Biopark Terneuzen leads the way. The answer to a global challenge begins with a local solution

Transcription

1 Biopark Terneuzen leads the way Biopark Terneuzen represents a new thinking in the creation of agroindustrial sustainability. Extending the earlier concepts of technology collectives, it raises the platform to a higher level. Under the Smart Link name, Biopark Terneuzen promotes and facilitates the exploitation of key synergies between businesses located in the same geographic area. Specifically, it helps to maximise the potential of the exchange and use of each other s by- and waste products which then become feedstock, energy or utility supplements for their own production processes. The answer to a global challenge begins with a local solution Hans van der Hart, CEO Zeeland Seaports

2 An open door to the future Biopark Terneuzen is a work in progress and welcomes the participation of any producer or supplier company, local or international, seeking to contribute to and benefit from sustainable development. Adding your name, expertise and vision to its growing list of partners could be the next most important strategic decision you take for the future of your business. Your enquiry for further information will be welcomed. Please visit us at: Rotterdam Or for direct contact, touch base with: Project Agency Biopark Terneuzen P.O. Box AC Terneuzen The Netherlands Tel: Fax: bioparkterneuzen@zeeland-seaports.com Vlissingen Terneuzen Antwerpen Biopark Terneuzen Partners HEROS GROEP International provider of food, agricultural and risk management products and services European transporter of dry and liquid products, importer and exporter of fertilizers and biomass International biofuels tank storage and logistics company Recycler of waste and residual products Leading producer of bioethanol (ethyl alcohol) from agricultural products Producer of sustainable, biodegradable diesel for the European market Joint venture between Zeeland Seaports and Dow Benelux, hub for chemical production and distribution The world s largest supplier of mineral fertilizer Printed on Polyart, an invironmentally friendly paper, 100% synthetic and 100% recyclable.

3 Bio-complementary partnerships are the future By converting waste streams into Smart Links, Biopark Terneuzen s partners are able to capitalise on residual values that would otherwise go unused. Importantly for businesses smart linking can: Eliminate storage and disposal costs Lower environmental taxes Optimise production costs Improve profitability In the wider context these bio-complementary partnerships combine to help: Conserve non-renewable resources Exploit the recoverable value of resources after first use Reduce the waste and pollution burden on the atmospheric and physical environments Contribute to the sustainability of future industrial growth Building Smart Links into the sustainability Chain Increasing economic efficiency, conserving resources and preserving the environment

4 Best practice in action WarmCO 2 delivers more than just hot air Within the Biopark Terneuzen framework, WarmCO 2, a co-operation between Zeeland Seaports, Yara and pipe installer Visser & Smit Hanab, is successfully delivering value added second-life resources to a major horticultural greenhouse nursery in the local area. The resources comprise water for heating and CO 2 for enrichment of the nursery s atmosphere used to improve crop growth. The water supply is the cooling water outflow from Yara s heat exchangers, where it has collected heat from the company s production processes. Through a dedicated piping system the water reaches the nursery complex at an average temperature of 87 C, sufficient to provide nursery heating adjustable to suit all conditions. The CO 2 is also delivered by pipeline. This gas is very clean and offers the same purity level as manufactured liquid CO 2. Through the wealth of the combined industrial and horticultural knowledge of its partners, WarmCO 2 ensures that the distribution of resources is optimised. Charged at competitive rates, this exchange has shown to be beneficial for both provider and user. That s a win-win result for industry and the environment. Sustainability is our biggest challenge yet Sustainable growth, in the context of good stewardship of the environment and its resources, is the biggest ongoing challenge facing politicians and industry leaders. Everyone knows what needs to be done, the difficulty is in finding effective and economic ways to do it. Zeeland Seaports has identified a route that provides a uniquely innovative solution. Meeting the needs of industry and the environment and, equally important, the needs of the community, Biopark Terneuzen was established in February Although still at an early stage of development, this solution is already delivering positive results for its participants and other stakeholders, who are forging a chain of sustainable businesses.

5 Demonstrating confidence... and commitment Many companies are already participating in Biopark Terneuzen and actively engaged in mutually beneficial long term projects. For example Rosendaal Energy (biodiesel), Nedalco (alcohol and bioethanol), Cargill (food starches) and Yara (ammonia and mineral fertilisers) are connected with piping systems to exchange and re-use by- and waste products as feedstock, energy or utility supplements. These schemes involve: Cargill providing residual starch, purified water, power and compressed air to Nedalco Yara supplying waste heat and CO 2 to a local horticultural greenhouse park Rosendaal Energy delivering water to the recycler Heros Smart Links between other members are also being tested or in the planning stage. Greenhouse complex Heat Biomass Power plant HEROS GROEP CO2 Biomass Water Electricity Steam Starch

6 Biopark Terneuzen Knowledge Associates In the ongoing development of its sustainability model, Biopark Terneuzen works together with a number of academic institutions. These assist in investigating potential Smart Links between Biopark participants and in mapping-out the technical, commercial, organisational and practical conditions for their implementation. In addition, Biopark Terneuzen has close ties with Bio-Energy Valley in Ghent, Belgium, a joint initiative involving Ghent University, the City of Ghent, the Port of Ghent, the Development Agency of East-Flanders and a number of industrial companies related to the Ghent region that are active in the fields of bioenergy generation and its distribution, storage and use. Skilled workforce in-place Biopark Terneuzen is at the heart of Zeeland s economic hub. The area has an established industrial base that includes engineering, shipbuilding, electrical and petrochemicals industries. In addition Zeeland has a growing services sector, as well as a rapidly expanding horticultural industry that is pushing the boundaries of technology in the improvement of crop sizes and quality. Necessarily this background has given rise to a large, skilled workforce which is continuously increasing from the region s excellent technical schools and training centres. This resource compares with the best to be found anywhere in Europe. And, in term of numbers, range of skills and dedication, the available workforce is fully able to satisfy and sustain the demands of future industrial growth. An ideal trading location Zeeland Seaports is one of the initiators of the Biopark Terneuzen project. It is a logical extension of its overall management and development responsibility for the merged ports and port areas of Terneuzen and Flushing (Vlissingen). Zeeland Seaports, strategically located on the Westerscheldt estuary between Rotterdam and Antwerp, has an open connection to the North Sea and the Rhine-Scheldt Canal. It serves both the global liner routes and Europe s inland waterways, currently around 7,000 ships and 23,000 inland vessels per year, handling the full range of cargoes, break bulk, liquids and containers. Zeeland Seaports also offers first class road, pipeline and rail links to and from the hinterland of Europe thereby providing an ideal trading and transportation hub for local, national and international businesses.