Sirim to introduce food waste energy project to local councils

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MIRI: The country’s premier industrial research and technology organisation, Sirim, is keen to develop a project to produce food waste energy in Sarawak.

Its Group Strategic Planning vice president Goay Peck Sim said Sirim will have a briefing session with local councils in the state next month on the project.

“We are going to meet the local councils throughout Sarawak on the food waste energy project. This project has been successfully implemented by the local councils in Peninsular Malaysia.

“This is another good green project that Sarawak can move into,” she stated to the media at a press conference after the Sirim-Industry Engagement Programme at Meritz Hotel here yesterday.

Thus far, Goay said three municipal councils; namely Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ), Port Dickson Municipal Council (MPPD) and Hang Tuah Jaya Municipal Council (MPHTJ) in Melaka, had adopted the green initiative.

She added that a local council in Sepang, Selangor would also be adopting the green initiative.

Under this pilot project, she explained, Sirim has developed an Anaerobic Digestion System to generate energy by using food waste collected from participating food courts.

For Sarawak, she added, it can also look into another source of waste energy — palm oil waste.

“We have a demonstration plant on bio-natural gas which produces energy from palm oil waste or palm oil effluence.

“There are about 70 palm oil mills in Sarawak, thus it will be another good project to explore in the state.”

Assistant Minister of Industries and Investment Malcolm Mussen, who attended the press conference, said his ministry would give its total support to Sirim in creating better awareness of reliable and environment-friendly source of energy.

He said the proposal by Sirim would be a good start for Sarawak to invest in environment-friendly and sustainable energy, and that converting palm oil waste into energy would help in reducing factory operation cost by 30 to 60 per cent.

‘Energy can be an issue in 20 to 30 years later, with the depletion of non-renewable sources like fossil fuel.

“Thus, we have to look forward to promote green technology through biomass, wind, solar and many others.”