “hydrolyzed,” that is, broken down into simpler chemical elements. They are then used to produce CO2 and CH4. This is how the famous methane is obtained.

However, this raw gas cannot be returned to city gas as is. It must first be purified through several filtration stages:

• a first filtration aims to remove the largest volatile residues
• a second, finer one separates the CO2 from the CH4

After these filtrations, we obtain pure biomethane. This gas is then compressed to join the city gas.

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