WORLD BIOENERGY CONGRESS AND

EXPO
th
th
13
-14
June 2016
Waste Co-digestion

Food
with
Sewage Sludge Realising its
Potential in Malaysia
Assoc. Prof. Ir. Dr. Kumaran Palanisamy
Centre for Renewable Energy
Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN)

Presentation Outline
Energy Consumption in Malaysia
The 11th Malaysia Plan
Malaysias RE Landscape
Malaysian RE Target
Malaysian Municipal Solid Waste (Food Waste)
Management
Current Disposal Method- Landfill
Biogas Energy Potential from Food Waste
Limitation of Anaerobic Digestion of Food
Waste
Malaysian Sewerage Treatment
A Typical STP Scenario in Malaysia
Biogas Energy Potential from Sewage
Biogas Energy Potential from Secondary
Thickened of
Sludge
Limitation
Anaerobic Digestion of Secondary
Thickened
Sludge
Co-digestion
of Food Waste and Secondary
Thickened Sludge
Impact on Sustainability
Conclusion
References
Q&A

Introduction of Malaysia

Universiti Tenaga Nasional

Informati
on
Technolo
gy

Engineer
ing

TENAGA NASIONAL
BERHAD

Human Capital
Development
15,527 Graduates
10,932 Student
Enrolment
Research
Innovation
USD12.31M Research
Grants
700+ Research
Knowledge
Transfer
projects via
to Industries
Consultancy Projects
& Short Courses

Our Parent Company:

Tenaga Nasional Berhad
Corporate Profile

Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) is the largest electricity utility in

Malaysia
Almost USD 22.52 billion in assets.
The Company is listed on the main board of Bursa Malaysia
Employs approximately 30,535 people
A customer base of estimated 7.9 million in Peninsular Malaysia,
Sabah and Labuan.
TNB plays an integral role in the national, economic and social
prosperity of the country by providing reliable and efficient
services.
TNBs core businesses are in the generation, transmission and
distribution of electricity.
TNB is ranked 550th biggest company in Forbes Global 2000 in 2011.
TNB is 72nd worlds largest Electricity Supply Company in 2011.
TNB won the AKIPM award in 2008.

Centre for Renewable

Energy

UNITEN is one of the first private universitiesin Malaysia and is

wholly-owned by the public-listed Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB).

The Centre for Renewable Energy (CRE) was established in August

2008 as a one stop centre for research and development in
renewable energy and formally institutionalized as a Research
Centre of Excellence (CoE) in UNITEN on 21 March 2012
CRE provides a sustainable platform for strategic partnerships
between

the

authority,

industry

and

academia

into

greater

achievements in national renewable energy development with the

vision to be the leading centre of excellence and regional
knowledge hub in renewable energy.

Energy Consumption in
Malaysia
Hydroelectricity; 2.97 Renewables; 0.33
Coal; 17.47

Oil; 38.68

Natural Gas; 40.55

Source: British Petroleum

Company, 2015

Figure 2: Energy Consumption by Fuel (Malaysia)

In 2014, 88.8 Mtoe (96.70%) of energy consumed in Malaysia is

generated by using fossil fuels (British Petroleum Company,2015)
Malaysian fossil fuel reserves are predicted to deplete by 2035
(Rahim, K. and Liwan, A. 2012)

The 11th Malaysia Plan:

Green
Growth
Malaysia, grappling
with the challenge
of balancing a growing

population and demand, with a natural environment that is

increasingly under stress.
In the global context of increasing intensity and frequency of
extreme weather events, adopting green growth has now become
an imperative for Malaysia.
Malaysias
andshift
increase
itsthat
commitment
to the environment
Achieving by a renew
fundamental
towards one
views resilient, low-carbon,
resource-efficient,
socially inclusive development as an upfront investment that
and
long-termand
sustainability.
will yield future gains over multiple generations to come.

