HERAGroup herambiente Herambiente is Italy’s largest company in the waste treatment sector

Herambiente S.p.A. Hera Group company

Registered Office: Via Carlo Berti Pichat n. 2/4, 40127 Bologna Commercial Headquarters: Viale G. Di Vittorio n. 62, 48123 Ravenna Administrative Headquarters: Via del Terrapieno n. 25, 47924 Rimini www.gruppohera.it herambiente Herambiente is Italy’s largest company in the waste treatment sector

With 81 certified plants, more than 730 specialised covers the entire treatment chain, Herambiente carries operators and a dedicated sales team, Herambiente out the complete range of operational and commercial operates on both the domestic and international markets, activities relating to waste treatment and material and and is an industry benchmark across Europe. Using energy recovery, providing its customers with safe, a full-service integrated management system that certified, efficient and environmentally friendly solutions.

4.5 mln ton/year 135.8 mln € of waste handled EBITDA 2.9 mln ton/year of special waste handled

788.4 GWh 207.6 GWh of electricity of thermal energy generated every year generated every year

All of these figures refer to 2012 Two Herambiente operators at the Ravenna special waste plant

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THE WASTE MAnagement business

HERAMBIENTE’S DNA. The roots of Herambiente’s positioned to take advantage of the development know-how can be traced back almost 100 years to prospects for the sector. At the time of its creation, the municipally owned companies of Emilia-Romagna Herambiente therefore inherited the expertise and plant tasked with waste management in the first half of the resources of the Hera Group Environment Division, twentieth century, and then, over the course of the Ecologia Ambiente S.r.l. and Recupera S.r.l. years, to the construction of plants for the treatment and disposal of urban waste. Governance. The company is 75% owned by Hera Group, one of Italy’s biggest multi-utility companies HERAMBIENTE’S BIRTH. Incorporated on 1 July providing environmental, water and energy services, 2009, Herambiente was created out of a desire with Ambiente Arancione Cooperatief U.A. (a subsidiary to concentrate Hera Group’s vast plant resources of UK fund EISER and Dutch fund AGP) holding the within a new company that would be better remaining 25%.

Granarolo, operators at work in the wast-to-energy plant

hera group

Hera Group was created in 2002 as the Group is now one of the country’s of gas a year; and the fourth-largest a result of the first and largest merger largest multi-utility companies. It is in the electricity sector, selling 10.3 in the public utility sector, which the largest company in Italy in the TWh of electricity a year. It currently involved more than 15 companies environment sector, treating 5.2 million employs 8.500 people and serves an formerly owned by the municipal tonnes of waste a year; the second- area covering more than 3.3 million authorities of Emilia-Romagna. Active largest in the water sector, selling residents in the provinces of Modena, in the environment sector, in the 310 million cubic metres of water Bologna, Ferrara, Ravenna, Forlì- integrated water cycle and in the sale a year; the third-largest in the gas Cesena, Rimini, Pesaro-Urbino, Padua and distribution of electricity and gas, sector, selling 2.9 billion cubic metres and Trieste.

EISER Global Infrastructure Fund APG Asset Management EISER is one of the leading European infrastructure funds, Founded on 1st March 2008, Apg Asset Management with total committed funds of €1.1 billion, and is managed by is a Heerlen, Netherlands-based pension fund firm. EISER Infrastructure Limited. EISER has already invested in The firm is a subsidiary of Apg Groep N.V. and affiliated with Apg 10 companies, mainly in the EU, with a total enterprise value Investment Services N.V. and Apg Asset Management US, Inc. exceeding €3 billion. EISER has considerable experience in the A part of firm’s equity assets are managed externally. environment sector, having acquired in 2007 a stake in Cory The firm has branches in Amsterdam, Netherlands and Hong Environmental, a company operating on the UK market that Kong. This investor has designated itself socially responsible. has built a waste-to-energy (WTE) plant in south-east London. EISER is already present in Italy with outright ownership of a gas transmission company, Società Gasdotti Italia. herambiente 3

