JAKARTA – Used bento containers in Japan do not immediately end up in the trash. Osaka Gas Co. tested it as a biogas maker. This is a small, but important step, amid the big question, after being used, what do bioplastics actually want to be?
Launching a report by Kyodo News, which was quoted on Wednesday, May 6, the trial was conducted by Osaka Gas together with the Osaka City Government and Osaka Metropolitan University at a wastewater treatment facility in Osaka. This technology is aimed to be used practically around 2030.
Bento itself is a practical Japanese lunch box that is commonly sold in minimarkets, stations, and campus canteens. Because of its massive use, the waste of disposable containers is also increasing.
In the experiment, almost 1,000 used bioplastic bento containers were collected from the Osaka Metropolitan University canteen. The containers were decomposed into lactic acid, then mixed into the waste sludge in the digester tank. This process was carried out several times between December last year and March.
Osaka Gas officials said the trial was completed. The decomposition of the container into lactic acid and its conversion to biogas went smoothly. However, the company has not disclosed its detailed results.
According to Osaka Gas, initial tests with small devices showed promising results. Adding lactic acid to sewage sludge can increase biogas production by about three times. Biogas is usually produced by methanogenic microorganisms that decompose sludge.
If 3,500 containers are used, the biogas produced is estimated to be equivalent to the consumption of gas for about 30 households per day.
The number is not big. But the direction is clear. Disposable food containers, if the technology is ready and the chain is neat, can enter the city’s energy system.
The challenge is not easy. In order for biogas to meet the energy needs of local communities, the use of bioplastics must be widespread and the supply stable.
The Japanese government is targeting the use of bioplastics to rise to around 2 million tons by 2030. In 2022, the figure was only around 150,000 tons.
The problem is, environmentally friendly materials do not automatically solve the waste problem. Without sorting, collection, and processing technology, bioplastics can just be garbage with a sweeter name.
This trial was carried out as Japan’s gas industry develops substitutes for natural gas that produce carbon dioxide. The options include biogas and e-methane, a synthetic gas made from CO2 and hydrogen for city gas supplies.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language.
(system supported by DigitalSiber.id)