Source: Economic Planning Unit (2016),

Malaysias RE Landscape (2015

2020)

Source: Economic Planning Unit (2016), SEDA, U.S. EIA

Malaysian RE Target
The National RE capacity is targeted to reach 2,080 MW by
2020 which contributes to 7.8% of the total installed
capacity in Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah

Biogas
generated from
Food Waste and
Sewage Sludge
can contribute
to the National
RE

Source: Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water, 2010

Municipal Solid Waste

(Food Waste)

Malaysian Municipal Solid

Waste
Current
population
growth, Management
it is approximated that the
(Food
Waste)

load of MSW generated by the year 2020 will be 49,000

tons/day or more than 12,000,000 tons/year. (Tan et al., 2015)
The waste generation rate in Malaysia is about 1.17
kg/capita/day. (Mohamad Taha, 2014)
Federal Government has imposed a new law (Act 672) and
Ministry of Housing and Local Government and Urban Wellbeing (KPKT) are in-charge of the waste management
issues.

Current Disposal MethodLandfill

More than 90.0% of the MSW are sent to landfills, which most

of them are saturated and overloaded.

Due to the scarcity of land and public complaints making
the building of new landfill is almost impossible. (Johari et al., 2014)
Failure of sorting waste from the source and the tropical
climate enhances the moist of co-mingled waste cause
difficulties to be incinerated.
The KPKT states that 24.5 million kg per day are food wastes
& 70.0% of food wastes are disposed at the landfill sites. (Yahana,
2016)

Anaerobic digestion is an integrated solid waste management

system for a community in a developing country while
preserving the natural ecosystem within an acceptable cost.
(Tan et al., 2015)

Renewable energy produced from anaerobic digestion process

can be seen as a good reason for many communities to start
recycling our valuable resources. (Kumaran et al., 2016)
Food wastes substrates to produce renewable energy through
anaerobic digestion tend to solve the waste disposal problem.

Biogas Energy Potential from

Food Waste
Table 1: Estimated methane production from food waste based on population in Malaysia

Parameter
Population
Food waste generated per person
per day a
Total mass of food waste generated
Total volume of food waste
generated b
COD level in food waste c
Total COD level in food waste
Methane produced d
Energy produced e

Gas engine installed capacity f

Unit
million people
kg/day

Value
30.1
0.6

kg/day
m3/day

18,060,000
17,551.02

mg/L
kg/day
m3/day
TJ/day
GWh/day
TWh/year
MW

153,733.33
2,698,000
944,300
14.259
3.96
1.31
165.03

* The projected energy production is not achievable due to some limitations of food waste digestion only
a

Assume 0.600 kg of food waste generated per day by per person (Masilamani, J. 2013)

Assume density of food waste is 1,029 kg/m3

Mean value of Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) level of food waste is 153,733.33 mg/L (experimental value)

Methane conversion factor is 0.35 m3 CH4 per kg COD (Harikrishnan, S. 2008)

Energy content of CH4 is 37,750 kJ/m3 with gas engine conversion efficiency of 40% (Harikrishnan, S., 2008)

Assume that gas engine is operating 330 days/year

Limitation of Anaerobic
Digestion
of
Food
Waste
Limitations at present condition,

Limitations at present condition,

There
are
acetoclastic
methanogens
and
hydrogenotrophic methanogens available within an
anaerobic digestion process
Food waste has high nitrogen content due to the high
protein component which generates a high level of
ammonia that is toxic to the acetoclastic methanogens.
(Yenign & Demirel, 2013)

Biogas production can still take place via the

hydrogenotrophic methanogens. However, food waste
digestion processes have been shown to be lacking in
sufficient key trace elements to enable this process to
continue efficiently. (Kim, Nam, & Shin, 2011)
Inhibition occurs when food waste is digested alone in the
long-term operation due to the imbalance of
nutrients in the anaerobic digester.
Additionally, the concentration of lipids of volatile

Malaysian Sewerage
Treatment

Malaysian Sewerage
Treatment

Source: Hamid, H. and Mohd Baki, A. (2005)

Before 1950s: No proper sewerage systems

1950s
to
1970s:
Government
launched
proper
construction of appropriate sanitation facilities (Eg: Septic
tank)
1980s to 2000s: Secondary treatment systems such as
oxidation ponds and aerated lagoons for better effluent
quality

