Thailand's Energy And Money From Waste Water

[sbk]

June 27, 2007 10:11 AM

Thailand's Energy And Money From Waste Water

By D. Arul Rajoo

KRABI, June 27 (Bernama) -- As demand for renewable energy continues to rise, a palm oil company in the southern Thai province of Krabi has been turning pollution into profit.

Asian Palm Oil Co Ltd, one of the biggest palm-oil producers in the province known more for its tourism products, is producing biogas from waste-water that can be used to produce electricity for own consumption and sold for commercial purposes.

Besides reducing pollution, the company is also saving on energy cost and making money by selling its extra energy.

Its managing director Nipon Udompholkul noted that the old method of open ponds to store and treat waste water from the palm oil mills gave rise to unpleasant odour or in another words air pollution.

"After four years, it has been proven that it's a reliable method and now adopted by at least three other mills," he told Bangkok-based media during a visit to the factory located 45km from Krabi town.

BIOGAS FROM WATER PROJECT

Nipon said the "Biogas from Waste-water in Palm Oil Mill" project carried out with the assistance of Thammasat University and sponsored by the National Energy Policy Office, is the first such project in Thailand.

It has managed to cut the pollution caused by the mills by as much as 80 percent.

Under the system, the waste-water treatment using Complete Stirred Tank Reactor (CSTR) is capable of reducing up to 90 percent of BOD and produces biogas which can fuel the boiler or the biogas engine to generate electricity.

Project consultant Prawat Leetanakul said the biogas not only produce energy after burning but takes away the unpleasant odour that the neighbourhood once had to bear.

Now, there are 40 such mills in the Kingdom, almost half of them in Krabi.

Asian Palm Oil had spent Bt40 million installing the system and hopes to recoup its investment within five years.

PROFIT FROM ELECTRICITY

For the whole of 2006, the company generated 2.197 million kWh and sold 1.739 million kWh to the state-owned Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat). This generated an income of Bt4.9 million.

"Most of the power that we generate is used for our mill and the extra sold to Egat. The remaining water is used for watering the trees," said Prawat.

Prawat sees bright future for such venture in the Kingdom, saying that with more than three million hectares of oil palm land in the country that produces 5.6 ton of Fresh Fruit Bunch (FFb) and 3.36 million cubic metres of waste-water, there is a big potential for the undertaking.

Based on his rough estimate, the nation can produce 67.2 million cubic metres of biogas that can generate 134.4 million kWh of power.

Thailand's venture into renewable energy from palm oil can be credited to King Bhumipol Adulyadej who initiated the production of bio-diesel in 1985 and his majesty's innovation won the Gold Medal at Brussels Eurela 2001 in Belgium.

THERE ARE SETBACKS

But bio-diesel production from palm oil has its own limitations due to limited supply as only 800,000 metric tonnes of raw palm oil are produced a year, forcing the government to promote the expansion of oil palm plantation to more than four million hectares by 2023.

Energy Minister Piyasvasti Amranand said Thailand, which last year spent Bt1.4 trillion on energy, with Bt500 billion to Bt600 billion spent on fuel oil, is pushing for more renewable energy from the abundant agricultural bi-products.

He said Thailand plans to replace 20 percent of vehicle fuel consumption with renewable energy such as bio-diesel and ethanol in the next five years.

Last year, 64.83 percent of electricity was generated using natural gas and only 5.37 percent from renewable energy, such as paddy husk and palm oil.

A survey carried out by the ministry shows 74 million litres of used vegetable oil is available each year in Thailand, out of which only 25 million litres are being used to produce bio-diesel.

If all the cooking oil is turned into bio-diesel, the country could save Bt1.6 billion in diesel imports.

The Thai Government is promoting the use of ethanol as gasoline supplement (Premium 95) up to 1 million liter/day.

Piyasvasti said cassava and sugarcane are being considered the most important crop for economical ethanol production while oil palm is important for bio-diesel production.

"And this agricultural bi-products are fetching good prices in the market providing extra income for farmers," he said.

Now, officials are looking at such technology for other products like tapioca starch, frozen seafood, concentrated latex and municipal waste-water, as well as turning plastic waste into crude oil.

