ECORKWASTE

Recovery of waste generated by the cork industry through its use for the treatment of wastewater in the wine sector and its use as fuel to generate electricity, generating an integral plan for the improvement of waste management of the cork industry, within the framework of the circular economy.

The LIFE ECORKWASTE demonstrates the efficiency of an artificial wastewater treatment wetland filled with cork granules. To achieve this, cork has been used as an absorbent material for the elimination of organic compounds and has improved the quality of the residual effluents from the wineries.

In addition, cork waste has also been used as a fuel in a thermal gasification process. In this case, moreover to valorise all waste with minimal ash generation, it has been possible to generate a source of clean thermal and electric energy with the potential to be used in the same cork industry.

During the project, ended in 2019, an artificial wetland was installed at the Codorniu’s facilities and a gasification plant at Eurecat Manresa.

LIFE ECORKWASTE, led by the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC), has had the participation of Eurecat, TYPSA, the Cork Catalan Institute (ICSURO), the Wine Cluster of Catalonia INNOVI and Codorniu.