Thailand's Energy And Money From Waste Water

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.

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