Italian company to help Thai firm build tapioca-pulp-run biogas plant

Italian biogas plant designer SEBIGAS has signed a new contract with Thailand-based food specialist CPP Group to supply it with a 3.1MW tapioca-pulp-run biogas facility.

The high cost of the electrical energy in Thailand, compared to other south eastern countries, makes it difficult for the industrial sector to preserve competitive prices maintaining high-quality standards.

Tapioca pulp is a tuber usually cultivated in tropical areas.

Designed with a buffer tank and two digesters, the plant collects the tapioca leftovers that, through anaerobic digestion, produce the biogas employed for the generation of electrical energy.

The facility will be constructed by the end of 2016 and start running at the beginning of 2017.

“This project has been for us a big technological challenge, a big step forward reinforcing our presence abroad,” said Marco Bonvini, general manager at SEBIGAS.

He added: “In this case, to have an internal laboratory has been a winning choice, giving us an advantage on our competitors and the possibility to offer to CPP Group a tailored solution and a satisfying result in a short time.

“The employment of tapioca as biomass for our plants opens the doors to new applications and new markets; not only in Thailand but also in South America, where we are already active with our office in Brazil.”