-- BERNAMA

Exellent news

[PETERTHEEATER]

June 27, 2007 10:11 AM

Thailand's Energy And Money From Waste Water

By D. Arul Rajoo

KRABI, June 27 (Bernama) -- As demand for renewable energy continues to rise, a palm oil company in the southern Thai province of Krabi has been turning pollution into profit.

Asian Palm Oil Co Ltd, one of the biggest palm-oil producers in the province known more for its tourism products, is producing biogas from waste-water that can be used to produce electricity for own consumption and sold for commercial purposes.

Besides reducing pollution, the company is also saving on energy cost and making money by selling its extra energy.

Its managing director Nipon Udompholkul noted that the old method of open ponds to store and treat waste water from the palm oil mills gave rise to unpleasant odour or in another words air pollution.

"After four years, it has been proven that it's a reliable method and now adopted by at least three other mills," he told Bangkok-based media during a visit to the factory located 45km from Krabi town.

BIOGAS FROM WATER PROJECT

Nipon said the "Biogas from Waste-water in Palm Oil Mill" project carried out with the assistance of Thammasat University and sponsored by the National Energy Policy Office, is the first such project in Thailand.

It has managed to cut the pollution caused by the mills by as much as 80 percent.

Under the system, the waste-water treatment using Complete Stirred Tank Reactor (CSTR) is capable of reducing up to 90 percent of BOD and produces biogas which can fuel the boiler or the biogas engine to generate electricity.

Project consultant Prawat Leetanakul said the biogas not only produce energy after burning but takes away the unpleasant odour that the neighbourhood once had to bear.

Now, there are 40 such mills in the Kingdom, almost half of them in Krabi.

Asian Palm Oil had spent Bt40 million installing the system and hopes to recoup its investment within five years.

PROFIT FROM ELECTRICITY

For the whole of 2006, the company generated 2.197 million kWh and sold 1.739 million kWh to the state-owned Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat). This generated an income of Bt4.9 million.

"Most of the power that we generate is used for our mill and the extra sold to Egat. The remaining water is used for watering the trees," said Prawat.

Prawat sees bright future for such venture in the Kingdom, saying that with more than three million hectares of oil palm land in the country that produces 5.6 ton of Fresh Fruit Bunch (FFb) and 3.36 million cubic metres of waste-water, there is a big potential for the undertaking.

Based on his rough estimate, the nation can produce 67.2 million cubic metres of biogas that can generate 134.4 million kWh of power.

Thailand's venture into renewable energy from palm oil can be credited to King Bhumipol Adulyadej who initiated the production of bio-diesel in 1985 and his majesty's innovation won the Gold Medal at Brussels Eurela 2001 in Belgium.

THERE ARE SETBACKS

But bio-diesel production from palm oil has its own limitations due to limited supply as only 800,000 metric tonnes of raw palm oil are produced a year, forcing the government to promote the expansion of oil palm plantation to more than four million hectares by 2023.

Energy Minister Piyasvasti Amranand said Thailand, which last year spent Bt1.4 trillion on energy, with Bt500 billion to Bt600 billion spent on fuel oil, is pushing for more renewable energy from the abundant agricultural bi-products.

He said Thailand plans to replace 20 percent of vehicle fuel consumption with renewable energy such as bio-diesel and ethanol in the next five years.

Last year, 64.83 percent of electricity was generated using natural gas and only 5.37 percent from renewable energy, such as paddy husk and palm oil.

A survey carried out by the ministry shows 74 million litres of used vegetable oil is available each year in Thailand, out of which only 25 million litres are being used to produce bio-diesel.

If all the cooking oil is turned into bio-diesel, the country could save Bt1.6 billion in diesel imports.

The Thai Government is promoting the use of ethanol as gasoline supplement (Premium 95) up to 1 million liter/day.

Piyasvasti said cassava and sugarcane are being considered the most important crop for economical ethanol production while oil palm is important for bio-diesel production.

"And this agricultural bi-products are fetching good prices in the market providing extra income for farmers," he said.

Now, officials are looking at such technology for other products like tapioca starch, frozen seafood, concentrated latex and municipal waste-water, as well as turning plastic waste into crude oil.

-- BERNAMA

Exellent news

OK guys. Be honest now. How does your household dispose of its used waste cooking oil?

[sbk]

We store it and sell it to the Raja Ferry.