Louis Dreyfus Company says the Bebedouro facility will process around 380,000 litres of orange juice wastewater an hour, cutting site CO2 emissions by more than 20%
Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC) is constructing what it describes as the world's largest industrial facility dedicated to producing biogas from citrus effluent, at Bebedouro in São Paulo state, Brazil.
The plant covers more than 185,000m² and is engineered to handle roughly 380,000 litres (380m³) of citrus effluent per hour, targeting one of the orange juice processing sector's largest waste streams. Specialist biotechnology and inoculums will break down the high organic load in the wastewater, with peak output projected at more than 50,000m³ of biogas a day.
The gas will be piped directly into LDC's own industrial operations in place of fossil fuels, a switch the company expects to cut the site's carbon dioxide emissions by more than 20%.
The project also centres on resource recovery: LDC said 100% of the treated water will be returned to local water resources once the organic fraction has been removed.
Construction is nearing completion. LDC operates three processing facilities and more than 30,000 hectares of citrus groves in the region, giving the plant a substantial local feedstock loop.
