SP Group and Gardens by the Bay launch pilot project to convert waste to energy, biomass

Matthew Mohan Channel NewsAsia 6 Jun 19;

SINGAPORE: SP Group and Gardens by the Bay launched on Thursday (Jun 6) a two-year pilot project to convert waste to by-products that can used within the local attraction.

The smart waste management system involves the use of gasification technology, turning waste produced within Gardens by the Bay into syngas - primarily carbon monoxide and hydrogen - as well as carbonised biomass.

The combustion of syngas then produces thermal energy, which is used to heat up water for potable use by F&B outlets within the local attraction.

The carbonised biomass, known as biochar, is a substance which some studies have shown can be used to help the soil retain nutrients better. Gardens by the Bay will be conducting experiments on the usefulness of biochar before making a decision on its usage.

The system can handle up to one tonne of waste per day, which is about a fifth of the five to six tonnes Gardens by the Bay produces daily.

Located in a container within the Gardens' premises, the system is able to reduce waste down to 5 per cent of its original volume.

In addition, minimal sorting of this waste is required.

“As a garden that values nature and sustainability, we have a responsibility towards finding innovative ways to protect our environment,” said Gardens by the Bay CEO Felix Loh in a press release.

“Gardens by the Bay is uniquely placed to allow for the testing of such an on-site system because waste collected in the Gardens can be directly converted and repurposed into by-products, which can in turn be used in the Gardens.”

At the Ecosperity Conference 2019 on Thursday, SP and Gardens by the Bay signed an agreement on the rollout of the system, which is supported by Temasek Holdings.

The signing was witnessed by Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli.

The pilot project has been running since early May. It costs “a few” hundred thousand dollars, said SP Group’s Singapore district cooling CEO Jimmy Khoo, who declined to give further details.

“We are developing district solutions to help Singapore achieve its sustainability goals. This paves the way for decentralised waste management for other businesses and residential estates,” said Mr Khoo.

“After the pilot, over the two years we will collect the data, if its operational costs make sense, we will see more and more of such deployments.”

Source: CNA/ic(hm)

Gardens by the Bay a test site to convert rubbish into hot water, soil conditioner
REBECCA METTEO Today Online 6 Jun 19;

SINGAPORE — As a step towards zero-waste and lower carbon emissions, national utilities provider SP Group (SP) has teamed up with Gardens by the Bay to use a system that will turn waste at the garden into thermal energy and soil conditioner.

The plan unveiled on Thursday (June 6) is to convert up to one tonne a day of plastic, food and general waste produced at Gardens by the Bay into thermal energy and into biochar, a type of carbonised biomass that could be used to make soil better for plants to grow in.

This process involves compact gasification technology. A container truck is fitted with machines that carry out the process of transforming waste into thermal energy, to be used to generate hot water for use at the garden’s food and beverage (F&B) outlets.

Gasification is an alternative to incineration and it reduces waste to only 5 per cent of its original volume. There is also no need to sort plastics from general or food waste.


Ideally, all waste disposal will be done on-site, so there will be no need to transport waste to the incinerator, easing traffic conditions and reducing carbon emissions.

The project has the backing of state investment firm Temasek Holdings.

At a media briefing, Mr Jimmy Khoo, chief executive officer of Singapore district cooling at SP Group, explained that while this technology is not new, it is a decentralised and compact district-level solution that could solve some of the problems Singapore faces with waste disposal.

“Earlier on, this solution is not so common, but we think that this is a good fit for Singapore because of landfill challenges and we are highly urbanised.” Mr Khoo said.

Mr Thomas Seow, senior director for research and horticulture at Gardens by the Bay, explained the benefits of biochar as a soil conditioner: “Biochar helps the plants to retain nutrients better, retain water better. It is like charcoal to soil. Some gardeners add charcoal to plants, hoping that the plants will retain such (things).”

However, biochar is yet to be used on the plants, as more research would be needed on the composition that would ensure optimal growth of the plants. It is understood that biochar may be used on plants later this year.

“The study and research is not very conclusive as yet, so now we are gathering data to ensure that we get robust results.” Mr Seow said.

The main aim of the system is towards a zero-waste solution, one in which almost nothing will be wasted but is continuously used instead.

Mr Khoo added: “(The) idea is trying to harness different components of the waste — 5 per cent (of biochar) is a lot less, but even at 5 per cent, it is a useful product, rather than it going to the landfill.

"Overall, because of this process, it reduces carbon dioxide emissions and energy can be harnessed, which produces the hot water, that otherwise will need electricity to produce. It saves energy because the same energy from the system is used to produce that.

"Finally, it also reduces the filling up of landfill.”

