Animal waste generates alternative energy

A bird's-eye view of Chilseong Energy in Cheongyang, South Chungcheong Province / Joint Press Corps

By Lee Kyung-min

What if you could make 140 million won ($106,670) with just 10 million won? And what if such investment was part of a government project to foster energy recycling?

This seemingly self-explanatory windfall opportunity has been met with cynicism by some who have spent their whole lives growing crops and raising livestock. These farmers are many things, but being open to change is not one of them.

Kang Seok-jin, who farms tomatoes and melons in Cheongyang, South Chungcheong Province, could have remained one of them, but he did not. He was the only one who netted a 14-fold return on investment.

He had not given it too much thought. Then he met with a group of agriculture ministry officials who convinced him that the ministry-promoted animal waste recycling project will save him the money needed to keep his farm warm enough to make his tomatoes and melons bigger and more flavorful.

“The bigger they are, the healthier and more valuable they are,” Kang said.

This not only means more money for him, but the experience rewarding enough to make him proud of putting in countless hours for months on end.

“I didn't know too much about the project other than my father had been in talks with ministry officials to sign up for it,” he said. “But now I am glad I continued what my father had worked on. My farmer friends say they now want what I have.”

His farmer friends are interested in saving facility investment costs of 140 million won, an extremely high return on the initial investment of 10 million won.

Kang would have otherwise spent the 140 million won to buy 99,200 liters of paraffin oil as fuel for heating his farm, as many of his friends still do.

Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Minister Chung Hwang-keun speaks during a press briefing at Chilseong Energy in Cheongyang, South Chungcheong Province, Tuesday. Courtesy of Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

So where does the heating come from?

The answer is in animal waste treatment, a new source of green energy.

Chilseong Energy, an animal waste treatment firm in the province, processes 1.85 million tons of animal waste per day.

The treatment generates heat and methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

Heat is used to warm the water circulated at a farm.

Methane is turned into biogas, a highly demanded energy source sold to Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO).

Methane is removed from the residue which is used as fertilizer for crops.

The green energy firm with annual sales of 6 billion won also contributes to reducing greenhouse gases, a major policy goal for the ministry.

“Chilseong Energy is a great example of how the agriculture industry can lead the innovative sustainable growth,” Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Chung Hwang-keun said during a press briefing at the firm, Tuesday. “The government will continue policy support to make more of these successful test cases.”

Kim Jung-wook, the director general of the ministry's livestock policy division, said the ministry's efforts are encapsulated by a saying: “Our work is s**t, but the results are golden.”

He added, “Our division's work involves animal waste treatment, something that is not particularly glamorous ― far from it. But the work is taking a new eco-friendly sustainable turn. We are proud of what we do and how it contributes to the sustainable future.”