Sebigas to build tapioca powered biogas plant in Thailand

(AGI) Rome, June 16 - Sebigas, a division of Exergy Spa, part of the Maccaferri Industrial Group, a specialist in the design and construction of biogas plants, has signed a contract with CCP Group in Thailand to supply an innovative biogas plant. The 3.1 MW plant will run at grid-parity and be powered by tapioca pulp. In Thailand, unlike other countries in East Asia, a note explains, the high cost of electricity makes it difficult for local businesses to maintain competitive prices and high quality standards. For this reason, CCP Group - one of the largest agrifood groups in Thailand and active since 1974 in the production of tapioca derivatives - was seeking a solution that would enable it to remain competitive in the market, without sacrificing quality of its products. To address this need, Sebigas has designed and built for CPP Group its first biogas plant powered by the pulp of tapioca, a tuber widespread in Southeast Asia, for the production and consumption of electricity required to operate its plant. The Sebigas plant collects the tapioca processing residues that, through a process of anaerobic digestion, produce biogas used for electricity generation. In this way, CPP Group will be able to produce the electricity needed to run the plant, active on average 300 days a year on three shifts, thanks to a by-product previously only considered as waste to be disposed of. The Sebigas plant will be ready for the end of 2016 and will enter into operation at the beginning of 2017. "This project - explains Marco Bonvini, Sebigas general manager - was a real technological challenge for us that has allowed us to take a big step forward and strengthen our presence abroad. In this case, the choice of having our own laboratory proved successful, giving us an advantage over our competitors and the opportunity to offer CPP Group a tailored solution and a satisfactory result quickly. The use of tapioca as biomass for our installations opens the door to new applications and new markets, not only in Thailand but also in South America, where we have already been active for some time with our site in Brazil." (AGI) . .