Inalca Spa has 4 cogeneration systems producing 11 megawatts of electrical power and an equal quantity of thermal power. It also has more than 40 dedicated counters on individual production lines for accurate and efficient analysis and control of energy consumption in order to reduce the latter. These monitoring instruments have permitted Inalca Spa to obtain significant results in terms of energy saving and obtaining “white certificates” (certifying the efficient use of energy).

Biomass Recycling

A new innovative composting technology with a reduced environmental impact (using high pressures) has been developed for the recovery of purification mud and other biomass for the production of products suitable both for agriculture and the energy production chain. The project allows the recycling of over 50,000 tons/year of biomass, excluding this material from the waste cycle and improving the characteristics of the life cycle of the products obtained from the other Inalca Spa plants. In the Ospedaletto Lodigiano plant, Inalca Spa will activate an anaerobic digestion plant in 2009, in which:
• total surplus mud from the purification plant serving the Ospedaletto Lodigiano plant,
• total pre-stomach contents derived from bovine slaughtering,
• a significant percentage of blood derived from slaughtering will be used to produce biogas.

The biogas produced will be routed to a modern, efficient endothermic engine that will generate approximately 6,000,000 kwe/year; approximately 20% of the plant’s electrical needs. This autogeneration will be in addition to the already pointed out proportion of energy autogenerated by the cogeneration systems with which Inalca Spa is equipped.

Reduction of Waste Production

This has been achieved thanks to the constant training of all personnel and the use of suitable dedicated containers in all production departments. Over the last few years Inalca Spa has achieved a high level of waste recycling. In conformity with the environmental policies of the area, this has allowed the recovery rather than the disposal of the majority of the waste produced, leading to a 17% reduction in total waste production (from 1,218 to 1,016 tons) over the past four years.

Water Cycle

To reduce water consumption, Inalca Spa has implemented various instruments for the re-use of water within the production cycle, for example re-use of the water resulting from the conditioning processes (approximately 30,000 cubic metres/year). These include a project for the re-use of the waste waters from the purifier via processes of phytopurification and the study of systems for the movement of by-products in “dry” rather than “damp” form (e.g. pre-stomach contents).

“Green” Purchasing

In the last year, recycled paper amounting to at least 50% of the total paper used, has been purchased. The average weight of certain cardboard packaging items has been reduced, and the use of recyclable plastic packaging has been increased, with a saving of approximately 150 tons/year in the purchase of cardboard. Training initiatives have been started up to extend green purchasing to the technical/plant-engineering sectors (e.g. high efficiency electrical motors). During the next few years Inalca Spa plans to achieve the following objectives:

• Development of projects for the communication and accessibility by stakeholders of company environmental performance indicators.
• Extension of the energy efficiency projects to the lighting and water cycle sectors.
• In general the company plans to increase its know-how of the management of CO2 emissions and the application of Life Cycle Assessment techniques for the analysis of product sustainability.

Inalca Spa fully respects the limits of the Kyoto protocol.