By Dmitry Smirnov: The new treatment plant, which has officially been launched at the Grodno region’s Skidel Sugar Refinery, uses anaerobic bacteria to clean the air of methane and industrial wastewater of harmful organic substances. The factory’s artificial lakes occupy 55 hectares and contain 3.5 million cubic meters of raw water, which for many years has been accumulated at the factory.
14 tons of enriched silt have been purchased in Germany. Anaerobic bacteria contained in it not only clean the wastewaters, but also are a source of biogas. Exiting the station at full capacity, they will be able to produce about 4,000 cubic meters of gas per day. Slovenian experts, who have analysed the biogas at the station, confirmed that the bacteria produce 85% methane.
The station is designed so that purified water is used cyclically, therefore the Skidel factory will no longer affect the Neman river ecosystem.
The first phase of the station has been commissioned, with the entire construction process to be completed next year. Nevertheless, the ecological project is already being characterised as profitable, including in economic terms. In the future, the bacteria will produce more than 1,300 kW of heat per day, fully providing the station with energy.