The Herambiente Family Tree

AMF Ami Amia Amir Area ASC Geat Seabo Sis Meta TeAm Unica Agea Acosea Taularia Sat

hera

Ecologia Recupera Ambiente ENVIRONMENT DIVISION

Eiser Apg

25% Ambiente Arancione Herambiente

75%

NESTAMBIENTE FEA Nuova Consorzio Romagna Akron Asa Sotris Feronia SVILUPPO Enomondo Geovis Akhea Compost AMBIENTE TOSCANA

PLANS FOR Management and Implementation Planning, Energy Remediation Management Management Building and PLANNING AND Implementation CHARACTERIZATION, maintenance of and adherence production and of landfill of temporary management IMPLEMENTATION and DESIGN AND WTE in Bologna management to safety from management for special storage, of plants OF OPERATIONS management INTEGRATED province. of multipurpose measures renewable of integrated waste. pre-treatment for treatment, AND INVESTMENTS of plants MANAGEMENT plants interventions, fuels through systems of special storage, and RELATING TO for producing OF GLOBAL for waste environmental bio-digestion for waste hazardous and disposal of ENVIRONMENTAL renewable ENVIRONMENTAL treatment. reclamation of waste treatment. non-hazardous non-hazardous SERVICES. thermal SERVICES (INCOME, of industrial organic waste. waste. and electrical TECHNICAL AND and civil areas. fractions. power, through ADMINISTRATIVE biomasses CONSULTING in WTE. AND LOGISTIC ASSISTANCE). PLANS FOR CHARACTERIZATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL RECLAMATION, WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE MATERIALS CONTAINING ASBESTOS, STORAGE AND DISPOSAL OF HAZARDOUS WASTE AND NOT HAZARDOUS. ENVIRONMENTAL RECLAMATION.

Municipal companies included in the Hera Group Subsidiaries Affiliates Company profile data updated to December 2012, 31th 4 HeraGroup

Plants: the best technology for the environment

DISCARDS AND 1 6 ELECTRICITY FROM BIOGAS Herambiente’s 81 plants represent the largest plant infrastructure in Italy SEPARATED URBAN WASTE UNRECOVERABLES COLLECTION OF DRY FRACTIONS and allow the Company to manage the entire waste treatment chain in an 2 BIOGAS 7 NON-HAZARDOUS SLUDGES environmentally friendly manner. In addition to its large number of plants RECOVERY CONSORTIUM 8 INCINERATION SLAG and the wide range of treatment types they cover, Herambiente’s plant 3 LEACHATES UNSEPARATED infrastructure is unique, both within Italy and internationally, for its reliability, 4 HAZARDOUS 9 INCINERATION ASHES SLUDGES cutting-edge technology and high performance in terms of minimising

SELECTION SEPARATED 5 DISCHARGE environmental impacts. COLLECTION OF ORGANIC & GREEN WASTE Thanks to this structured, innovative plant infrastructure capable ELECTRICAL ENERGY of satisfying all waste selection, treatment and disposal needs, LANDFILL FOR NON-HAZARDOUS WASTE THERMAL ENERGY Herambiente’s activities are characterised by an integrated 1 SEPARATION waste management approach that meets the priorities set SPECIAL WASTE r NON-HAZARDOUS SOLIDS out by the relevant EU directives: 1 NON-HAZARDOUS 1 SLUDGES –– to progressively reduce the waste produced NON-HAZARDOUS and reduce hazardousness levels; LIQUIDS

–– to promote the reuse, recycling and recovery HAZARDOUS SOLIDS of materials and energy; WASTE-TO-ENERGY PLANT ANAEROBIC DIGESTION HAZARDOUS –– to minimise the disposal of waste 6 AND COMPOSTING SLUDGES

in landfills. HAZARDOUS 2 FERTILISER PRODUCTION LIQUIDS

In line with European best practices, 3 Herambiente is continuing to reduce the PHYSICAL-CHEMICAL 8 TREATMENT percentage of urban waste put in landfills, which fell from 30,1% in 2009 to 21% in 2012. BIOLOGICAL DEPURATION PLANT 7 This reduction is offset by the gradual growth in 4 waste sent for recovery of materials and energy. RECOVERY FOR CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL 8-9 4

