No. 118: Using food residues and sludges for power generation (March 18, 2012)

Business trend

The idea of utilizing biomass resources like food residues is supported by the Ministry of the Environment thought its policy to stimulate the introduction of nonprocess waste energy. Environment renaissance, an environment business company in Tokyo, will start a project that combines agriculture and methane gas generation using wastes from food plants. The project tries to integrate methane gas generation, apiculture, and feed production through algae culture. It plans to build methane fermenters and algae culture tanks in a 10,000-square-meter area. Food residues and sludges from food plants will be fermented to collect methane gas that will be used for power generation.

In the case that food residues and sludges received are 9,000 tons a year, the projected plant will be able to supply electricity to 200 households, and collect 1,935 tons of composts and 7,222 tons of liquid fertilizers from the fermenters. In addition, the project will address apiculture and culture algae. The project plant is scheduled to start running in 2013. The company is receiving inquiries from other local governments inside Japan and abroad, and planning to expand business in Vietnam and Indonesia in the future.