555 / 2018-09-28 20:36:33

Trends and Policies in Bioenergy and Biomass in Thailand

全体主题 > 生物质政策与战略

Thailand is one of the world’s important agricultural economies with global exporter status of several commodities such as rice, sugar cane, palm oil, cassava, corn, and wood-related products which are considered as the major potential biomass sources. The production volume of these materials was up to 100 million tons that could be utilized for biomass and biorefinery purposes. In the past, biomass produced in Thailand has been partially exploited through the use of traditional and more advanced conversion technologies for biogas, power generation, and biofuels. Nowadays, biomass is the source of nearly 80% of Thailand’s renewable energy and representing over 10% of the country’s total energy consumption. Frequent industrial users of biomass energy include sugar mills, rice mills, paper mills, palm oil mills, fruit and seafood canning, as well as rubber manufacturers usually install cogeneration facilities to provide both steam and electricity for efficient plant operations. In 2015, "The New Alternative Energy Development Plan (2015-2035)" or AEDP was established in order to increase the use of alternative energy in Thailand up to 20% of the country’s overall energy consumption by the end of 2036. In 2016, the Thai government also launches the so-called “Thailand 4.0” initiatives and mega-project which included an industrial biorefinery development complex into this national plan. An example of a biorefinery complex – a sugarcane factory - in Thailand will be illustrated in this presentation. The overview of the newly implemented strategy for converting lignocellulosic biomass to biochemicals and biofuels in a sustainable and profitable way will be considered. The assessment was aimed at evaluating the socio-economic implications relating to molasses-based and cassava-based ethanol production. The maximized utilization of the biomass materials was produced as part of the biorefinery complex. The collaborating research of this study was supported by NSFC (National Science Foundation of China) and the NRCT (National Research Council of Thailand) in terms of research work and technologies exchange between two counterparts. A new strategy for running a biomass biorefinery based on lignocellulosic feedstock was challenging for both processing and marketing point of view. The biorefinery strategy development also improved the maximum amount of valuable products out of the biomass. These new product lines include food grade cellulose, water-soluble specialty lignin, lignocellulosic ethanol, xylo-oligosaccharides, vitamins, medicine, and sugar-based chemicals. The biomass from municipal waste was also implemented. The first CBG production in Thailand by CMU was a pilot project for new dry fermentation technology to supported 50 tons/day municipal waste under zero-waste projects. Zero waste processes linked with biorefinery issued will be the keys success to an initiative of Thailand 4.0 and bioenergy development plan in Thailand.