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The company Friselva S.A., Corporació Alimentària Guissona (bonÀrea), together with the Food Service Cluster and inLab FIB at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya - BarcelonaTech (UPC), are participating in the Hydroless project, which aims to optimise water consumption in meat production plants. The project includes an innovative solution to monitor and optimise water use at bonÀrea’s plant in Guissona, as well as the design and development of a digital twin of Friselva’s facilities in Riudellots de la Selva.
The current situation of the meat industry is characterised by several challenges, including pressure on water resources and the need to improve environmental sustainability. Meat processing facilities show a very high water consumption, required in different stages of the process such as meat washing, cooling, and other operations.
To address this challenge, the project sets out two main objectives. On the one hand, a solution will be developed to monitor and optimise the water consumption used during the production process at bonÀrea’s plant in Guissona. On the other hand, a digital twin of a subsystem of Friselva’s facilities in Riudellots de la Selva will be designed and developed as a proof of concept of the advantages of having a digital twin. The digital twin will allow the control of a virtual replica of the study area and the monitoring of (virtual) water consumption in order to explore design alternatives, such as specific water recirculation or configurations adapted to a specific production plan, thus optimising the water consumption of the real plant.
Budget and Funding
The project is funded within the framework of the Strategic Plan of the CAP 2023-2027 of the Government of Catalonia, with a total budget of €115,000. It has a duration of 18 months (December 2024 – May 2026).
Action of the Strategic Plan of the CAP 2023-2027 co-funded by:
Technology
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