BEFESA

Befesa is the leading company in Spain when it comes to managing industrial waste per volume treated. This is also one of the most important actors in those Latin American countries in which it operates (Argentina, Chile, Mexico and Peru).

Befesa’s main competitive advantage is the fact that it operates across the integral industrial waste management cycle, obtaining significant synergies between the various links in the chain.

Through its centers and offices around Spain, Befesa aims to provide its customers with an integral waste management service, minimizing or reducing potential environmental impact through adequate management.

Befesa’s growth strategy in the area of industrial waste management is based on achieving organic growth in the management of non-hazardous waste in the countries in which it operates and on penetrating new territories with high potential.

The industrial waste recycling market will continue to grow, spurred on by increasingly heavy legislative and environmental pressure not only on production companies but also with regard to the treatments required.

Demand for Befesa’s industrial waste management services flows in from small and medium-sized companies with a strong local component, and also from the environmental divisions of large industrial companies generally associated with the construction industry.

The current economic crisis affecting the automotive, steel, chemical, petrochemical and construction industries has led to a significant drop in waste generation. This is due to low levels of industrial activity, which have had a negative impact on the company’s business.

• • Industrial Waste

    Befesa manages, recycles, valorizes and reuses waste, integrating the latest technologies under the triple-R rule – Reduction, Reuse and Recycling, based on the premise that the best waste is no waste. This way, materials that can be put to subsequent use are recovered, thereby curbing consumption of new raw materials. The company accomplishes this through its network of centers distributed throughout Spain, which treat waste to reduce the associated contamination, and also through its transfer centers, at which waste is separated, classified and sent off for recovery, recycling and/or valorization, thus reducing the consumption of natural raw materials. Finally, it has a safety storage tank for the controlled disposal of waste that cannot undergo any further form of treatment.

    Befesa maintained its prominent position in this sector during 2009. At the start of the year, it acquired the Derivados de la Pintura S. A. plant, located in the Spanish region of Cataluña, which specializes in the treatment and recycling of solvents and other industrial waste. In all, Befesa managed 852,200 t of industrial waste, 40 % of which was classified as hazardous. This represents a 30 % decrease on figures for 2008. Work also continued during the year to remodel the physicochemical treatment plant to enable it to treat third-party industrial waters, thus extending the management services offered to customers. The rainwater, potentially contaminated water and clean rainwater network at the Nerva center was also remodeled.

  • Industrial Cleaning

    The industrial leaning division’s activities contribute to the sustainable development of the industries it serves, combining the goals of minimizing production and recovering waste with the reuse of raw materials on the one hand, with more efficient equipment on the other, thus leading to lower energy consumption. Its wide range of services includes mechanical and high pressure hydrodynamic cleaning processes, ultra-pressure hydrodemolitions and hydrocutting; chemical cleaning and steam blowing; air through circuits and boilers; changes of catalyst beds; cleaning of refinery tanks and oil installations, both manually and with automated systems; on-site waste treatment by means of mobile and fixed plants, and cleaning of interchangers.

    In 2009, the division accomplished its objective of entering the market for pre-operational chemical cleaning at thermal and solar thermal power stations, securing contracts for cleaning work at Enel’s combined cycle thermal power plant in Algeciras and for Abengoa Solar’s Eureka and PS20 solar power plants. The company continued to expand overseas, where it carried out automatic cleaning of tanks, catalysts and heat exchangers in France, Switzerland and Italy, and bidding for work to be carried out in 2010. It also made its first commercial contacts in the Near East, where the construction of large petrochemical installations will provide the company with opportunities for further work, mainly in tank and catalyst cleaning.

  • Plastics

    Befesa Plásticos manufactures low density polyethylene special pellets by recycling the film used for covering greenhouses. The sold pellets are then used for a variety of applications, such as manufacturing films for the construction industry (waterproofing and protection), sacks and bags, irrigation pipes and electrical and telecommunications ducts. They can also be injected to create pots or otherwise used to obtain modified asphalts. As the only Spanish company capable of carrying out the complete recycling cycle from collection to product manufacturing, Befesa is the European leader in this particular field.

    Over 2009, Befesa recycled 11,700 t of film and used irrigation pipes, and likewise produced 9,000 t of polyethylene pellets, thus maintaining its position as market leader in the low density polyethylene recycling business, a field in which it operates in all the major regions of cultivation under plastic in Spain: Alicante, Murcia, Andalucía and Extremadura.

  • PCB

    Befesa Gestión de PCB is located in Cartagena (Spain) and specializes in the provision of effective solutions for the collection, transport and elimination of transformers, condensers and materials contaminated with PCB. Using cutting-edge technology, the company recovers all reusable materials while eliminating all contaminated materials for good.

    More than 4,000 t of PCB-contaminated devices and materials were treated by the company during 2009, confirming its leadership in Spain. This makes Befesa Gestión de PCB the company of reference for PCB treatment in the electricity industry.

  • Soil Decontamination

    This division provides integral technical solutions to the problem of soil contamination. Over this last year, the company carried out numerous investigation and diagnostic projects relating to contaminated soil for top-tier customers within the petrochemical, steel, real estate construction, energy and chemical industries, among others, as well as a host of soil decontamination activities, such as bioremediation treatments, on-site treatments, excavation and management.