A Typical Schematic of Modern

Mechanized STP Process Flow
in Malaysia
Pumping
Sewa
ge

Outfall to
rivers

Station

Effluent

Measuring
Tank
Primary
Clarifier

Grit
Chamber

Primary
Sludge
Gravity
Thickener

Aeration
Tank
Return Activated
Sludge
Sludge Treatment

Secondary
Clarifier
Waste
Sludge
Mechanical
Thickener
Generator

SCADA
ROOM

Tanker Sludge
Receiving Facility

Digester
Tank
Sludge
Dewatering

Gas
Holder
Sludg
e
Cake

Gas Engine
Combustor

Biogas Energy Potential from

Sewage
Sewerage treatment in Malaysia faces stringent regulatory

standards as stipulate in the Environmental Quality Act

1974.
Almost 50% of the sewerage systems in Malaysia uses
mechanized plants while others still use septic tanks and
oxidation ponds. (Mohammad, 2013)
Some modern mechanized plants have been upgraded with
anaerobic digesters whereby the bio-solids are treated
anaerobically to produce methane.

Biogas Energy Potential from

Secondary Thickened Sludge
Table 2: Estimated methane production from secondary thickened sludge based on population in
Malaysia

Parameter
Population
Waste water generated per
person a
Total volume of waste water
generated
Total volume of STS generated

Unit
million people
m3/day

Value
30.1
0.25

million m3/day

7.53

m3/day

13,252.8

mg/L
kg /day
m3/day
TJ/day
MWh/day
MWh/year
MW

20,301.2
269,047.7
94,166.7
1.4
395.0
130.3
16.5

COD level in STS c

Total COD level
Methane produced d
Energy produced e

Gas engine installed capacity

* The projected energy production is not achievable due to some limitations of STS digestion only due to low biodegradability

a
b
c
d
e
f

Assume 0.25m3 of wastewater generated per day by per person

0.18 % of STS generated from wastewater inflow (Universiti Tenaga Nasional, 2014)
Mean value of COD of STS is 20,301.2 mg/L (experimental value)
Methane conversion factor is 0.35 m3 CH4 per kg COD (Harikrishnan, S. 2008)
Energy content of CH4 is 37,750 kJ/m3 with gas engine conversion efficiency of 40% (Harikrishnan, S., 2008)
Assume that gas engine is operating 330 days/year

Limitation of Anaerobic
Digestion of Secondary
Thickened Sludge

At present the average biogas production is only 1,010.0 m 3/day. (Universiti

Tenaga Nasional, 2014)

Among the issues are the low solid content (approx. 135.0 mg/L) in the
inflow and poor degradability of volatile solids (10.0-15.0%) (Universiti Tenaga
Nasional, 2014)

It is not economically feasible for commercial implementation due to the

quantity and quality of biogas produced presently.
Therefore, the methane gas produced is flared in order to mitigate GHG
emission without exploiting the energy potential tapped in the biogas.
4/32

Food Waste Co-digestion with

Sewage Sludge Realising its
Potential in Malaysia

Co-digestion of Food Waste

with Sewage Sludge
Co-digestion with other low degradability substrate such as
STS is an alternate method.
Anaerobic co-digestion of food waste with STS improves the
C/N ratio, biogas production, methane yield and overcomes
the nutrient imbalance of food waste (Zhang et al., 2014).
A promising approach for biogas and methane yield
improvement & could be applied in pilot-scale and full-scale
plants for a richer biogas.
The constraints of conventional/single substrate anaerobic
digestion can be resolved by synergistic effect of co-digestion
of food waste and sewage. (Kim et al., 2011)
The system stability was improved with co-substrate (food
waste and sewage sludge) being a diluting agent to inhibitors
& enhanced volumetric biogas production. Dai et al., 2013
New plants for sewage and food wastes co-digestion have
been established in Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. (Braun
and Wellinger, 2009)

Co-digestion of food waste and sewage sludge has not been

Co-digestion of Food Waste

with Sewage Sludge continuedTable 3: Estimated methane production from co-digestion (50:50) of food waste and STS based
on population in Malaysia

