“Biogas production from citrus effluents is an example of circular energy with operational and environmental gains…”
Paulo Hladchuk is the global head of the Juice Platform at Louis Dreyfus Company – LDC, which recently announced the construction of the largest biogas production unit from liquid citrus waste in Brazil.
Hladchuk has a degree in accounting from Unipar and an MBA in agribusiness from FGV.
AgriBrasilis – What are the advantages of manufacturing biogas from citrus waste? What are the production steps?
Paulo Hladchuk – Regarding the stages of biogas production, citrus effluents are first directed to a mobile lagoon and an equalization tank, then sent to lagoons with anaerobic reactors, where biodigestion takes place. The next step involves two decanters that separate the sludge from the water. The sludge is sent for pressing, while the water is directed to aerobic lagoons, where blowers accelerate the removal of organic load. Afterwards, this water goes through other decanters for final separation before the treated water is returned to nature.
Producing biogas from citrus effluents is an example of circular energy with both operational and environmental benefits. In addition to generating green energy to replace fossil fuels using advanced biotechnology, the sludge produced by the biogas plant — classified as biosolids — can be reused in soil for environmental recovery and improvement of agricultural conditions. Furthermore, the treated water resulting from the process will be returned to water bodies in accordance with environmental regulations.
AgriBrasilis – When will LDC’s biogas plant begin operations? What is the investment and estimated production?
Paulo Hladchuk – LDC’s biogas unit is scheduled to start operating at the end of 1H2026. The company does not disclose investment figures by business or region. The plant will have the capacity to treat approximately 400 m³/h of citrus effluents and produce over 50,000 Nm³/day of biogas, which is equivalent to around 7 million Nm³ of biomethane per year.
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