Bioplastic lunch boxes power Osaka Gas renewable energy experiment

Doha [Qatar], May 14: Osaka Gas Co has conducted a demonstration experiment to convert used bioplastic bento containers into energy, as effective ways to utilize them remain a challenge despite the government promoting such materials.
The company was exploring the potential for biomass gasification at a sewerage treatment facility through collaboration with the city of Osaka and Osaka Metropolitan University, with an eye to practical use around 2030.
In the demonstration joined by the three parties, lactic acid, which was produced by decomposing nearly 1,000 used bioplastic bento containers collected from a cafeteria of the university, was added to sewage sludge at a digester tank at the sewage facility in Osaka several times between December last year and March, the company said.
An official of the company said that the demonstration has been completed, with both the decomposition of the containers into lactic acid and their conversion into biogas in the digester proceeding smoothly, although specific results were not disclosed.
According to Osaka Gas, a prior test using a small device has found that adding lactic acid to sewage sludge increased biogas, which is usually generated by methanogens that decompose the sludge, by about three times.
Assuming 3,500 containers were used, the amount of biogas produced was estimated to be equivalent to that used by about 30 households per day, the company said.
To produce and provide biogas that can meet energy demand at a local community, however, bioplastics need to be spread at a certain level after the technology is established for practical use.
A key factor in promoting biogas would be whether the government can achieve its plan of increasing the amounts of bioplastics use to around 2 million tons by 2030 from 150,000 tons in 2022, people familiar with the matter said.
Source: Qatar Tribune