Biogas power plant using food waste starts in Sendai

A power plant, Tohoku Bio Food Recycle, that generates electricity from food waste has started in Sendai, Miyagi prefecture. It generates electricity using methane gas as fuel, which is generated when microorganisms ferment food waste. The food waste is collected from businesses in and around Miyagi Prefecture, including the station building of Sendai Station, which is a huge terminal station in the Tohoku region.

In Japan, food waste is usually incinerated like other general waste. Food waste amounts to 15.35 million tons annually, and CO2 emissions from incineration are a problem. There is a trend to use compost, but it is still a small part.

This project uses 40 tons of food waste per day for power generation. The power output is 780kW, and the estimated annual power generation is about 6,500MWh, which is equivalent to about 1,500 households’ annual power consumption. The annual CO2 reduction effect is approximately 3,000t-CO2.

The plant was built in the northern area of Gamo, Sendai City, which was terribly damaged by the tsunami in 2011.

J & T Environment, JR East Group, and Tokyo Gas, which collaborate on this joint project, said, “We promote a local circular society that aims for carbon-free society and local production for local consumption of energy by generating renewable energy from food waste. We contribute to both the sustainable development of the local economy and society and the conservation of the environment through biogas power generation and, in the future, through converting fermentation residues generated in the food waste treatment process into fertilizers and utilizing them in neighboring farmlands.”

May the success of this enormous project simultaneously solve our food waste and energy issues.