3 From the moment of its creation in 2002, Hera began an AGRICULTURAL SOIL IMPROVING COMPOST THERMODESTRUCTOR 7 intensive programme to renovate and upgrade its plants 9 serving the various stages of the waste treatment chain. This 5 programme has been continued and expanded by Herambiente since 2009. In the first phase of the programme, in implementation of the plans and in 3 response to requests from local authorities, the Group’s waste-to-energy PRE-TREATMENT OF SLUDGES plants were completely renovated in order to minimise their environmental impact and increase their energy generation. The Group’s most recent waste- RIVERS AND CANALS to-energy plan, its eighth, is at Pozzilli in the province of Isernia. This means that Herambiente is now also active in Molise. THERMAL ENERGY AZHARDOUS WASTE LANDFILL Herambiente’s 81 plants ELECTRICAL ENERGY A vast programme is currently under way to upgrade the plants that recover allow responsible and materials from the separated collection of both organic waste (treated in comprehensive waste biodigestion and composting plants) and dry waste (sent for recycling after management. AGRICULTURAL SOIL IMPROVER treatment in dedicated selection platforms). herambiente 5

Herambiente’s plants cover the entire treatment chain: storage and initial pre- treatment, the selection and recovery of “dry” materials (paper, cardboard, glass, plastic and cans), anaerobic digestion and composting, waste-to-energy production with high energy recovery, landfills, physical-chemical treatment of liquid waste, and treatment for recovery or safe disposal of muddy waste and powdery waste.

PLANTS

DISCARDS AND 1 6 ELECTRICITY FROM BIOGAS SEPARATED URBAN WASTE UNRECOVERABLES COLLECTION OF DRY FRACTIONS 2 BIOGAS 7 NON-HAZARDOUS SLUDGES RECOVERY CONSORTIUM 3 LEACHATES 8 INCINERATION SLAG

UNSEPARATED 4 HAZARDOUS 9 INCINERATION ASHES SLUDGES

SELECTION SEPARATED 5 DISCHARGE COLLECTION OF ORGANIC & GREEN WASTE ELECTRICAL ENERGY

LANDFILL FOR NON-HAZARDOUS WASTE THERMAL ENERGY 1 SEPARATION SPECIAL WASTE r NON-HAZARDOUS SOLIDS 1 NON-HAZARDOUS 1 SLUDGES

NON-HAZARDOUS LIQUIDS

HAZARDOUS SOLIDS

WASTE-TO-ENERGY PLANT ANAEROBIC DIGESTION HAZARDOUS 6 AND COMPOSTING SLUDGES

HAZARDOUS 2 FERTILISER PRODUCTION LIQUIDS

3

PHYSICAL-CHEMICAL 8 TREATMENT

BIOLOGICAL DEPURATION PLANT 7

4 RECOVERY FOR CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL 8-9 4

3 AGRICULTURAL SOIL IMPROVING COMPOST THERMODESTRUCTOR 7

9 5

3

PRE-TREATMENT OF SLUDGES

RIVERS AND CANALS

THERMAL ENERGY

AZHARDOUS WASTE LANDFILL ELECTRICAL ENERGY

AGRICULTURAL SOIL IMPROVER

Number of main plants by type: 13 landfills, 8 waste-to-energy plants, 2 thermal treatment plants, 2 biomass plants, 11 composting/biostabilisation plants, 2 digestion plants, 5 selection plants, 6 separation plants, 3 neutralisation plants, 4 sludge treatment plants, 11 transhipment stations/foredeeps/platforms. 6 HeraGroup

Waste: from problem to resource

Herambiente is committed to maximising energy recovery from waste treatment and disposal processes

Today, waste represents an important resource that it manages. Taking full advantage of the capacity that can be used to produce new raw materials of its plants and investing in dedicated sections and generate electricity and thermal energy, of the waste management chain, Herambiente much of it renewable. produced 996 GWh of total energy in 2012 (788.4 In this context, and in accordance with the Emilia- GWh of electricity and 207.6 GWh of thermal energy), Romagna region’s Energy Plan, Herambiente is enough to meet the energy requirements more than committed to maximising the recovery of energy 350,000 households, thus significantly reducing the use from all the waste treatment and disposal processes of fossil fuels.

