‘Money Back through the Window’  is a common fantasy name for environmental savings awards, which reflects that environmental measures can materialise in measurable benefits. Our company was awarded in the category of investments that pay off in over three years, named as ’The Biggest High-hanging Fruit’.

The essence of the newly introduced measure is to forward the dilute acetic acid mother liquor, which is formed during production, as a raw material. Having analysed the composition of the mother liquor and conducted successful experiments, it  was proven that the acetic acid solution  is degradable by bacteria in a biogas production tower, thus  the solution  formed  at Egis can be used to generate electricity. The dilute acetic acid solution is taken by Budapest Sewage Works Pte Ltd. to Northern-Pest wastewater treatment plant for production of biogas and then electricity which partially covers the electrical and thermal energy needs of the plant. For the transfer of mother liquor to be utilised at a later stage and for system operation, existing tanks are used that are suitable for storing the solution.

The approach is considered  beneficial in various aspects: instead of incineration or neutralization, acetic acid serves as a useful raw material, in addition, recycling is a cost-efficient solution to sewerage and incineration, moreover,  the resulting biogas decreases the use of fossil fuels. Therefore, this measure contributes to the maintenance of a healthy environment and the reduction of environmental load.