Gardens by the Bay, which has received more than 50 million visitors since it opened in 2012, has adopted technology that converts trash into energy as well as a carbon-based product that may enhance plant growth.
Energy provider SP Group has created a 6m-long enclosed system that converts food waste, plastic and general waste into thermal energy at 650 degrees Celcius. This energy is used to heat a large water tank for use by food and beverage (F&B) outlets at Gardens by the Bay.
As a by-product of the chemical reaction, 5% of the waste’s volume becomes biochar – carbon-based chips that resemble charcoal and can be used to treat soil.
Gardens by the Bay will research biochar’s effects on plant growth and health. As the waste is not incinerated and some carbon is locked in the biochar, its carbon footprint is reduced by up to 20%.
SP’s system will help to reduce Singapore’s reliance on the Pulau Semakau landfill, which is expected to be filled by 2035.
Mr Thomas Seow, Gardens by the Bay’s Senior Director of Research and Horticulture, noted that The Gardens is an ideal location for the pilot because it has a (variety) of waste that can be tested. Hot water and biochar can also be used here and need not be transferred out of the Gardens.
Mr Jimmy Khoo, SP’s chief executive for Singapore district cooling, believes that the system can be deployed in places such as hotels and hospitals.
Watch the video below to learn more about this process.
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Source: The Straits Times, 7 June 2019