The main energy recovery projects involve:

exploitation of biomass in 7.3 GWh of EE anaerobic digestion plants generated in 2012 (target of 32 GWh of electricity generated through the “biodigesters project”)

conversion into energy 72.8 GWh of EE of the biogas naturally generated in 2012 produced in landfills

705.2 GWh of EE cogeneration of electricity and of TE and heat from waste-to-energy 207.6 GWh plants generated in 2012

3.1 gWh of EE ELECTRICITY PRODUCED GENERATE IN 2012 FROM SMALLER PLANTS

EE: Electric Energy TE: Thermal Energy herambiente 7

Environmental policy: certified quality

Employee safety, environmental quality and the safeguarding of resources form the basis of the environmental policy adopted by Herambiente and its subsidiaries

Herambiente’s commitment to continuously improving the quality of the services it provides, preventing negative effects on the environment, protecting public health, helping to conserve resources and ensuring the health and safety of workers is also reflected in its obtaining and maintaining of the relevant certifications.

Herambiente is certified in accordance with the UNI EN ISO 9001:2008 quality certification standard, the UNI EN ISO 14001:2004 environmental certification standard and the OHSAS 18001 international standard for occupational health and safety management systems, and more than half of its waste treatment sites are EMAS registered in accordance with Regulation (EC) 1221/2009. To help protect the environment and safeguard resources, as well as to protect workers’ health, Herambiente has therefore set up its own integrated management system pursuant to the standards mentioned above. Compliance with these standards is a key element of its strategy and environmental policy.

Herambiente periodically carries out audits on processes and on environmental and safety performance, in conformity with policies, targets and applicable regulations.

Environmental controls form the basis of Herambiente’s management system and guarantee the lowest possible environmental impact across all sections of the waste treatment chain, for the entire life cycle of each individual plant. A similar management approach is implemented via systematic monitoring and checking aimed at controlling and reducing the main environmental impacts associated with the Company’s activities, particularly atmospheric emissions, waste water, ground emissions, waste management and production, noise, odour emissions and use of resources. A considerable part of these efforts is aimed at preventing environmental incidents both inside and outside the plant sites.

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8 HeraGroup

Herambiente: made-to-measure environmental services

Thanks to its plants and organisational structure, service offer and a vast portfolio of technical, operational, Herambiente is a highly specialised partner in waste commercial and consultancy activities, Herambiente’s treatment and disposal for all production sectors and customers have the guarantee of an expert solution to product types. With a targeted and customised full- the “waste problem” in full compliance with legislation.

company category wasye family type pf waste plant

Extractive Waste from prospecting, extraction from caves or Particulate matter, sludge, sand and clay waste mines, and chemical/physical treatment of minerals DIS Agriculture, hunting Waste from agriculture, horticulture, aquaculture, and fishing, food treatment forestry, hunting and fishing, food treatment AKRON COMP CPF DIS F3 WTE LAND and preparation and preparation Furniture Waste from woodwork and manufacturing of Sawdust, shavings, cuttings, wood, bark and cork panels, furniture, pulp, paper and cardboard WDF WTE LAND Leather and Fur Waste from leather and fur processing and the Fibres and fabrics, dyes and pigments, liquids for tanning LAND textile industry leather WDF WTE Chemical Waste from inorganic chemical processes Acids, salts, sludge CPF DIS F3 HAZ Waste from organic chemical processes Aqueous solutions, organic solvents, still bottoms and reaction residues CPF DIS F3 HAZ Waste organic solvents, coolants and propellants F3 HAZ

Chemical - Paints Waste from the production, formulation, provision Waste paints and varnishes, sludge, aqueous suspensions and use of coatings (paints, varnishes and glazed containing varnishes or solvents, ceramic and waterproofing CPF F3 WTE HAZ enamels), adhesives, sealants and printing inks materials, waste ink

