Reference FSDPs
(EC-ASEAN COGEN Programme Phase II)
Biogas plant for a rubber factory in Malaysia
AT A GLANCE
 A rubber thread factory near Kuala Lumpur will produce about 8000 cubic meter of biogas per day from its waste-water. The biogas will replace oil as a fuel for the thermal oil heaters at the factory.
BACKGROUND
In the past, food and agro-industries in ASEAN such as breweries, sugar and palm oil mills as well as starch and rubber industries used to get rid of their effluents by discharging them to backyard ponds or into nearby rivers. These effluents generally have a high BOD (Biological Oxygen Demand) and are therefore considered as very damaging pollutants. Under pressure from the Department of Environment of Malaysia, Heveafil Sdn. Bhd., a rubber thread manufacturer, has decided to tackle the problem by purchasing a plant which combines aerobic and anaerobic digestion as well as biogas combustion. Biogas produced by fermentation will be used as a fuel to substitute part of the fuel oil consumed by the boilers for the production of steam used in the rubber thread production process.
LOCATION
The plant is located in Batang Kali, Selangor, 40 km north of Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia). SOME ECONOMICS
Excluding piling works, the total equipment cost amounts to ECU 1,212,947 (US$ 1,628,988). The project is expected to generate savings in electricity and operation costs of ECU 249,442 (US$ 335,000) per year, compared to the use of an alternative conventional waste-water treatment system. Moreover, by utilising the biogas as a fuel, the company will save around ECU 186,150 (US$ 250,000) per year compared to using fuel oil in the boiler. The expected pay-back period is around 3 years after commissioning. TECHNOLOGY
The plant will consist of :
- a physico-chemical pretreatment;
- an anaerobic digestion system with a capacity of 326 cu.m./hour of biogas;
- two gas burners with capacities of 2 million kcal and 1 million kcal;
- an aerobic polishing treatment.
CONTACTS
Customer |
European Supplier |
Local Partners |
Heveafil Group (Malaysia)
Tel: (60-3) 7317313
Fax: (60-3) 7317314/5 |
D.W.S. (Belgium)
Tel: (32-3) 3530408/
3530403
Fax: (32-3) 3539251 |
Enviroasia Corporation (Philippines)
Tel: (63-2) 8424456; Fax: (63-2) 8422180
Mardec Engineering Sdn. Bhd.
(Malaysia)
Tel: (60-3) 4567055; Fax: (60-3) 4579848 |
CUSTOMER'S VIEW POINT
"About 20 years ago, we started our operation in a rather small way. Since then we have steadily expanded our capacity, and today, we can claim to be the world’s largest extruded latex thread manufacturer," explains Khamis BABA, Group General Manager and Chief Executive Officer of the Heveafil Group of Companies. "Due to the expansion in production capacity, we also need to upgrade our waste-water treatment system, and thus meet our obligations as a responsible corporate citizen. "In our selection process for the most suitable system and technology, we were excited by the assistance and expertise made available through the EC-ASEAN COGEN Programme," adds Khamis BABA.
"The system we have selected is now being constructed and installed and we look forward to its completion and commissioning. It will enable us to play our small role in contributing towards the protection of the environment. "The support and advice of the EC-ASEAN COGEN Programme has also facilitated the utilisation of biogas as a source of energy which otherwise would have been wasted. This will enhance the overall productivity of our operation," concludes Khamis BABA.
SUPPLIER'S VIEW POINT
"The experience we gained on this kind of installation together with Enviroasia makes it possible for us to build these installations in a cost efficient way." says Eddy DE WOLF, President of DWS. Both digestion and combustion technologies in this project have been developed in Belgium by Biotim and DWS, respectively. These technologies are commercialised in Asia by Enviroasia based in the Philippines, Hongkong and Singapore and some partners such as Mardec Engineering Sdn. Bhd. of Malaysia.
"We always offer the most modern technologies adapted to the local situations, and at affordable prices," explains Jean-Pierre OMBREGT, President of Enviroasia.
"We are the absolute market leaders in the Far East for anaerobic wastewater treatment. We have now implemented more than 80 anaerobic plants in the region. The Heveafil project has benefited from our experience with previous installations that we have implemented in similar factories together with Mardec Engineering Sdn. Bhd., our partner in Malaysia," declares Jean-Pierre OMBREGT.
"The Heveafil project will consist of the most efficient technology which produces a maximum of biogas from very compact and energy efficient equipment," adds R.M. SUBBIAH, Managing Director of Mardec Engineering Sdn. Bhd.
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