For the first time in Korea, biogas from food waste water will be used as automotive fuels for city buses and garbage trucks. On June 16, a ceremony is held to commemorate the completion of facilities for producing automotive fuels using biogas at the SUDOKWON Landfill Site Management Corporation.
The facilities, completed in two years since 2009, are to refine biogas from food waste water into more than 95 percent methane gas and produce automotive fuels by mixing it with CNG. Every day, biogas of about 10,000㎥ from about 800tons of food waste water can be refined and the refined biogas of about 6,500㎥ can be mixed with CNG in the ratio of 77 to 23 at a station. The biogas fuel can be used for about 300 city buses and garbage trucks.
The facilities for biogas automotive fuel of SUDOKWON Landfill Site Management Corporation are significant as the first outcome of a waste-to-energy policy. It is expected that 1 to 17 billion won can be reduced annually by providing renewable energy and replacing fossil fuels. In addition, 33,530 CO2tons of greenhouse gas is expected to be reduced every year.
Under the master and action plan for waste resources and biomass energy, the Ministry of Environment has been active in waste-to-energy policies. Besides the facilities for biogas automotive fuel of SUDOKWON Landfill Site Management Corporation, the ministry has supported about 20 local governments in building facilities for producing biogas from organic wastes including food wastes, food waste water and livestock night soil.
The ministry is also in the process of improving related system including streamlining licensing procedure of waste-to-energy facilities and setting up biogas automotive fuel manufacturing standards.