Iron and Steel Bottom and fly ash from boilers, wood, peat and coal, solid and sludge waste, waste from the industries of iron, steel, thermal Waste from thermal processes (with kilns) metallurgy, aluminium, lead, zinc, copper, silver, gold and CPF DIS F3 HAZ Ceramics platinum, ferrous and non-ferrous materials, glass production, ceramic products Engineering Waste from the processing and physical and Non-ferrous metal filings and turnings, sludge, abrasive Chemical superficial mechanical treatment of metals and plastic material CPF DIS F3 WTE HAZ Refinery Waste from oil refining, natural-gas purification Sludge, tar, bitumen, waste containing sulphur, mercury and pyrolytic treatment of coal DIS F3 Used oil and residues from liquid fuels Mineral and synthetic oils, chlorinated and non-chlorinated emulsions, oil waste, solid waste CPF F3 HAZ Mass Retail, Waste from packaging, absorbents, wiping cloths, Packaging made of paper and cardboard, plastic, wood, metal, Manufacturing, Textiles filter materials and protective clothing composite materials, mixed materials, glass or textiles, including packaging containing residues of hazardous or ontaminated AKRON WDF WTE HAZ substances Construction, Demolition Waste from construction and demolition Cement, bricks, ceramics, wood, glass and plastic, metals, WDF DIS HAZ and Reclamation soil, insulation materials

Healthcare, Pharmaceutical Waste from the healthcare and veterinary sectors CPF F3 WTE LAND Research and research activities

Treatment/Collection of Waste from waste treatment plants and off-site Waste from incineration or pyrolysis of waste, waste from Waste/Separated Collection waste water treatment plants and from the chemical/physical treatment, stabilisation, vitrification, aerobic AKRON WDF CPF DIS F3 WTE HAZ LAND purification and preparation for industrial use of treatment of solid waste and anaerobic treatment, landfill water leachate Urban waste (domestic waste and similar waste Waste subject to separated collection from commercial and industrial activities) including AKRON WDF COMP CPF WTE HAZ LAND aste from separated collection

Other industrial origin Scrapped vehicles, waste from electrical or electronic equipment, waste explosives, gases in pressure containers, CPF DIS F3 HAZ batteries and accumulators Waste from the superficial chemical treatment Acids, sludge and residues from filtration containing and recoating of metals and other materials; hazardous substances CPF DIS F3 HAZ non-ferrous hydrometallurgy

F3 Disposal of and energy recovery from hazardous AKRON AKRON Treatment/selection/recovery F3 and non-hazardous materials

WDF WDF Recovery of material for the production of fuel from waste WTE WTE Disposal and energy recovery

COMP Composting Recovery of material for the production of high-quality compost HAZ Hazardous waste dump Landfill disposal for hazardous materials

CPF CPH Chemical/physical treatment of hazardous and non-hazardous waste LAND Landfill Disposal in landfill OF non-hazardous materials

DIS Disidrat Neutralisation and sludge treatment and recovery wte BOLOGNA wte MODENA CENTRALE wte fERRARA wte forlì (FEA) (herambiente) BIOMASSE (herambiente) (herambiente) 9 (enomondo) 22 Mw 24,8 Mw 13,1 Mw 10,9 Mw ELECTRICAL POWER ELECTRICAL POWER 13,7 Mw ELECTRICAL POWER ELECTRICAL POWER ELECTRICAL POWER 220.000 t 240.000 t 114.000 t 130.000 t 120.000 t TREATMENT CAPACITY TREATMENT CAPACITY TREATMENT CAPACITY TREATMENT CAPACITY TREATMENT CAPACITY

wte RAVENNA (herambiente) 6,2 Mw ELECTRICAL POWER 56.500 t TREATMENT CAPACITY

wte RAVENNA F3 (herambiente) 4,2 Mw ELECTRICAL POWER 40.000 t TREATMENT CAPACITY This is the company wte RIMINI responsible for (herambiente) 10,9 Mw building and ELECTRICAL POWER managing the new 150.000 t TREATMENT CAPACITY waste-to-energy plant serving wte POZZILLI (IS) (herambiente) Florence and 13,4 Mw the surrounding Waste-to-energy plants: ELECTRICAL POWER 93.550 t municipalities. TREATMENT CAPACITY from waste to energy Hera Group has a 40% stake as industrial partner, while Quadrifoglio, Herambiente manages eight waste-to-energy waste. Thanks to their energy recovery systems, the environmental plants with high levels of energy recovery: one for the these plants generated 705.2 GWh of electricity services company treatment of special waste (Ravenna) and seven for the and 207.6 GWh of thermal energy. More than for the Florence treatment of urban and non-hazardous special waste in 180,000 tonnes of oil would have been required to area, has a 60% Modena, Bologna, Ferrara, Forlì, Ravenna, Rimini and generate the same quantity of energy. The fossil stake. The work Pozzilli (in the province of Isernia). In 2012, the plants fuel saved as a result of the energy generated by is expected to be processed 955,000 tonnes of urban and special waste, processing waste is considered by the relevant completed by the including some 40,000 tonnes of hazardous special legislation to be partially renewable energy. end of 2017.

