[Let's Run Again Construction Korea] Eco-friendly Waste Integrated Treatment Facility, Nationwide Local Governments' Love Call

Seosan Resource Circulation Biogas Facility
First Domestic Integrated Treatment of Organic Waste
Core KH-ABC Technology by Kumho Industrial
Certified Green Technology, Acquired Environmental New Technology
Odorless Waste Treatment... No Complaints

A panoramic view of the resource-circulating biogasification facility constructed by Kumho Industrial. This site can process 320 tons of organic waste daily through integrated treatment. The treated waste is converted into eco-friendly biogas, which is used as various energy sources. The organic waste biogasification (KH-ABC) technology, jointly developed by Kumho Industrial and the Korea Environment Corporation, has been applied. (Photo by Kumho Industrial)

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Jiwon] "We process all the waste from Seosan City on a site that accounts for only 0.0016% of the total area of Seosan City. Because the odor is completely eliminated, there have been no complaints from nearby residents."

Last August, Kumho Industrial opened a resource-circulating biogas facility in Seosan City, Chungnam Province. This facility processes organic waste and regenerates it into biogas. It was built as part of a pilot project for integrated organic waste treatment led by the Ministry of Environment. The facility, built on a 12,201㎡ (3,690 pyeong) site, processes all the waste generated throughout Seosan City, which spans an area of 741.31 million ㎡ (224.24 million pyeong).

Waste into Biogas

Waste, commonly referred to as garbage, is generally classified into 'organic waste' and 'inorganic waste' based on its characteristics. Among these, organic waste can be decomposed by microorganisms through a biodegradation process to generate eco-friendly energy called biogas. The biogas is first used to dry the final residue produced during the treatment of organic waste, and the remaining amount is supplied to private power companies to be used as an energy source for producing heat or city gas.

The Seosan City resource-circulating biogas facility can process about 320 tons of organic waste per day. It is characterized by its ability to integrally process four types of organic waste: 100 tons of sewage sludge, 100 tons of livestock manure, 70 tons of human waste, and 50 tons of food waste. Using the processed waste as raw material, the facility produces 8,000㎥ of biogas daily. A Kumho Industrial official said, "The resource-circulating biogas facility can offer a new solution to local governments struggling with food waste and livestock manure treatment."

Attracting a facility that can integrally process difficult-to-handle food waste and livestock manure and convert them into eco-friendly biogas is a 'win-win' for local governments. In particular, Seosan City expects that through this facility, sewage sludge generated at sewage treatment plants can be effectively treated, improving the discharge water quality throughout Seosan City, including Ganwolho Lake.

The Secret: 'KH-ABC' Technology Developed by Kumho Industrial

This facility is the first in Korea capable of integrally processing organic waste such as livestock manure, human waste, food waste, and sewage sludge, which are prohibited from direct landfill or ocean dumping. Until now, organic waste had to be separated and treated individually according to type. According to Kumho Industrial, integrating the treatment of organic waste in a single facility can reduce annual operating costs by about 700 million KRW.

The reason this is possible is thanks to the organic waste biogasification (KH-ABC) technology applied in the facility. This technology was jointly researched and successfully developed by Kumho Industrial and the Korea Environment Corporation starting in 2008. Previously, waste was mixed only horizontally in a cylindrical digester, but this technology uses a rectangular horizontal digester to mix waste vertically from top to bottom, maximizing treatment efficiency. Unlike conventional digesters that treated high-concentration waste separately or diluted it with water, this technology can simultaneously process high-concentration waste, making it highly efficient.

The KH-ABC technology recently received 'Green Technology Certification.' It is the first biogas technology in Korea to hold both Green Technology Certification and Environmental New Technology status simultaneously. The Green Technology Certification is an official government recognition system for technologies that save energy and resources and minimize greenhouse gas and pollutant emissions through efficient use. Kumho Industrial benefits from various institutional supports such as preferential treatment in public procurement evaluations and Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) assessments by obtaining this certification.

Cross-sectional view of the digester inside the resource-circulating biogas facility in Seosan City, constructed by Kumho Industrial. While the existing digesters had separate desulfurization facilities, the resource-circulating biogas facility in Seosan City integrates the digester and desulfurization equipment into one unit, making it odor-free. (Photo by Kumho Industrial)

Waste Treatment Without Odor... Nationwide Local Governments' Love Calls

The biggest feature of this facility is that despite being a waste treatment facility, it does not emit any odor. While even small household food waste bins typically produce odors, the Seosan City resource-circulating biogas facility, which processes 320 tons of waste daily, has not received a single odor complaint to date.

According to Kumho Industrial, the odor from waste mainly originates from hydrogen sulfide gas contained in biogas. The device that removes this is the biological desulfurization facility. While conventional digesters had separate desulfurization facilities, the Seosan City resource-circulating biogas facility integrates the digester and desulfurization system. This allows hydrogen sulfide gas to be removed directly within the digester, preventing any odor from the facility.

An official from Kumho Industrial's Technology Research Institute said, "When working directly with waste in the lab, clothes usually absorb odors, making it difficult to use public transportation, but that does not happen here," adding, "This is because the reduced odor is completely eliminated by the fully sealed internal deodorization system, thanks to Kumho Industrial's core technology."

As this technology became known, interest in Kumho Industrial's waste treatment facilities has increased among many local governments nationwide. A Kumho Industrial official said, "Vehicles carrying food waste and livestock manure enter and exit the facility dozens of times a day, but there have been no odor complaints so far," and added, "Known as a facility capable of odorless organic waste treatment, we are currently receiving numerous tour inquiries from various local governments, showing overwhelming interest."

Kumho Industrial has selected KH-ABC technology as a future new growth engine and is accelerating research and development (R&D) investment and commercialization. Recently, construction began on a 230-ton scale public livestock manure treatment facility in Jeju City applying KH-ABC technology. Kumho Industrial emphasized, "We are focusing on environmental technology fields such as advanced water treatment, advanced sewage treatment, contaminated soil restoration, and renewable energy development research including biogas production and energy conversion technologies using organic waste."