Catbalogan city eyes plasma waste treatment facility

CATBALOGAN CITY, Aug. 15 (PNA) – The city government here is now in negotiation with Quantum International, a Europe-based company, for a possible establishment of a regional plasma waste treatment facility capable of processing and disposing municipal and industrial solid wastes.

City Mayor Stephany Uy-Tan said the waste treatment facility will help address the worsening issue of solid waste disposal of the city

Plasma gasification is an emerging technology which can process landfill waste to extract commodity recyclables and convert carbon-based materials into fuels. It can form an integral component in a system to achieve zero-waste and produce renewable fuels, whilst caring for the environment.

Plasma arc processing has been used for years to treat hazardous waste, such as incinerator ash and chemical weapons, and convert them into non-hazardous slag.

The value of the plasma technology is that it would address not only garbage disposal problems, but also power supply concerns. Processing of 1,000 tons of wastes could generate 1,000 megawatts of power. Also, the plant could be used to produce not only electricity but also gasoline, kerosene and biofuels.

A plasma gasification plant can start commercial operations after 18 months of construction, it was learned.

In a study in 2010 by the Samar State University, it was revealed that the local government of Catbalogan had difficulties in developing management plans due to the lack of solid waste management baseline information and data related to the functional elements of solid waste management.

The study further recommended that the local government of Catbalogan should seriously undertake material resource recovery and recycling programs and provide technical facilities, intensive awareness campaign and strict implementation of the solid waste management law.

“Finally, we are having concrete steps and tangible results in our efforts to address the waste problem in the city,” Tan said.

Meanwhile, Tan announced that they are starting the implementation of a privatized garbage collection in the city.

Tan, who is now on her second term as mayor, made her fourth State of the City Address on August 1 in one of the city village, to bring her yearly report closer to the people. (PNA)
FPV/SQM/AHLETTE C. REYES/EGR