At Protech Continental, we pride ourselves on having professionals with extensive experience in water and waste treatment. Today we interview our specialist in renewable energy and waste management, who shares his experience and vision for the future of the sector.
Career in waste treatment
Jordi Fontana specialised in all areas related to waste treatment and recovery, as well as wastewater treatment. From his early days in biology, he was always fascinated by the potential of biotechnology and the role that microorganisms can play in industrial processes. Discovering that microorganisms can help solve global problems such as water pollution and waste accumulation led him to develop a passion for this sector.
A career marked by innovation and sustainability
With more than 22 years of experience in the sector, our specialist began his career in Granollers, where Protech Continental has its headquarters. His first contact with the sector was through an internship at Consorci Besòs Tordera as part of a postgraduate degree in Industrial Water Management. Since then, he has held various roles, from laboratory analyst at wastewater plants to process manager and plant manager at the national level.
Later, he had the opportunity to be part of an international project in South America, developing one of the most important projects of his career in Chile: the construction of one of the largest wastewater plants on the continent. His focus on the circular economy allowed him to transform waste into new resources, promoting a more sustainable management model.
Joining Protech Continental
After his experience abroad, he returned to Spain to implement this model in the Barcelona Metropolitan Area and, later, throughout Catalonia. After a period of rest, he rejoined Protech Continental, although his relationship with the company dates back more than 15 years, when he worked in plant operations and faced technical challenges related to equipment such as sludge pumps and waste treatment systems.
Today, from within Protech Continental, he contributes his extensive experience in the operation of large water treatment, waste and biogas recovery plants. His goal is to help the company continue to grow and strengthen its position in the biogas sector, an area in which Protech Continental is expanding its portfolio of services and products.
The role of progressive cavity pumps in wastewater treatment
One of the key issues highlighted by our expert is the importance of progressive cavity pumps in wastewater treatment plants. These pumps are extremely valuable in situations where fluids have high concentrations and viscosities, such as when pumping dehydrated sludge to silos or thermal drying processes.
In his experience, these pumps are gradually replacing other systems such as hydraulic piston pumps or screw and belt conveyors due to their efficiency and reliability.
The circular economy in water and waste treatment
Wastewater treatment plants are increasingly adopting the circular economy paradigm. One of the key objectives is to maximise the energy recovery from waste. In this context, progressive cavity pumps play an essential role both in processes such as anaerobic digestion and in pre-treatments such as thermal hydrolysis to improve digestion efficiency.
Another innovative process is the use of sludge platforms, where dehydrated sludge from smaller plants is transferred to larger facilities for energy recovery. In addition, co-digestion is being promoted, which allows the incorporation of by-products from agri-food industries to improve biogas yield.
Optimisation of anaerobic digestion processes
To improve the efficiency of waste-to-energy conversion, good management of the anaerobic digestion process is essential. This involves the correct homogenisation of the products to be digested using shredders and mixers, as well as an adequate agitation system within the digesters to avoid problems of sedimentation and loss of treatment volume.
In this regard, Protech Continental offers customised solutions for sizing and optimising the configuration of anaerobic digesters, helping our customers find the best technology for each application.
Water and waste treatment is evolving towards a more sustainable and efficient model. Thanks to the experience of our team and our commitment to innovative technologies such as progressive cavity pumps, at Protech Continental we remain committed to the circular economy and the improvement of industrial processes.
Our specialist Jordi Fontana is convinced that his experience will contribute to Protech’s growth and the development of solutions that help our customers optimise their facilities, reduce costs and improve the sustainability of their processes. The future of waste treatment lies in innovation, and at Protech Continental we are ready to continue our commitment to this. Contact us and we will find the solution that fits your applications.