Parameter
Population
Volume of food waste
COD level in food waste

Volume of STS
COD level in STS

Unit
million
people
m3/day

Value
30.1

mg/L

153,733.33

m3/day

17,551.02

mg/L

20,301.2

17,551.02

Total COD concentration (50% STS+ 50% food kg /day

waste ) c
Methane produced d
m3/day

3.05

Energy produced

TJ/day

16.14

GWh/day

4.48

MW

186.83

Gas engine installed capacity

1.07 x 106

Mean value of Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) level of food waste is 153,733.33 mg/L (experimental value)

Mean value of COD of STS is 20,301.2 mg/L (experimental value)

The optimum co-digestion ratio of food waste and STS is 50:50 by volume (experimental value)

Methane conversion factor is 0.35 m3 CH4 per kg COD (Harikrishnan, S. 2008)

Energy content of CH4 is 37,750 kJ/m3 with gas engine conversion efficiency of 40% (Harikrishnan, S. 2008)

Assume that gas engine is operating 330 days/year

Co-digestion of Food Waste

with Sewage Sludge continued The estimated methane production from co-digestion
of food waste and sewage sludge based on population
in Malaysia.
The optimum co-digestion ratio of 50:50 based on
experimental study has been used throughout this
study.
The potential methane generation from the codigestion of STS and food waste is approximately
70,831.8 m3/day that has capability to generate 98.0
MWh annually.

Impact on Sustainability

Conclusion

References

British Petroleum, (2015). BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2015.

London.
Rahim, K. and Liwan, A. (2012). Oil and gas trends and implications in
Malaysia. Energy Policy, 50, pp.262--271.
Economic Planning Unit, (2016).Pursuing green growth for
sustainability and resilience. Putrajaya.
Sustainable Energy Development Authority Malaysia, SEDA
(2012).SEDA PORTAL. [online] Retrieved from: http://seda.gov.my/
[Accessed: 23 June 2015].
Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water (KeTTHa), (2010)
KeTTHA PORTAL. [online] Available at: [online] Available at:
http://www.kettha.gov.my/ [Accessed: 11 Feb 2015].
Tan, S., Ho, W., Hashim, H., Lee, C., Taib, M., & Ho, C. (2015).
Energy, economic and environmental (3E) analysis of waste-to-energy
(WTE) strategies for municipal solid waste (MSW) management in
Malaysia.Energy Conversion And Management,102, 111-120.
Mohamad Taha, M. (2014). Biogas Opportunity in Municipal Solid
Waste. Presentation, JW Marriott Hotel Kuala Lumpur.
Yahaya, N. (2016).Development of a National Strategic Plan for Food
Waste Management in Malaysia. Presentation, Hanoi Forum 3R
Hamid, H. and Mohd Baki, A. (2005) Sewage Treatment Trends in
Malaysia. The Ingeniur, 3 (March-May 2005), p.46-53.

References

continued-

Kumaran, P., Hephzibah, D., Sivasankari, R., Saifuddin, N. and

Shamsuddin, A. (2016). A review on industrial scale anaerobic digestion
systems deployment in Malaysia: Opportunities and challenges.
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 56, pp.929-940.
Universiti Tenaga Nasional, (2014). Baseline and Performance
Evaluation Study Report: Pantai Sewerage Treatment Plant, Pantai Dalam,
Kuala Lumpur. Kuala Lumpur.
Zhang, C., Su, H., Baeyens, J., & Tan, T. (2014). Reviewing the
anaerobic digestion of food waste for biogas production.Renewable And
Sustainable Energy Reviews,38, 383-392.
Kim, H., Nam, J., & Shin, H. (2011). A comparison study on the highrate co-digestion of sewage sludge and food waste using a temperaturephased anaerobic sequencing batch reactor system. Bioresource
Technology, 102(15), 7272-7279.
Braun, R. and Wellinger, A. (2009).Potential of Co-digestion. IEA
Bioenergy.
Ljupka, A. & Themelis, N. (2010). Anaerobic digestion of food waste:
Current status, problems and an alternative product (pp. 35-64). New
York City: Earth Engineering Center, Columbia University.
Yenign, O. & Demirel, B. (2013). Ammonia inhibition in anaerobic
digestion:
A
review.
Process
Biochemistry,
48(5-6),
901-911.

Thank You

Q&A