Sustainability

Sustainability

Indaver is playing a leading role as the waste industry and society transitions to a circular economy and strives to achieve its critical climate targets. We do this by offering sustainable and safe waste management solutions to both public authorities like arc21 and industry and by adhering to circular economy principles whereby we recover materials and energy from waste as well as actively working to reduce and capture unavoidable CO2 emissions. Increasingly we are also exploring and investing in ways in which our facilities can enable other exciting decarbonisation opportunities.   

The arc21 project represents integrated waste treatment infrastructure on one site of c.151 acres. It will directly contribute to circular economy and net zero targets. Furthermore, it offers a platform for the deployment of other decarbonisation technologies such as hydrogen production, e-fuels, district heating and energy storage, when they become technically and economically feasible.  

The illustration below depicts the potential for integrated waste infrastructure to contribute to much wider decarbonisation benefits beyond the core function of waste treatment.  

In 2019, the European Commission introduced the Green Deal, outlining objectives for a circular economy and climate-neutral European Union by 2050.  Indaver is committed to achieving these targets and we are doing this through various initiatives and innovative technologies such as: 

  • Recycling Materials. Through efficient recycling installations Indaver already prevents CO2 and other harmful greenhouse gases being emitted.  This involves the recovery of high-quality, valuable materials (including wood, plastics, metals, granulate, precious metals, water), helping close the loop on material flows, thereby conserving energy and natural resources.  An example of this is the recycling of energy-from-waste bottom ash in Doel, Belgium into end-products for the metal and construction industries. At IndaChloris in Loon-Plage, France, Indaver operates an advanced recycling facility  which recovers hydrochloric acid from industrial production processes and reintroduces it back into the industrial supply chain.  In Indaver’s  Plastics2chemicals. recycling facility in Antwerp we break plastic down into hydrocarbon chains, which produces base chemicals as a pure product for the petrochemical and chemical industry. 
  • Energy from Waste and Hydrogen production.  At our Energy from Waste facilities across Europe we are continuously innovating to recover valuable energy including renewable energy, from unrecyclable waste streams. We also are working hard to deliver even more efficiencies by making all our plants, processes, buildings and transport as energy efficient as possible. Electricity that has been “turned down” from the grid can be used to produce hydrogen, instead of being wasted. Hydrogen production via electrolysis can decarbonize sectors like transport, gas grids, power generation, and industries. Indaver has received planning permission and is currently developing a 10MW hydrogen facility at its Energy from Waste facility in Co. Meath, Ireland with a view to be operational by the end of 2025.  
  • Industrial and domestic Heat Network. At our Energy from Waste facilities, we also harness residual heat to supply homes and industry. The Ecluse heat network in Antwerp port is a collaboration between Indaver and partners to supply steam from its Energy from Waste site to numerous companies. These industrial companies draw on the steam as needed, allowing them to switch off their own boilers. This results in an efficient use in the energy produced and emissions saving of 100 000 tonnes of CO2 per annum. This network is being expanded to deliver residual heat to Boortmalt, the world’s largest malthouse in Antwerp’s port and to social residential zones in the northern part of the city. 
  • Carbon Capture and utilisation. As an industry we are facing an enormous challenge to capture carbon dioxide and to find a useful application for it. Today, Indaver actively manages its waste processing to minimise CO2 emissions and we are currently assessing Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU) technologies and applications. Today we are capturing liquid CO2 from BIO Power, an AD facility in the Netherlands, and supplying to the horticultural sector. We anticipate the expansion of CCUS as it becomes more technically and economically feasible. 
  • E-Methanol. We are working with research and industry partners to deliver a number of innovative trials looking at potential future carbon usage processes.  For example, Indaver is collaborating in a ‘Power to Methanol’ trial, with 6 other industrial and business partners in the port of Antwerp.  This will produce e-methanol from captured CO2 combined with hydrogen.  Methanol has a wide range of industrial and scientific applications, including use as a transport fuel. 

For more detailed information on our broad portfolio of different waste treatment techniques and sustainable processes please see our Carbon Management Plan.