Ingenieur Vol. 75 ingenieur July 2018-FA | Page 16

INGENIEUR
Figure 3: Typical Biogas System using POME
Landfill Biogas Systems
Sanitary landfills produce enough biogas to
generate 1 or 2 MW of power. The landfill must
be sanitary and have a lining with membranes
and a piping system installed at the bottom to
transport the biogas to the surface. Landfill biogas
is normally exclusively exported to the Grid since
there is no inhouse load.
Sludge Biogas Systems
This is a yet unexplored opportunity in Malaysia. In
India, all the sewage treatment plants (STPs) produce
at least 70 % of the electricity that they need, with
some producing 100 %. Our sewage utility has only
one STP generating power facility which is a research
project at a local university. If properly handled, each
STP can generate a few hundred kW of power for
consumption by the STP itself.
Waste Food Biogas Systems
These systems are yet unexplored in Malaysia.
M any ap ar t m ent c o mp l exe s gener ate
huge amounts of kitchen waste which are
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indiscriminately mixed with other rubbish and end
up in landfills. If the Joint Management Boards
(JMBs) of the complex introduce a strict policy to
segregate kitchen waste, and this waste is used in
small anaerobic digestors onsite, it can generate
a few kW of power, enough to power the common
areas in the complex. Local councils could
introduce legislation to mandate this. Kitchen
waste from restaurants can also be collected to
generate a few hundred kW of power.
BIOMASS POWER GENERATION SYSTEMS
In Malaysia, there are two main biomass power
generation systems, one using agriculture waste,
and a second, using municipal solid waste.
Agriculture Waste Biomass Systems
The most common agriculture waste is the empty
fruit branch (EFB) from the palm oil mills. These
biomass plants can generate between 5 to 10
MW of power and are normally connected to main