[Gettyimages Bank]
A water recycling center in southern Seoul can generate about 900 tons of sludge every day. The sludge full of organic material was collected, dried, and turned into blocks of solid fuel for power generation, but such a type of fuel generates greenhouse gases and is not very efficient due to the moisture content of fuel blocks.
The Seoul Water Recycling Corporation partnered with Plagen, a pyrolysis and renewable fuel production technology company, to jointly develop a technology to gasify sludge into renewable fuel for green hydrogen production. The center's daily sludge production capacity will increase from 495 tons to 900 tons by June 2023. Pyrolysis is a process that uses extreme heat and pressure to break down plastics into composite gas fuel.
"We will contribute to South Korea's zero-carbon policy and create an eco-friendly image to help citizens recognize sewage sludge in a positive way by making the Seoul Water Recycling Center the main base of South Korea's renewable energy production," Park Sang-don, head of the recycling center, said in a statement on April 12.
Plagen can gasify recycled fuel using specially designed equipment. Hydrogen sulfate and hydrochloride are removed from recycled gas fuel. The company's recycled fuel generation system can use food waste for recycled fuel production. Ammonia can be retrieved when food waste is recycled.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.