Japan-headed JFE Engineering Corporation, the engineering and construction arm of JFE Group has announced that it will conduct a demonstration project utilizing biocoke as a fuel in its Shaft-Type Gasifying and Direct Melting Furnace in Singapore in collaboration with Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore, and Kinki University (Kindai) in Japan.
In Singapore, significant amounts of waste biomass such as wood waste, sawdust, and biomass from sewage sludge are generated. This research project will attempt to harness these resources in the form of biocoke as part of the ongoing global effort to develop technologies for the utilization of waste biomass.
Biocoke is an innovative bio-recycled fuel that can be made from a variety of biomass resources and contributes to reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The patented biocoke production process was developed by Professor Tamio Ida, Director of the Research Institute of Biocoke at Kindai, and his team.
Agency supported project
To commence in May 2021, this research project is supported by the National Research Foundation, Prime Minister’s Office, Singapore, and the National Environment Agency, Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment, Singapore under its Waste-to-Energy Test-bedding and Demonstration Funding Initiative.
During the course of this research, JFE will test the suitability of biocoke as a partial replacement for the auxiliary fuel required to achieve the melting of waste.
The verification test will be carried out using the JFE Shaft-Type Gasifying and Direct Melting Furnace built by JFEE in 2019 at the NTU-NEA WtE Research Facility in Singapore.
Proprietary technology
The Shaft-Type Gasifying and Direct Melting process is JFE’s most advanced waste treatment technology and enables gasification of waste and melting of its inert fraction in a single furnace. The incombustible fraction of waste is converted into slag and metal, which can be separated and safely reused and recycled.
The flexibility and robustness of this system allow for the treatment of diverse waste streams ranging from municipal solid waste (MSW) to excavated landfill waste and even Incineration Bottom Ash (IBA). This system can, therefore, contribute to alleviating the pressure on final disposal sites with limited capacities.
With the execution of this R&D project, the company reaffirms its continued commitment to support the development of sustainable societies worldwide through the application of advanced technologies such as the upcycling of unutilized waste biomass resources.
