SIRIM, a leading research and technology agency under the Ministry of International Trade and Industry has been named the winner of the ASEAN Energy Awards 2019 in the category of Special Submission for its project, ‘Compressed Bio–Natural Gas for Green Mobility and Power Generation in Oil Palm Industry’.
The award was presented to SIRIM President and Group Chief Executive, Prof. Ir. Dr. Ahmad Fadzil Mohamad Hani in conjunction with the 37th ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting and Associated Meetings in Bangkok on Wednesday. Also present at the award presentation ceremony was Vice President of SIRIM Industrial Research, Dr Ir. Mohamad Jamil Sulaiman and project leader, Azhar Abdul Raof.
The ‘Compressed Bio–Natural Gas for Green Mobility and Power Generation in Oil Palm Industry’ project harnesses energy from unutilised biogas with the aim of producing alternative fuel that complies with automotive standards and promote greenhouse gas reduction activities. It also demonstrates the viability of Bio-Natural Gas (BioNG) production at semi commercial scale; and to strengthen the commercialisation of BioNG as alternative fuel to diesel-fired power plant and industrial users.
BioNG is a natural gas produced from bio waste such as oil palm waste, food waste or industrial waste. This is a second-generation biofuel and has the smallest carbon footprint among various energy sources.
The use of biogas as vehicle fuel and for diesel fuel displacement for stationary engine is new in Malaysia; this is part of SIRIM’s initiative to support green mobility within plantation communities and oil palm industry.
SIRIM’s BioNG project involved designing, building, commissioning and operating a commercial-ready plant in Merotai, Tawau, Sabah to produce compressed biogas generated from palm oil mill effluent (POME).
The plant can produce 6,000m3 of BioNG or approximately 6,000 litres of diesel per day. The testing and commissioning of the plant was completed in November 2017.
BioNG produced by SIRIM for use on-site and off-site, can improve the sustainability of palm oil and environment production. Other interesting features of SIRIM BioNG, include reducing the amount of greenhouse gases emission, as well as reducing the use of petroleum-based gas in the energy and transport sectors. Unlike petroleum gas, BioNG is one of the greenest hydrocarbon fuels in the market and has the lowest carbon footprint.
The project was co-funded by SIRIM and MOSTI (now Ministry of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change, MESTECC) under Dana Sains Teknologi Inovasi Nasional.
The ASEAN Energy Awards represent the benchmark of excellence and offer recognition for those working across the industry. It celebrates those who are pushing boundaries, displaying exemplary leadership and driving innovation.
The winners and their businesses have played a critical role in the development of the sector and helped drive the industry forward and region towards more sustainable future.