Environmental controls and emissions. All the areas around Herambiente’s waste-to-energy plants are subject to constant environmental monitoring with regard to air, soil and water quality. The plants are also equipped with advanced processing systems to reduce or minimise the harmful substances produced during combustion. Before being emitted from the chimney, the fumes pass through four consecutive stages of pollution reduction. Accredited laboratories also periodically take direct samples. Thanks to a continuous monitoring system, all the main parameters of the emissions produced are analysed every 40 seconds, stored, sent to supervisory bodies and published on the Group’s website, with updates every half hour.

Energy from biomass: combined-cycle power stations

Thanks to the expertise and technology has strengthened its partnership with Caviro developed in recent years, Herambiente offers by acquiring a stake in Enomondo, for the itself as a partner to other industrial operators management of a biomass plant to produce for developing energy optimisation projects energy from waste products from the wine- in various production sectors. In particular, it making industry and other biomasses.

Emission control displayed on the Hera Group website Faenza, plant fuelled by biomass HeraGroup Ferrara, separation of waste in the Akron plant

Selection and separation plants for maximising recovery

In line with the goal of recovering as much material separated waste, while the second, treat unseparated as possible, while simultaneously reducing the final waste by separating the dry portion from the wet. volume of waste to be disposed of, Herambiente has plants that select and mechanically separate waste. The first of these treat the dry portion of

Recovery of dry waste Treatment and recovery of wet waste

In order to recover as much as possible In the mechanical separation plants then helps to recover additional from separated collection, Herambiente for unseparated urban waste, the dry materials from the unseparated waste, has a group of plants dedicated to the waste is separated from the wet so that thus reducing the final volume of waste selection and subsequent recovery any metals can be recovered. The dry to be disposed of. of dry waste (plastic, glass, paper, portion is delivered mainly to waste-to- cardboard, cans, wood, ferrous energy plants or landfills, while the wet metals, mixed materials, etc.) from portion is transferred to biostabilisation separated collection of urban waste plants. Here, the fermentation of the and non-hazardous special waste. An organic waste is accelerated, with the important component of Herambiente’s recovery of naturally produced biogas integrated management system, the which can be used as a fuel. selection process makes it possible to The end result is a material that can be reuse materials in production cycles, reused as a daily landfill covering, as an including via transfers to industry alternative to soil or other raw materials. consortia. Mechanical and biological treatment

lugo (ra), rimini, Modena AND ferrara: optical readers improve plastic selection The four plants run by Akron, a subsidiary of Herambiente, in Voltana (Lugo), Coriano (Rimini), Modena and Cassana (Ferrara) have an innovative selection line that uses optical readers to improve the quality and quantity of plastic and other dry waste recovered. By the early months of 2014, a selection plant using the most advanced technology will also be built in Bologna. Optical reading makes the selection process more accurate and up to three times quicker, allowing higher percentages of material to be recovered. Automation using cutting-edge technology means that, because of its quality, this material can be recycled in specific industries by national consortia (CONAI) or used as a secondary raw material, i.e. a product that can be sold and reused in production plants.

Selection phase on the optical line Operator in the raw materials warehouse of the biostabilisation plant, Rimini herambiente 11 11

Rimini, operator at work in the biodigester plant

Composting plants to recover material from organic waste

The organic portion of separated waste is converted use in agriculture. Recently, a new “dry” anaerobic into high-quality compost and electricity and digestion technology has also been coming into traded. At the composting plants, these organic use, which produces biogas from organic waste. components are treated in a natural biological process, This biogas is used to generate totally renewable under controlled conditions, to become fertiliser for electricity.