    In 2009, the division established itself as a leading provider of soil classification and decontamination services, offering an immediate and fully comprehensive service for the study and rectification of contaminated soil-related problems.

    With regard to development, a new mobile on-site soil decontamination plant utilizing soil washing technology started operating in early 2009. This state-of-the-art plant was designed to resolve the problems arising from the wide range of contaminants that can be present in soil. The new plant has reported impressive production levels (35-45 t/h) and remediation performance.

  • Desulfurization

    Befesa Desulfuración produces sulfuric acid and oleum (a compound rich in SO₃) using the residual sulfur recovered from petrochemical plants. It owns a plant that enables it to resolve the environmental problems associated with oil plants by applying the cleanest and safest processes.

    During 2009, 218,100 t of equivalent acid were produced, with an associated electricity generation of 49,900 MW, which, after deducting self-consumption, resulted in sales of 28,300 MWh of surplus electricity.

    It is worth noting that in May 2008 the land on which the desulfurization plant is located was sold pursuant to the town of Baracaldo’s (Vizcaya) Sefanitro Special Interior Reform Plan (Plan Especial de Reforma Interior Sefanitro). The plant is currently operating and the land will be handed over within a timeframe to guarantee that the business can be transferred to the new location.

  • Befesa Argentina

    Befesa Argentina’s activities include handling, transportation, recycling, recovery, treatment, incineration and final disposal, using hazardous waste landfills, of non-hazardous industrial waste and special or hazardous waste. It also provides industrial liquid and water cleaning services to the oil industry. These environmental management services are carried out using state-of-the-art technology under strict international environmental standards, combining experience, technology and responsible handling of resources. The company thus contributes to sustainable industrial development by providing suitable treatment for each type of waste. The company has two plants with which to attain this goal: Campana, which provides inertization and final disposal services, and Pacheco, which acts as an incineration plant.

    At the Campana plant, work has been completed to make it possible to work with zero effluent within the plant and to install and implement new software to trace the waste arriving at, and processed in, the plant. In Pacheco, a new bulk waste inertization area near the cell has been included with the aim of supplementing the inertization capabilities of the rotating equipment installed in 2008. In addition, the lixiviate pond installations were completed and an application was filed with the Provincial Water Authority (Autoridad Provincial del Agua) for a permit to discharge duly treated water into a nearby stream.

    With effect from January 1st of 2009, industrial cleaning, mud centrifuging, oil and derivative product tank cleaning services, physical chemical treatments and hydrocarbon recovery were split off from Befesa Argentina, S. A., together with all associated equipment and staff, and merged with the assets of the company Soluciones Químicas, S. A. This resulted in a new company, Befesa Servicios, S. A., which started operating on that date, continuing the activities of the companies that had provided their assets and industrial cleaning staff.

  • Befesa Chile

    Befesa Chile, through its company Soluciones Ambientales del Norte, carries out the integral management of solid hazardous and non-hazardous industrial waste. It does this through temporary storage, final disposal systems and treatments aimed at valorizing the waste and minimizing the hazard posed by it, recycling wherever possible. The waste, which is mainly produced by mining and industry, is managed safely and responsibly, contributing to the country’s sustainable development.

    Its Sierra Gorda plant, located in the Atacama desert 120 km inland from Antofagasta and 1,600 km from the capital Santiago, occupies a 40 ha plot of land and has been operative since May 2008. This year, it managed over 12,000 t of waste. In addition, its first two lorries were placed at its customers’ service and it carried out the integral management of two sites in Codelco Norte. Furthermore, the company is now at the final stage of implementing its integral management system to obtain ISO 9000, ISO 14000 and OHSAS 18000 certification. It is also implementing laboratory procedures to obtain certification under Chilean Standard 17025.

  • Befesa Perú

    Befesa Peru’s specializes in providing industry with integral environmental services, including the collection, transportation, treatment and final disposal of industrial and hazardous waste, environmental management of industrial installations, recycling of metallic containers and exports of PCB. All this is accomplished through tried and tested techniques pursuant to national and international standards that guarantee respect for the environment. This way, the company employs the best available technology to help protect both the environment and public health, ensuring that waste is kept in strict isolation and permanently removing any risk by monitoring it during operations and following its sealing.

    Over 2009, Befesa improved the efficiency of its operations and developed new services and infrastructures to serve a greater number of customers. During the last quarter, a fixed dual-chamber incinerator came into operation, and work began on the construction of the facilities for the new safety storage tank in Trujillo, 500 km north of Lima.

    Befesa is the first and only company in Peru to be authorized by the Ministry of Health’s Directorate-General for Environmental Health (DIGESA) to carry out the treatment and final disposal of hazardous industrial waste. In addition, it enjoys the approval of the Environmental Impact Study (Estudio de Impacto Ambiental). The company has successfully managed over 21,000 t of waste.

  • Befesa México

    Befesa Mexico and its subsidiary, Sistemas de Desarrollo Sustentable (SDS), carry out the management, processing and confinement of hazardous waste for industry and the public sector. These activities help promote sustainable development by offering a responsible alternative to the management of hazardous waste, which might otherwise lead to significant environmental contamination.

    The year’s main projects include managing the hydrocarbon and soda-contaminated land of the former “18 de Marzo” refinery in Mexico City as part of the project to remedy this situation in preparation for the Federal Government’s plans for its Bicentenario park.