Biomass

Thailand’s annual energy consumption has risen sharply during the past decade and will continue its upward trend in the years to come. While energy demand has risen sharply, domestic sources of supply are limited, thus forcing a significant reliance on imports.

To face this increasing demand, Thailand needs to produce more energy from its own renewable resources, particularly biomass wastes derived from agro-industry, such as bagasse, rice husk, wood chips, livestock and municipal wastes.

The major biomass resources in Thailand include the following:

• Woody biomass residues from forest plantations
• Agricultural residues (rice husk, bagasse, corn cobs, etc.)
• Wood residues from wood and furniture industries    (bark, sawdust, etc.)
• Biomass for ethanol production (cassava, sugar cane, etc.)
• Biomass for biodiesel production (palm oil, jatropha oil, etc.)
• Industrial wastewater from agro-industry
• Livestock manure
• Municipal solid wastes and sewage

Thailand’s vast biomass potential has been partially exploited through the use of traditional as well as more advanced conversion technologies for biogas, power generation, and biofuels. Rice, sugar, palm oil, and wood-related industries are the major potential biomass energy sources. The country has a fairly large biomass resource base of about 60 million tons generated each year that could be utilized for energy purposes, such as rice, sugarcane, rubber sheets, palm oil and cassava.

Biomass has been a primary source of energy for many years, used for domestic heating and industrial cogeneration. For example, paddy husks are burned to produce steam for turbine operation in rice mills; bagasse and palm residues are used to produce steam and electricity for on-site manufacturing process; and rubber wood chips are burned to produce hot air for rubber wood seasoning.

For more information please visit website: www.bioenergyconsult.com