Food recycling and biogas energy for a decarbonized society

Biogas power generation is expected to spread in the future and Japan’s Tohoku region is spearheading the trend. Just last month, 4 companies in the Tohoku region announced that they will team up to launch a new company. it will initiate a bio food recycling and biogas power generation plant in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture. The facility scheduled to open in spring, 2022 is expected to contribute to building a decarbonized society, as well as a regional recycling society by incorporating renewable energy and improving food recycling rate.

Tohoku Bio Food Recycle—launched on this occasion to initiate the project—is a joint venture that involves 4 experts in the Tohoku region. They include: JFE Engineering Corp.’s subsidiary J&T Recycling Corp., a company known for its know-hows on waste treatment including food recycling and its involvement in plastic recycling business in Sendai City; JR East Japan Group, known for its railway business, not to mention various constructions including Sendai Station’s station building, shopping area and hotel, etc.; and Tokyo Gas Group, which has expertise in biogas, developing a stable gas and electricity supply while initiating energy service businesses.

The new Tohoku Bio Food Recycle Sendai Plant is expected to ferment up to 40 tons of food waste per day with microorganisms and use methane gas generated as fuel to generate electricity. The power generation output is 780kW, and the estimated annual power generation is expected to reach 6,500MWh (equivalent to the amount for about 1,500 regular households).

Furthermore, the construction site of the plant is located in the northern Gamou in Sendai, a place that was severely damaged by the Great East Japan Earthquake. The companies emphasize that while taking utmost care of the surrounding environment, they wish to make use of the crop digestion generated in the decomposing process, at its neighboring farmlands as well as locally produce and consume renewable energy.

The new plant is expected to promote regional resource recycling and regional revitalization, while contributing to environmental protection along the way. Let’s see how Tohoku will start anew with clean energy recycled in the region.