Asian cassava plant project recognized in Global Water Awards

Former UN Secretary Kofi Annan presided the event in Berlin.

Global Water Engineering has achieved international recognition for an Asia-Pacific cassava plant project that uses advanced technology to reduce pollution, save power and enhance profitability at the same time.

GWE partnered Chokyuenyong Industrial in Thailand to cut effluent COD pollution levels at its cassava production plant by more than 95 per cent while extracting gas from its wastewater to power its boilers and generate electricity for its own use and to sell back to the provincial grid.

The achievement was recognized at This Year’s Global Water Awards in Berlin, where GWE CEO Mr Jean Pierre Ombregt received Highly Commended recognition for the installation, which provides an international model of how it is possible to attain top environmental standards of wastewater cleanliness while generating green power and carbon credit profits as well. Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan presided at the event.

It was the first time a GWE project had been entered for the awards, which were established in 2005 to recognise outstanding achievements in the International Water Industry and which this year drew about 500 international guests to the Global Water Summit 2011 (on April 18).

“Thailand, as the world’s largest exporter of starch, is well placed to show leadership in how to achieve such progress in an environmentally friendly manner. Our client – with excellent guidance from Retech Energy’s team head by Managing Director Hans Westphal – has achieved results that serve as an international model of how to get the process right, said Mr Ombregt.

GWE has completed more than 300 water and waste water projects in more than 60 countries including Asia, Africa, North and South America, Australia, China, Europe (including Eastern Europe) and Russia. GWE has successfully built and commissioned more than 75 biogas utilisation systems for clients worldwide. Processing 1200 tons of cassava roots a day, Chokyuenyong Industrial, headed by Tawatchai Yuenyong, has shown what it takes to become a leading international industrial citizen and good local neighbor to surrounding homes and businesses by using GWE anaerobic technology supplied by local GWE agent Retech Energy with a capacity of 3,200 m3 effluent a day.

Commissioned and refined over the past three years, the Chokyuenyong installation:

* Cut the Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) pollution level of influent wastewater from 22,500 ml/l (14,525mg/l Biochemical Oxygen Demand, BOD O2) to less than 1125 mg/l, resulting substantially cleaner discharges to treatment ponds and ultimately the environment (and in the process dramatically reduced odour from typical ponds)

* Returns up to 2.7 Mw of electricity a year to a provincial power grid, PEA, which serves some areas distant from major generating sources and welcomes fresh input of green power generated locally

* Saves the equivalent of up to 21,000 litres a day of fuel oil by producing up to 34,000 Nm3 of bio gas, which is used to power the boilers and heating equipment used extensively in cassava drying and processing and to generate electricity for the large amounts of rotating equipment used in processing

* Generates carbon credits under the United Nations’ Framework Convention on Climate Change, through which it earns valuable internationally tradable CER certificates, representing the right to emit one tonne of carbon dioxide or carbon dioxide equivalent.