A new biorefinery in ICLEI Member Zaragoza (Spain), inaugurated this month, holds the potential to transform how cities manage waste. At full capacity, this facility can process 300 million tonnes of urban solid waste and sludge annually, converting it into high-value products like biopolymers, biofertilizers, and green graphene.
The inauguration highlighted how the new biorefinery, managed by the private environmental solutions company Urbaser in collaboration with the Zaragoza City Council will enable the city of Zaragoza to advance traditional waste treatment processes in the municipality and its surroundings, such as wastewater treatment sludge and organic waste. These will be converted into high-value final products based on bio-based materials, local sustainable raw materials, and circular production processes. With a strong focus on selective waste collection, the biorefinery is also expected to provide environmental and economic benefits to both the city and the region by reducing the waste sent to landfills.
In the words of Natalia Chueca, Mayor of Zaragoza, "Once again, Zaragoza is becoming a leader in the circular economy. I am deeply grateful to Urbaser and all the companies involved in this project, which will undoubtedly become a model for Spain and Europe. Zaragoza once again demonstrates that by betting on the green economy, we create jobs and wealth while taking giant steps toward shaping sustainable and healthy cities. Zaragoza is already a leader in sustainable mobility, urban greening projects like the Zaragozan Forest and the Huerva River, and in the circular economy, exceeding the national recycling rate. Now, we are also a reference in new technologies aimed at transforming waste."
The CIRCULAR BIOCARBON biorefinery is a unique model, with process lines implemented in two different locations (Zaragoza, Spain, and Sesto San Giovanni, Italy) for logistical, customer, and market reasons. This multi-site approach will test the biorefinery's performance across different waste management systems, ecosystems, and existing industrial practices, boosting its potential for replication across Europe. CIRCULAR BIOCARBON, funded by the Bio-Based Industries Joint Undertaking under the European Union's Horizon 2020 programme and of which ICLEI Europe is a partner, has a budget of €23 million to develop this project.
CIRCULAR BIOCARBON has established the City Interest Group to help cities and local authorities better engage with the circular industry. In this context, the project will organise a webinar on 4 December that will explore the potential of transforming biowaste into valuable bio-based materials, moving beyond more mainstream energy applications, and with a particular focus on urban and regional bioeconomies. Interested participants can register for the webinar here.