Suez’s new process is designed to limit environmental degradation by draining the leachate, a highly concentrated liquid fraction from the waste. Evalix™ is now operational at the Meknes Waste Disposal and Recovery Centre. In this controlled landfill in northern Morocco, this process enables toxic liquids to be dried through the combustion of biogas produced on site.
According to Suez, its technology allows the evaporation of concentrated effluents, “without any liquid discharge into the environment”. Evalix™ supports a new leachate treatment plant. The unit consists of a bioreactor with ultrafiltration membranes, followed by reverse osmosis filtration. This new equipment will be fed with biogas via a collection network installed in the waste landfill area. “This network not only collects the gas emissions that will later be used by Evalix, but also prevents them from escaping into the atmosphere, thus protecting the surrounding environment,” says Suez Maroc.
The company also explains that its new system will allow the water from the leachate treatment to be reused for irrigation. This is a significant step forward that will make the Meknes storage centre a major centre for waste recovery in Morocco. With a treatment capacity of 330,000 tonnes of household waste per year, the centre managed since 2014 by Suez has a sorting unit covering 3,000 sq. metres and a logistics platform covering 3,000 sq. metres.
Suez Maroc also composts organic waste there thanks to a 7,000 sq. m unit. The waste elimination and recovery centre also has a biogas capture and recovery facility.
Jean Marie Takouleu