About 250 tons of feedstock will be processed daily into biogas with anaerobic digestion technology – a two-stage process where, with no oxygen, organic substances are decomposed into fatty acids, alcohols and ammonia, which then will convert into a methane-rich gas with the help of methane-generating bacteria. The Kasaoka complex will be the second project of Anaergia and Toyo Energy Solution Co., who previously commissioned a biogas plant in Yabu City, Hyogo Prefecture, western Japan.
“Wastes such as manure, sewage biosolids, and food scraps create two-thirds of all point source emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas that is 85 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Stopping these methane emissions from waste must be a central tactic in curbing global warming,” Anaergia quotes in its release Andrew Benedek, the company chairman and GEO. “This new bioenergy plant will not only help Japan reduce methane emissions from manure, it will also reduce the need for LNG to generate electricity,” he said.
Bioenergy plants (including biogas plants) are the third largest source of renewable energy in Japan. According to Ember research centre, they accounted for 4.5% of generation in the country in 2021, while the share of solar panels and hydropower plants (HPP) was 9.8% and 9.7%, respectively (with the share of wind turbines and all other RES – 1.1% and 0.3%). The installed capacity of all types of bioenergy plants in Japan tripled (from 1,482 MW to 4,677 MW) within 2012-2021, as it follows from the data of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).
Agriculture is the largest methane emitter. As McKinsey estimates, the sector accounts for 38% of CH4 emissions, while industry accounts for 33%, with the remaining 29% split between the waste industry (23%) and forestry (5%).
