Thanks Marc. This is a positive sign. It is nice to see there is some attention to it. A few years ago I found it difficult to convince the sponsors of a project in Cambodia to pay attention to gasifier effluents. They did and the results was positive.
Tom From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Marc Pare Sent: Monday, March 19, 2012 12:31 AM To: Discussion of biomass pyrolysis and gasification Subject: Re: [Gasification] Myanmar: Engineering society preparing code for gasifier standards Interesting timing, just heard of a similar standards development project for gasification in Cambodia. http://www.switch-asia.eu/switch-projects/project-progress/projects-on-green ing-supply-chains/waste-to-energy-cambodia.html The SWITCH-Asia Project Waste to Energy (WtE) for the Rice Milling Sector in Cambodia promotes sustainable production of milled rice through replication of existing WtE rice milling technologies, and promotes sustainable consumption of rice by consolidating fragmented guidelines into a single operational industry standard with policy makers, SMEs and financial sector actors together in a multi-stakeholder platform. To create a rice milling sector that is both competitive and environmentally responsible, the action will guide and replicate the switch from conventional (expensive, fossil fuel generated) energy to renewable Waste to Energy applications Marc Paré B.S. Mechanical Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology | Université de Technologie de Compiègne my cv, etc. | http://notwandering.com On Mon, Mar 19, 2012 at 12:54 PM, Tom Miles <[email protected]> wrote: Myanmar Times: Engineering society preparing code for gasifier standards By Juliet Shwe Gaung Volume 31, No. 619 March 19 - 25, 2012 MYANMAR Engineering Society is working to establish an industr;y standard for the building and operating of gasifier electricity plants, a spokesperson said last week. U Thoung Win, chairman of the societys energy and renewable energy committee, said some gasifiers, which work by burning biomass typically rice husk, are creating environmental problems. We can see some weak points from the operation of gasifiers, he said. These include weaknesses in the designs and construction that typically leads to unclean exhaust gasses and water, which are polluting the land, water and air. Although weve heard of a number of specific problems in Rakhine State, we believe people in many areas face similar issues, U Thoung Win said. The committee discussed the matter with a number of industry experts in mid-February and is drawing up a set of basic standards, he said. U Thoung Win added that the MES document would include waste management standards, as well as a template design for gasifiers. Weve heard that some people [living near gasifiers] have been diagnosed with cancer or are not living as long as they perhaps should as a result of the gasifiers, he said. And weve heard that some gasifiers have poisoned ponds, killed fish and rendered water undrinkable in some ponds that waste water has flowed into, he said. However, U Thoung Win said it would not be difficult to set basic standards because other countries have faced the same problem and MES could examine what solutions have worked elsewhere. The reason we use rice husk-powered gasifiers is because we grow so much paddy. But if the ash content [of the rice husk] is high, we need to work hard to reduce the tar content in the waste products, he said. He said he was trying to set up a non-government organisation to focus on renewable, sustainable and green technology. U Zaw Aye Maung, Minister for Rakhine Affairs under the Yangon Region government, said most power supplied in that state was generated by localised electricity generation groups. He said towns and villages used rice husk gasifiers with the help of experts from Yangon but added that environmental protection standards were low. The main reason is that because the local people are poor, they build gasifiers as cheaply as possible, he said. They dont use higher technology systems that limit the amount of waste products. All the waste water is discharged into streams and poisons them sometimes even snakes are killed. And water that is discharged onto paddy fields seriously reduces yields, U Zaw Aye Maung said. He added that gasifiers have been used widely in Rakhine State since 2004. Some people living near gasifiers have reported lung problems and while people know that its important to filter the waste products properly, this increases the cost, he said. U Phyo Minllian, a technical advisor to a Malaysian company that makes gasifiers, said associated industries also needed to be standardised. He gave an example of the companys experiences in Thailand, where it had provided sample gasifiers to the government but was unaware that there were standards it had to meet for the gasifiers heat exchanger as well. There are also certain standards in Thailand that must be met for accompanying products, such as heat exchangers, he said. He added that a standard code of practice and would better protect the environment and people. http://www.mmtimes.com/2012/business/619/biz61902.html _______________________________________________ Gasification mailing list to Send a Message to the list, use the email address [email protected] to UNSUBSCRIBE or Change your List Settings use the web page http://lists.bioenergylists.org/mailman/listinfo/gasification_lists.bioenerg ylists.org for more Gasifiers, News and Information see our web site: http://gasifiers.bioenergylists.org/
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