VietNamNet Bridge - Associate Professor Tang Thi Chinh from the Vietnam Institute of Environmental Technology has spent 20 years pursuing research on processing domestic waste with useful microorganisms.

Associate Professor Tang Thi Chinh (third left)

Chinh has used selected bacteria and actinomycetes such as Bacillus, Lactobacillus, Streptomyces and yeast Saccharomyces to produce a microbiological product to process domestic waste, naming it Sagi bio. 

The product is being used at the Phu Tho Waste Treatment and Processing Plant and the Binh Phuoc environment technology development JSC.

The success is an important reason why Chinh decided to make micro-organic fertilizer from domestic waste. 

Some waste treatment plants in Vietnam, including Cau Dien in Hanoi, Thuy Phuong in Hue City and the plants in Nam Dinh, tried to do this as well.

The plants, which spent 10 years on research, still could not successfully make the products because they could not meet standards in organic content and other requirements.

Chinh said the production of micro-organic fertilizer needs two stages. In the first one, micro products with thermophilic bacteria, which have high enzyme amylaza and proteaza vitality, and thermophilic actinomycetes will be used to separate organic waste into organic humus.

In the second stage, the organic humus, after it is filtered, will be mixed with useful microorganisms and other nutrients to turn into microbiological organic fertilizer.

The production process has been applied in many countries over the last tens of years. However, it cannot be applied in Vietnam, where the conditions are different.

“In the countries, waste is classified right when it is collected, while this still cannot be done in Vietnam,” Chinh explained.

In domestic waste in Vietnam’s urban areas, organic waste accounts for 46-60 percent. However, the waste is found among many other kinds of waste, including plastics (6-12 percent), ferrous metal (0.1-0.5 percent), animal bone (0.5-1.5 percent) and building material waste (3-8.5 percent).

While Chinh was still busy working on a solution to the problem, she was assigned the task of finding technology using thermophilic microbiological products to treat domestic waste. 

This was a great opportunity for Chinh to commercialize her research work. It is the time for her to transfer the achievements she found over the last 20 years to enterprises.

The Ha Tinh Urban Area Works Management Company is the sponsor for the commercial development project.

The first stage of the project went smoothly as Sagi bio was applied successfully. Duc noted that the biggest advantage of the product is that it can control odors effectively and prevent the growth of flies and mosquitos, and therefore, reduce the volume of chemicals needed to kill flies.

Tia Sang