Chiang Mai Journal of Science

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A small business grows and expands until it and its production reach corporate size, and then it becomes a major polluter – a story heard all over the country. This situation now exists in the agricultural industry. As time goes by, farming waste from poultry, livestock and the like are scattered all over the countryside and forgotten or just neglected. In the current climate of mass agricultural production, the farmer is hard pressed to find adequate means for waste disposal. Commercial poultry, beef, and pork operations are all faced with the problem of waste materials that contaminate air, water and land. Increasing the concentration and intensity of agricultural activities, necessary for the development and prosperity of  the country’s economy, are responsible for many new environmental issues. The primary sources of  pollution resulting from agricultural practices can be grouped as: animal waste, waste from the processing of raw agricultural products, rural domestic waste, sediment from land, plant nutrients from fertilizers, inorganic salts and materials resulting from irrigation, pesticides, aeroallergens and infectious agents, particulate and gaseous substances derived from the combustion of  waste, and natural plant emissions. For agricultural waste disposal (including pulp and paper, meat residues from slaughtering and packing, cotton processing, canning, dairy products, sugar refining, frozen fruits and vegetables, poultry, hides and leather), landfilling is an easy method for waste management. However, landfills are the main source of  atmospheric methane, a potent greenhouse gas. This is partly because most landfills are not designed to capture methane and even those that are can only capture less than 25% of the amount produced. Apart from methane, landfills also emit a variety of toxic gases and their barrier life is as little as 20 years, meaning that, in the long term, leakage will eventually threaten groundwater. Another problem is that during landfilling potentially recyclable or compostable materials become contaminated so that their reuse or recycling is unsafe. An alternative approach is to first separate recyclable materials and compostable organic materials and then to compost the unusable waste in order to lessen its capacity for methane generation. At the same time, this would also help to minimize the amount of material that is ultimately used for the landfill. Over the past decade, there has been a growing trend towards environmental awareness and recycling. Recycling has dramatically affected the public’s perception of  waste handling and disposal. The media often regards recycling as the universal solution for all types of waste that are generated. However, recycling technology is still developing. For example, biofuels (e.g., ethanol, renewable diesel, methane, hydrogen, Fischer-Tropsch fuels or syngas fuels, and bio-butanol) are renewable fuels that can be derived from living and recently living biological materials (biomass). They can be in the form of  solids, liquids or gases and can either be used directly as a primary fuel for electricity and heat generation or as a feedstock to produce intermediate refined secondary fuels and chemicals. Biomass can be converted into biofuels by thermal, chemical, biological and/or physical processes. Primary feedstocks include a variety of non-homogeneous materials such as agricultural crops and crop residues, manures, industrial residues from forestry products and food processing, energy crops, and the organic portion of waste. This distinguishes biofuel production from fossil fuel production that typically uses homogeneous raw materials. The dominant feedstocks today are residues and waste from processing industries, especially forestry and farming residues. In the future, it is expected that a greater range of biomass (such as purpose-grown crops) could be used. As a result, it is necessary to construct a biomass multiple-stage application system which systematically produces and applies the biomass generated in the region as useful materials and fuels. The basic idea is to minimize the fossil fuel energy used in the transportation and conversion of  biomass in order to contribute to the environmental conservation of  the region and to boost agriculture and industry. In constructing such a multiple-stage application system, the relationship between the various parties involved and the cooperation between plants is essential. Therefore, the clarity of various systems, regulations, procedures, operational organizations, balance between supply and demand, combination of conversion technologies, and transportation must all be considered. A regional model of a biomass multiple-stage application system for a suburban model in agriculture and the livestock industries is necessary for the realization of a biomass refinery in keeping with the regional characteristics in the northern part of Thailand. In this model, the first step is for the resources and products of  the region and energy flow to be clearly defined. Next, the basic design of such a system is drawn up as the blueprint for a plant which will be built by Sunsweet Co., Ltd.   Cooperation will come from Lanna Products Co., Ltd., the Agricultural Producers Co-operative Corporation “WAGOEN” in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, Sweet Corn Cultivator Cooperative, Bankai Sub-District Administration Organization, San Patong District, Chiang Mai, Thailand, the Thailand Institute of  Scientific and Technological Research (TISTR), and the Science and Technology Service Center, Chiang Mai University, for the development and utilization of  biomass. Consequently, this project stands to have a very significant impact on environmental protection, natural resources conservation, and economic gain.  Research into the development of a practical and effective system will lead to collaboration between the universities and industries involved.  Student training programs will also be established.  Both government and private agencies will benefit from working together which will set an important precedent for the future. Active participation of each and every stakeholder is a requirement for the successful operation of  these systems centering on the local biomass resource center. Moreover, it isexpected that government agencies and related organizations will play very important roles in the planning and support for this innovative venture which is centered around environmental awareness and recycling.

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