Fri, Jul 11, 2008 page8

• Tapping into the dollar value of dirt

  • By Huang Wan-tran 黃萬傳
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  With increasingly high oil and electricity prices, many Taiwanese are trying to come up with ways to conserve energy and reduce carbon emissions. International oil prices have already risen above US$143 per barrel and some estimates even say prices could reach US$200 per barrel before too long. While high oil prices do not mean we are facing a shortage of oil products, they do mean that we could be facing such shortages within three to five years.

  Domestic development of renewable energy sources have been stuck in the testing and promotion stages, and because the draft renewable energy development bill has not yet been passed by the legislature, business entities have hesitated to proceed in developing new technologies.

  The government’s energy policy seems to ignore the use of organic waste from the agricultural and non-agricultural sectors. Such organic waste includes animal droppings — such as cow and pig dung and poultry droppings — as well as waste from the production of processed food including bread, kitchen waste and oil and grease. Environmental Protection Administration statistics on garbage generated in Taiwan show a total of 618,000 tonnes of garbage in March, of which 42 percent was organic waste, while the recycling rate of kitchen leftovers, including compost, pig feed and other leftovers, was only 9.35 percent. Extrapolating these numbers, it can be estimated that within one year, Taiwan will have 15,737,000 tonnes of domestically produced organic waste.

  Of the developed counties, Germany is the most skilled in the use of agricultural organic waste. On Aug. 23 last year, Germany made new goals for renewable energy use, saying that by 2020, it would use renewable energy in 25 percent to 30 percent of the nation’s production of power, 14 percent of which would be used in the production of thermal energy while 17 percent would be used on biomass oils. Germany has approximately 5,000 biogas stations that use various types of feedstock to produce biogas that is then turned into electricity and thermal energy via cogeneration equipment. Because of the competition for land between bio crops and traditional food crops, bio crops have changed somewhat and now use organic waste as ingredients along with expired alugel and other medicines that contain lactic acid bacteria disposed of by hospitals.

  Studies conducted in Germany show that for each tonne of pig and cow dung, 25m³ to 36m³ of biogas can be produced. Each tonne of oil and grease waste can be used to make 400m³ to 600m³ of biogas; each tonne of leftovers from bread manufacturing can be used to make 486m³ of biogas and each tonne of kitchen leftovers can be used to make 220m³ of biogas.

  Some biogas stations have started to look into ways to purify and turn biogas into natural gas, as this would help reduce dependence on farmland needed to make biomass fuels. These plants are also using excess thermal energy to dry timber.

  Bio raw materials are an alternative way to produce traditional foods and fibers as well as an alternative way to earn income. The government should start to think about using organic waste products to earn money and encourage people to think of the dollar value of dirt.

  In addition to passing the renewable energy development bill, the government should adopt the following measures.

  First, it should adjust energy development targets. Although biofuels cannot totally replace fossil fuels, the government can make moves toward separating energy sources. Making full use of agricultural and non-agricultural waste and organic waste to produce biogas and then turning that into electricity and gas and using these in air-conditioning and hot gas dryers is more environmentally friendly and could also increase the income of farmers.

  Second, the government should look at current garbage processing methods and incinerators. Recyclable waste — especially organic waste — can be used to make biogas which can then be used to make electricity or gas. In addition, amendments could be made to the renewable energy development bill and could include sections that encourage the creation of biogas infrastructure.

  Third, the government should differentiate the energy market between users of different energy sources such as oil, electricity and gas. For example, bigger users such as those in the industrial sector could use fossil oils and electricity, while smaller users, such as normal households in the countryside or in the suburbs, could rely on biogas plants, which use organic waste as fuel, to provide the electricity, gas and biogas they require.

  While renewable energy cannot totally replace fossil fuels, turning waste products into energy is an option that Taiwan should follow.

  Huang Wan-tran is vice president of the Chung Chou Institute of Technology.

  Translated by Drew Cameron
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