Nippon Gases, one of the world’s leading industrial and medical gases companies, and Vertex Bioenergy, a leader in bioethanol production in Spain and France, have reached an agreement for the construction and operation by Nippon Gases of a CO2 recovery unit at the Ecocarburantes Españoles S.A. site, property of Vertex Bioenergy, located in Valle de Escombreras (Cartagena, Spain). Ecocarburantes Españoles will supply Nippon Gases with approximately 45,000 tons of raw CO2 per year for this recovery unit.
As the rest of the plants operated by Nippon Gases in the Iberian Peninsula, this new unit will run with 100% renewable energy and represents an investment of approximately EUR 10 million. It enables Vertex Bioenergy and Nippon Gases to continue with their sustainable development policy by capturing CO2 from sources of vegetable origin, thus replacing fossil-fueled CO2.
The startup, scheduled for spring 2022, will allow Nippon Gases to meet its customers’ growing needs for greenhouses, water purification, and food and beverages in Spain, especially in the Mediterranean basin. Thanks to this project, Vertex Bioenergy will further improve the CO2 footprint of the bioethanol it supplies, increasing the reduction of GHGs compared to gasoline. It will represent a step ahead toward Vertex Bioenergy’s objective in becoming “Carbon Neutral.” It will also be an additional opportunity towards sustainable rural development, promoting sustainable crops and the creation of agro-industries, thus contributing to maintaining work and income levels in rural environments.
About Vertex Bioenergy
Vertex Bioenergy is a European leader in the biofuel industry. In Spain and France, Vertex Bioenergy is the leader in bioethanol production. Vertex Bioenergy produces other great added-value products such as animal feed (DDGS), electricity, green CO2, and corn oil. Vertex Bioenergy currently owns four bioethanol production plants in Spain and France with a total production capacity of 780 million liters, including wine alcohol units. Ecocarburantes Españoles, a Vertex Bioenergy subsidiary, is the bioethanol production unit located in the Mediterranean basin.