From Romagna Compost to the biodigesters project

The results obtained while managing Italy’s first plant of this type, built at Cesena in 2010 by the subsidiary Romagna Compost have led Herambiente to extend its biodigestion activities to five additional sites, four of which already have composting plants. Since 2012, the plants at Coriano (RN) and Voltana (RA) have become operational. At full capacity, the plants will have a generating capacity of over 32 GWh of renewable electricity a year, which is sufficient to meet the annual energy needs of around 11,500

households, saving 17,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions. Detail of the biodigester plant

The digestion process Thanks to batch dry fermentation, methanogenic bacteria similar to those found in a cow’s stomach carry out the digestion process to produce a methane-based gas. This is used to fuel engines, which in turn generate electricity. One of the main advantages of the process is the total absence of odours. By acting in the absence of oxygen, anaerobic bacteria can destroy all the substances that cause unpleasant odours and transform them into biogas. When the digestion process is complete, the material undergoes a composting phase so that it can ultimately be used as certified compost for organic farming.

Operator in the raw materials warehouse Internal room of a biodigeter of the biostabilisation plant, Rimini 12 HeraGroup

Landfills: controlled management and energy generation

The proportion of waste that Herambiente disposes of Herambiente’s plants therefore provides for a further in landfills isfalling progressively and sharply, reduction in the use of landfills (which fell from 25% in line with the EU targets for reducing and eventually in 2010 to 23% in 2011 and 21% in 2012, compared eliminating the use of this type of disposal. At present, with an Italian average of 42.1% – source: ISPRA however, landfill remains the only possible destination Urban Waste Report 2013) while gradually increasing for certain types of waste. The development plan for separated collection.

Photovoltaic panels to extract value from old landfills

Old landfills can be given a new thousands of families. The Ravenna lease of life by using their surfaces plant is already active, covering 2.5 to produce electricity with hectares of landfill alongside the photovoltaic panels. Through this Romea trunk road, in disuse since project, Herambiente aims to make 1994, with 4,350 photovoltaic panels use of surfaces that would otherwise and a capacity of 1 MW, equivalent be worthless. The plan provides for to the annual energy needs of around the installation, on various sites, of 500 families. Ferrara also has an active photovoltaic systems capable of plant, covering 30 hectares and with a meeting the electricity needs of capacity of 14 MW. Photovoltaic panels on the disused landfill at Casaglia

Imola, landfill 13 energy recovery plants installed on landfills

72.8 GWh of electricity FROM biogas naturally produced in landfills

Landfill undoubtedly has the biggest impact and is the least “productive” form of waste disposal. However, Herambiente even manages to extract some value from this process, in the form of biogas that is naturally 70% biogas produced by decomposition of the organic component of waste. Consisting mainly of methane and carbon recovered in 2012 dioxide, the biogas is extracted using a system of pipes laid between layers of waste and subsequently connected to suitable generators for the production of renewable electricity. As well as preventing unpleasant odours, this

process minimises methane emissions, thereby reducing the greenhouse effect and CO2 emissions. herambiente 13

150,000 ton of sludge treated Ravenna, operator every year at work at Disidrat Neutralisation plants

For certain types of inorganic waste with high into a cement matrix. The product thus obtained concentrations of heavy metals, Herambiente has three has excellent heavy metal retention qualities, neutralisation treatment plants. Here, the pollutants allowing it to be disposed of in landfills. present in the waste are treated and incorporated

Reusable material from sludge: Chemical/physical the Disidrat plant treatment

Authorised to treat around 150,000 Thanks to the sophisticated technologies Herambiente manages 13 chemical/ tonnes of special, hazardous and used, some of the material going into physical plants that use certain non-hazardous, liquid and solid waste, the plant can be recovered and reused reagents and special technologies Disidrat is Herambiente’s new plant as landfill cover or as consolidation to transform waste – generally in for the treatment of industrial sludge. material for mines, thus reducing the liquid form – into an effluent suitable quantities of this type of waste sent to for discharge into the environment landfill. Thanks to the variety of waste in compliance with the relevant that it can treat, as well as its size and legislation. technological characteristics, Disidrat The process concentrates the is among the European leaders in its pollutants in the waste into a sludge sector and adds to the services provided which, after suitable treatment, by Herambiente’s existing industrial can be sent to a final disposal plant. facilities for the treatment of special waste.

