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[December 2009]
Mariwasa Picks Up Renewable Energy Technology Award
Tile manufacturer Mariwasa Siam Ceramics Inc (Philippines) has been named a winner this year in the UNIDO BlueSky Awards. These cover ‘Global Top Ten Investment Scenarios to Apply New Technologies for Renewable Energy Utilization’.
The project entered for this year’s awards by Mariwasa – ‘The Zero Waste Renewable Energy and Raw Material from Rice Husk for Ceramic Industry (ZWRR)' – is described as “the first of its kind and a pioneering technology in the Philippines or probably in the world”.
Mariwasa Siam Ceramics implemented the ZWRR as an integrated manufacturing system and a model for the ceramic industry because of its economic and environmental impact. The producer gas fuel from a fluidised bed gasifier and hot air from a hot air generator combustion process of rice husk are directly used in the thermal processes of ceramic manufacturing as replacement for its fossil fuel requirements such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), natural gas (NG) and heavy fuel oil (HFO), with minor burner modification.
Ceramic manufacturing plants that use coal, NG, LPG or HFO for their thermal processes can also benefit in this innovative fuel switching technology in terms of renewable energy resource and renewable raw materials, according to UNIDO. The waste rice husk ash (RHA) from biomass gasification and combustion, because of its high silica content, serves as a renewable raw material for the ceramic industry which has higher value compared to using it as fertiliser, cement material substitute or simply dumping it in the scrap yard.
The ZWRR application is not limited to the ceramic industry but is also applicable to other industries that require heat and electric power. ZWRR estimated yearly cost savings for fuel switching and ash utilisation are US$1.7 million and US$0.44 million, respectively. Some 4,000 tons of deflocculant and 8,700 tons of high silica clay can be replaced with RHA utilisation.
Aside from fuel and raw material savings, a potential reduction of 41,559 tons of CO2 emission can be realised based on the implementation at Mariwasa. Local farmers are given priority in selling their rice husk which gives additional value to their rice crops. Additional livelihood for the local community is also generated to support logistics of bringing rice husks to the ceramic plant.
ENDS