The Use of Biodigesters in the Treatment of Swine Manure …
99
into electricity, enabling then, other improvements in the business model currently
installed on the site [26, 68].
The Alto Uruguai Project was not completed as initially planned, being limited to
the construction of 10 (ten) biodigesters in Itapiranga, which allowed the treatment
of waste with the resulting biogas flaring. This was, however, without the monetary
gain that electricity generation from biogas enables. In such a manner that when
analyzing the dimensions of sustainability, the environmental dimension was taken
into account, once the waste stopped being released without treatment in the Uruguay
River Basin; however, both the economic and social dimensions were not addressed.
The most well-known definition of sustainable development is that one must seek to
meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs. In this sense, Herremans and Reid [35] believe
that some people may not agree that the conflicts discussed are really conflicts, and
that when debating in search of solutions, opinions often differ as to what actions
must be taken in order to achieve sustainability goals.
In 2012, Eletrosul participated, through its R&D area, in a public call for ANEEL
Strategic R&D (number 014/2012). It was denominated Strategic Project: “Technical
and commercial arrangements for inserting electric energy generation from wasteand-liquid-effluent biogas in Brazilian energy matrix.” This project was launched
by the Brazilian Electricity Regulatory Agency (ANEEL), which is the regulatory agency for the Brazilian electricity sector [1]. Its source of resources was
based on Law 9.991/2000, which provides for investments in research and development by concessionaires, licensees and authorized companies in the electric energy
sector (Site 2020). The third section of this law states that: “The concessionaires of
electricity-transmission public services are obliged to invest, annually, the amount
of, at least, one percent of their net operating revenue in research and development of
the electric sector.” In addition to that, from this 1% of net operating revenue, 40%
(forty percent) must be allocated to research and development projects, according to
regulations established by ANEEL. To simplify, throughout this article the second
Strategic Project will be called “Biogas Project,” while the first project carried out
in the region will be called “Alto Uruguay Project.”
In this second stage of Eletrosul’s R&D actions in Itapiranga, a gas pipeline
and the construction of other biodigesters, but on an industrial scale, were planned.
They were manufactured from different materials in order to evaluate possible
cost-effective relationships in power generation from swine manure, as well as to
assess the costs of manufacturing and maintaining biodigesters. So that, in this way,
Eletrosul would signal actions to encourage biodigester construction, through its
R&D area, associating research and specialized institutions in order to investigate
the best constructive strategies. Similar initiatives have already been carried out
in Cambodia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda [40, 42] (Clemens et al.
2018). However, even though Itapiranga has a lower number of biodigesters installed,
different construction methods were prioritized, with the interconnection of all units
through a gas pipeline and fiber-optic network to a miniature thermoelectric power
plant (MCT).
99
into electricity, enabling then, other improvements in the business model currently
installed on the site [26, 68].
The Alto Uruguai Project was not completed as initially planned, being limited to
the construction of 10 (ten) biodigesters in Itapiranga, which allowed the treatment
of waste with the resulting biogas flaring. This was, however, without the monetary
gain that electricity generation from biogas enables. In such a manner that when
analyzing the dimensions of sustainability, the environmental dimension was taken
into account, once the waste stopped being released without treatment in the Uruguay
River Basin; however, both the economic and social dimensions were not addressed.
The most well-known definition of sustainable development is that one must seek to
meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs. In this sense, Herremans and Reid [35] believe
that some people may not agree that the conflicts discussed are really conflicts, and
that when debating in search of solutions, opinions often differ as to what actions
must be taken in order to achieve sustainability goals.
In 2012, Eletrosul participated, through its R&D area, in a public call for ANEEL
Strategic R&D (number 014/2012). It was denominated Strategic Project: “Technical
and commercial arrangements for inserting electric energy generation from wasteand-liquid-effluent biogas in Brazilian energy matrix.” This project was launched
by the Brazilian Electricity Regulatory Agency (ANEEL), which is the regulatory agency for the Brazilian electricity sector [1]. Its source of resources was
based on Law 9.991/2000, which provides for investments in research and development by concessionaires, licensees and authorized companies in the electric energy
sector (Site 2020). The third section of this law states that: “The concessionaires of
electricity-transmission public services are obliged to invest, annually, the amount
of, at least, one percent of their net operating revenue in research and development of
the electric sector.” In addition to that, from this 1% of net operating revenue, 40%
(forty percent) must be allocated to research and development projects, according to
regulations established by ANEEL. To simplify, throughout this article the second
Strategic Project will be called “Biogas Project,” while the first project carried out
in the region will be called “Alto Uruguay Project.”
In this second stage of Eletrosul’s R&D actions in Itapiranga, a gas pipeline
and the construction of other biodigesters, but on an industrial scale, were planned.
They were manufactured from different materials in order to evaluate possible
cost-effective relationships in power generation from swine manure, as well as to
assess the costs of manufacturing and maintaining biodigesters. So that, in this way,
Eletrosul would signal actions to encourage biodigester construction, through its
R&D area, associating research and specialized institutions in order to investigate
the best constructive strategies. Similar initiatives have already been carried out
in Cambodia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda [40, 42] (Clemens et al.
2018). However, even though Itapiranga has a lower number of biodigesters installed,
different construction methods were prioritized, with the interconnection of all units
through a gas pipeline and fiber-optic network to a miniature thermoelectric power
plant (MCT).