Ravenna, panoramic view of Disidrat 14 HeraGroup

Herambiente: waste solutions

Exclusive experience, customised environmental services, innovative technology and the support of highly qualified staff available 24 hours a day are the factors that make Herambiente a specialised partner for the management, treatment and disposal of waste

Through the highly qualified staff of its Market Services Department, Herambiente offers its customers a dedicated structure with vast technical expertise on authorisation procedures, logistics, exporting and plant management. Herambiente provides qualified and as by law enacted environmental services which intercept all kinds of waste produced by customers. Forlì, operator at work in the control room of waste-to-energy plant

Main activities and services

–– Environmental activities

–– Marketing of recovery services

–– Development and coordination of integrated services for large groups and medium-to-large companies

–– Reclamation and safe containment services, and environmental recovery of sites and buildings, including through environmental engineering activities

–– Laboratory analyses and technical consultancy

–– Intervention planning (risk analysis, screening and environmental impact assessments, safety plans, etc.)

QR code generated on http://qrcode.littleidiot.be herambiente 15 29 plants dedicatED to special waste treatment

Ravenna, operator working at Disidrat

Environmental Special industrial waste reclamation The Akhea For the disposal of special waste of concentrations of metals Through its plant and organisational consortium industrial origin, Herambiente uses and solvents (D9-D15); structure, Herambiente offers its With a view to an ecological platform located in customers vast expertise, including strengthening Ravenna which carries out specialised –– sludge dehydration and in the field of reclamation of services and environmental services, in particular neutralisation plant (D9). contaminated sites in the vicinity of developing for pharmaceutical, chemical and industrial areas (active or disused), synergies, petrochemical companies, via the In addition, the subsidiary SOTRIS unauthorised landfills, fuel sales points, Herambiente and following plants: manages the treatment of special waste or any kind of site where there has Akron (which is (D1-D5) via the storage, treatment and/ been an alteration to the qualitative 57.5% owned by –– “F3” waste-to-energy plant for or disposal in landfills of special waste, characteristics of the soil or the surface Herambiente) have special waste of industrial origin, including hazardous, solid, powdery, or underground water. After carrying set up the Akhea including hazardous waste (D10) liquid and two-phase waste (capacity out an initial assessment of the site consortium, aimed 25,000 tonnes/year). to identify the pollutants present and at improving the –– “TAS” plant for the treatment of their concentrations, Herambiente range of services industrial waste water, rainwater can draw up an intervention plan and associated with and process water for the Ravenna carry out all the activities necessary reclamation Chemical Industry District and for the recovery and reclamation of activities. liquid special waste, including the area, removing the contaminated hazardous waste, produced and material and providing the complete provided by third parties (D8-D9); range of equipment, whether its own or belonging to third parties, for the –– “CTIDA” chemical/physical treatment, incineration and landfill treatment plant for special disposal of the waste resulting from the industrial waste with high Slag heap at the special waste plant reclamation activities. credits

Editorial project: Giuseppe Gagliano, Group Director of External Relations Hera S.p.A. Riccardo Finelli, Head of Media Relations Elena Marchetti, Media Relations Matteo De Angelis, Media Relations

Design: Koan moltimedia Translation: Servif Donneley Financial Photographs: Ippolito Alfieri, Filippo Pincolini, Roberto Serra, Hera photograph archive Printing: Riminpack s.r.l.

The paper used in this project was: Revive Pure White Offset

Printed in October 2013 HERAGroup herambiente Herambiente is Italy’s largest company in the waste treatment sector

Herambiente S.p.A. Hera Group company

Registered Office: Via Carlo Berti Pichat n. 2/4, 40127 Bologna Commercial Headquarters: Viale G. Di Vittorio n. 62, 48123 Ravenna Administrative Headquarters: Via del Terrapieno n. 25, 47924 Rimini www.gruppohera.it