The conversion process starts by loading a bag of waste into the gasification chamber, where the waste will be converted from solid to carbon monoxide and hydrogen. After that, heat released can be used to sustain the gasification process, also known as the exothermic process.

The combustion process can be used to generate more heat to make hot water.

Although the process is at the pilot stage, both Mr Khoo and Mr Seow have been encouraged so far and are confident of the project.

“Beyond Gardens by the Bay as a pilot, this can be deployed in other areas as well, like on campuses and hospitals, where there is waste.”

For now, the machine operates eight hours a day, processing about 320kg of waste. If the machine is to operate for 24 hours, it is capable of processing one tonne of waste.

The agreement between SP Group and Gardens by the Bay was signed at the Ecosperity Conference 2019, witnessed by Mr Masagos Zulkifli, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources.

The project has been underway since last year and trials started at Gardens by the Bay only in early May this year.


Transforming trash to energy for heating water at Gardens by the Bay
Shabana Begum Straits Times 6 Jun 19;

SINGAPORE - Gardens by the Bay is one step closer towards going zero waste by adopting technology that converts trash to energy and a carbon-based product which may enhance plant growth.

Energy provider SP Group has created a 6m-long enclosed system that will turn food waste, plastic and general waste into thermal energy at 650 deg C. The thermal energy is used to heat a large tank of water, which is used by the food and beverage outlets in the Gardens.

As a by-product of the chemical reaction, 5 per cent of the waste's volume becomes biochar - carbon-based chips that resemble charcoal. The biochar will be used in the Gardens' research to find out if it helps to improve plant growth and health.

Since the waste is not incinerated and some carbon is locked in the biochar, the system reduces the carbon footprint by up to 20 per cent, compared against incineration.

On Thursday (June 6), SP and the Gardens, with the support of Temasek Holdings, signed an agreement at the CleanEnviro Summit Singapore (CESS) Catalyst 2019 to put the system on a two-year trial. The signing was witnessed by Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli.

CESS Catalyst, which runs till Friday at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre at Marina Bay Sands, brings together experts, policymakers and business leaders to discuss how technology and innovation can be used to create a circular economy.

A circular economy minimises waste by using resources for the longest time possible, regenerating and recycling products and materials in a closed production loop. This is different from the traditional linear economy where products are made, used and disposed.

SP's system, which began operating last month and will run as a pilot project until May 2021, will help to reduce the country's reliance on the Pulau Semakau landfill, which is expected to be filled by 2035, and instead help boost a circular economy.

All of the chemical reactions and equipment are contained in a compact system into which a large trash bag containing food waste, plastic, cardboard and wood chips is loaded.

Since the technology can handle almost all waste except bulky items and metals, minimal sorting is needed.

A bit of piped town gas is needed to kick start the chemical reaction, known as gasification. As the reaction generates heat, the waste is converted into synthetic gas, or syngas, which contains primarily carbon monoxide and hydrogen.

The syngas then undergoes combustion to produce heat or thermal energy. The entire process, which takes between 10 and 15 minutes, is self-sustaining.

The thermal energy heats a 2,000-litre water tank and the hot water is sent to the Gardens' F&B outlets for their consumption and washing uses. Previously, electricity was used to heat water.

Mr Thomas Seow, Gardens by the Bay's senior director of research and horticulture, said:."The Gardens is an ideal location for the pilot because it has a (variety) of waste that can be tested through the gasification system to find outcomes and data.

"Hot water and biochar can be used here and need not be transferred out of the Gardens. The products can be recirculated within the area."

This is not the first time gasification is being used in Singapore. Earlier this week, the Nanyang Technological University launched a bigger gasification system to convert solid waste generated on campus, which runs at a higher temperature and can break down metals and bulky materials.

SP's system can handle up to one tonne of waste every 24 hours, but the trial will have it running eight hours a day, converting about 300kg of waste each day. Between four and five tonnes of waste is collected at the Gardens every day.

If SP and the Gardens decide to expand the project after the two-year trial, more containers may be deployed or bigger ones built, said SP's Singapore district cooling chief executive officer Jimmy Khoo.

"Beyond the Gardens, we think the system can be deployed in places such as hotels and hospitals where they have waste and big needs for hot water for sanitation," added Mr Khoo.

The project between SP and the Gardens is part of the National Environment Agency's (NEA) regulatory sandbox project that was announced at CESS 2018. The regulatory sandbox allows interested parties to trial new environmental services-related technologies and solutions in a controlled environment within a certain time period.

In the other project approved by the NEA, a digital platform was created for logistic companies to efficiently pick up used cooking oil from F&B outlets and recycle the oil properly