Carbogas was founded in 1976, working on its own thermochemical projects. Initially, the company's core business consisted in making industrial plants for the conversion of mineral coal into fuel gas. Due to the political and economic situation at the period, linked to a high cost of gas supply, it was worth for companies to produce their own fuel from coal. In this model, the first unit of Carbogas was sold in 1978, with certification and approval from Promon Engenharia Company. The success of the first project led to the sale of over twenty units, installed in South America and China. In 2000, Carbogas Energia made its own laboratory plant in São Paulo state, with an installed capacity of 1MWth, being the largest thermochemical laboratory in the world. In this plant, several researches and technological developments were conducted. In 2007, a partnership was signed with Vale, one of the biggest mining company in the word, for studies on gasification in fluidized beds reactors using industrial waste as fuel. After the success of the project, the partnership ended in 2011 with the creation of the technological patent, which is shared by the two companies (50/50). Afterwards, Carbogas Energia started to conduct its own research and development. From 2012 to 2016, several improvements were made to the unit to convert industrial and municipal solid waste into synthesis gas and, in parallel, the process for processing waste into homogenous solid fuel was developed and optimized, generating an automated line for RDF – Residue Derivated Fuel. This RDF was used as fuel in all tests carried out by Carbogas Energia. Finally, after all the technological development has matured, a work was carried out to monitor and analyze atmospheric emissions with the participation of the Environmental Company of the State of São Paulo (CETESB), a team from the University of São Paulo (USP) and the company Société Générale de Surveillance (SGS SA), a Swiss company recognized worldwide for environmental control work and certification. This team made a test plan with measurements of gases in the chimney, without filters, from the oxidation of synthesis gas generated at the thermochemical treatment of urban waste, to control all atmospheric emissions. The results showed that the process is clean and sustainable, as it is in line with all current environmental resolutions. Thus, Carbogas Energia nowadays develops sustainable solutions for the final destination of urban and industrial solid waste, in order to add economic and environmental sustainability to this field, by providing a clean fuel from the waste, in line with national and international environmental regulations and resolutions, such as the UN 2030 agenda.
Sobre a Carbogas Energia
Our History
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1976
Company foundation
Carbogas was founded in 1976, with the purpose of supplying industrial plants for the production and distribution of fuel gases to the industry, using thermochemical processes. Its founder, Roberto Infiesta Jr., is also the inventor and patent holder of the technology that can generate fuel gas from solid waste.
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1978
First unit built
Cover of the magazine "Máquinas e Metais" (Metals and Machines) in 1981, the first industrial unit made by Carbogas Energia was a success. Developed in 1978, the plant used mineral coal to produce synthesis gas, which was applied to ceramic ovens. The thermochemical reactor contained an installed capacity of 6 MWth, and was rigorously evaluated and approved by Promon Engenharia Company.
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1978 a 2004
Construction of twenty-two industrial units
During this time, Carbogas built twenty-two plants in Brazil, Peru and China. At this moment, all the plants were used to supply thermal energy to the industry, through the gas originated from the reactors.
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2000
Carbogas Energia laboratory construction
In 2000, Carbogas Energia made the largest thermochemical laboratory on the planet, with a 1 MWth reactor. All improvements, data collections and performance tests were carried out at this plant located in São Paulo state / Brazil, and is used until today by the company.
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2007 a 2011
Partnership with Valie do Rio Doce Company
During this period, Carbogas Energia and Vale do Rio Doce Company established a partnership and carried out several studies at Carbogas own laboratory. The first tests and adaptations were carried out to use industrial waste at the thermochemical reactor to generate energy. Due to the successful tests, the technological patent was registered and belongs to both companies. Carbogas Energia followed alone on its research for the treatment and final disposal of solid waste.
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2015
Selected Project for Ecopôle
The R20 institution, in partnership with the Leonardo DiCaprio foundation, are developing a project named “Ecopôle”, which will treat 1,200 tonnes of waste per day from the city of Oran, an industrial hub in Algeria. Among other competitors, Carbogas Energia's technology was selected as the winner and today our company integrates the project's main stakeholders.
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2016
Monitoring and analysis of atmospheric emissions: Environmental certifications
After all the technological development, Carbogas decided to monitor and analyze atmospheric emissions while using waste as fuel for the reactor. With the participation of the Environmental Company of the State of São Paulo (CETESB), a team from the University of São Paulo (USP) and the Swiss company Société Générale de Surveillance (SGS) SA, recognized worldwide for environmental control work, a test plan was made with the collection and measurements of gases arising from the synthesis gas oxidation, without filters, to control all atmospheric emissions. During all tests, the synthesis gas produced came from the thermochemical treatment of municipal waste. All analyzes were based on the Brazilian national resolutions CONAMA 316 and SMA 79, which are the same as the European directives of 2015. The results were positive in all parameters, without any treatment of the combustion products. As a result of this process, an opinion was issued by the special projects sector of CETESB, concluding that “the data collected has the potential to enable a viable solution for the treatment of municipal solid waste in communities of medium size or group of small cities (totaling 300000 inhabitants)”.
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2017
Started the construction of Boa Esperança Thermochemical Power Generation Plant
Carbogas Energia initiated a R&D Project with Brazilian public Company, Furnas, responsible for the transmission of electricity across the country. This project aimed for the installation of an industrial electric power generation plant using municipal solid waste from the city of Boa Esperança in Minas Gerais state, without previous selection or treatment of the waste. (Learn More - Item 2.6.1)
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2018
Clariant Project
The multinational company Clariant becomes a partner of Carbogas Energia, in a process to eliminate its incinerator and replace it with a thermochemical plant. (Learn more - 2.6.3)
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2019
Started the projects for Extrema Thermochemical Power Generation Plant
Carbogas Energia started a project with the city of Extrema, Minas Gerais State, for the installation of an electric power generation plant using MSW from the city, without previous selection or treatment of the waste. (Learn More - Item 2.6.1)