IF someone told Thomas Edison that the light bulb he invented can be lighted up using garbage, Edison would probably have laughed. But now it is no laughing matter as biogas from solid waste is indeed being used to power up lights and other appliances even in our country.
It has been six months since the 100kW Biogas Pilot Power Plant was inaugurated in Cebu City. An upgrade of the Inawayan Waste Disposal Facility, the facility is designed to convert solid waste into an energy source. In fact, Philippine BIO-Sciences Co. Inc. (PhilBIO), the operator, has confirmed before that about half of the 400 metric tons of mixed solid waste taken here daily can be converted into biogas.
The project has been touted to give added benefits: reduction of landfill mass, additional revenue for the city, and jobs for the people in the area. There are of course the environmental benefits of depending less on fossil fuels for energy needs and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
And before 2008 ends, the city government is planning to offer for bidding the bigger component of the Inawayan facility for a 10MW biogas-fed power plant. The energy generated will be used for the landfill facility.
Iloilo has also been eyeing a similar project, eyeing the establishment of a biogas facility in Bacolod that could generate 350 kW of power, enough to light up a barangay. Closer to home, Payatas in Quezon City is also in on the biogas trend, after the Quezon City Controlled Disposal Facility was inaugurated recently in the famous dumpsite. Some 42,000MW of electricity is envisioned to be generated over a 10-year period in Payatas.
And over at Magallanes Village in Makati, PhilBIO, in a project for Manila Water at the South Makati Sewage Treatment Works, will utilize microbial matter to reduce sewage sludge and create high quality biogas. Experts at PhilBIO believe that the methane gas to be recovered will be more than enough to provide electricity to the sewage treatment plant.
So, yes indeed, there is power in garbage, and money in garbage too. With increasing garbage landfills all over, businesses dealing in solid waste-to-energy efforts remain viable while helping care for the environment.
October 17th, 2008 at 5:15 pm
Thank you very much for this wonderful article! Hope you can publish more of this in the future!
Who’s ever in charge with this project, congratulations!
August 20th, 2008 at 10:34 am
Its heartwarming to read that you are doing something for the enviroment. I have been in the solid waste business since 1992 and convincing the goverment of new technologies such as this is really difficult. I was in the meeting when they formulated RA9003 but it seems that there are different interpretations depending on who is reading it. I hope you succeed with this project cus this is what we really need. I have always believed that if there is no political will there is no way. I hope that you will live up to your word that you can and will do what you claim. Good Luck and please remember that our good name is the legacy you can leave to your family. God Bless
July 26th, 2008 at 10:17 am
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i can help you.
July 26th, 2008 at 10:14 am
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July 16th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
Indeed a good read. I’m glad to know that there are efforts in our country to switch to alternative sources of energy. I hope more projects like these come up soon so we can be less dependent on fossil fuels.