Energy fund hires research institute to study compressed biogas
Play
THE ENERGY CONSERVATION Promotion Fund has allocated a budget of Bt33 million to the Energy Research and Development Institute to study how to raise the heat value of compressed biogas to the same level as cooking gas to substitute for liquefied natural g
Assoc Prof Prasert Rerkkriangkrai, director of the institute at Chiang Mai University, said last week that livestock farming, factories and communities have the potential to produce 1.17 billion cubic metres of biogas per year, which could be converted into CBG to replace 600 million kilograms of LPG worth Bt10.88 billion.
The cost of improving biogas to the same heat quality of LPG is Bt12 per kilogram.
The institute has already started the study by using chicken droppings from Ruampornmit Farm to produce biogas and improve its quality to emit almost the same heat as LPG.
However, the study found that the cost of filling gas tanks with CBG is still high.
The government should help manufacturers to produce affordable tanks to promote CBG use by households. If the Energy Ministry steps in to promote CBG for cooking gas, many firms would be interested in commercially developing the business, he added.
Chanvit Vejjakul, managing director of Ruampornmit Farm, said the company was invited by the university to take part in the project. It generates 25,200 kilowatts per month, worth Bt100,800 from chicken poop. It shares the biogas with 82 households to replace cooking gas.
The company collects 15 tonnes of chicken manure per day, which can produce 600 cubic metres of biogas per day.
