WTE is applicable in Vietnam

On January 10, the Binh Duong Water & Environment JSC organized an inauguration ceremony of the second phase of the Binh Duong Waste Treatment Complex project. 

The second phase includes important component projects – an 820 KW electricity generation unit run with biogas collected from waste; the doubling of the microbial fertilizer plant capacity to 840 tons per day; and a hazardous waste incinerator with the capacity of 100 tons per day, one of the WTE plants which have been built recently in the south.

According to Phung Chi Sy from VACNE (Vietnam Association for Conservation of Nature and Environment), WTE technology has advantages in comparison with other technologies. WTE reduces 90-95 percent of waste volume, takes full advantage of heat, occupies less land area, mitigates water pollution and bad odors and reduces greenhouse emissions. 

Vietnam is facing a rapid increase in the volume of industrial, domestic and hazardous waste, especially in HCMC, the country’s largest urban area.

Sy stressed that WTE is the best solution to the waste treatment problem in Vietnam.

In Germany, 60 percent of waste is incinerated, while the figure is 100 percent in Denmark for energy collection. 

The heat to be produced from incineration is used to create steam which will be used to run turbines that generate electricity. Burning 600 tons of waste every day can produce 400 MWh electricity a day and 1,200 MWh of energy for heating. 

HCM City Party Secretary Nguyen Thien Nhan, who attended the inauguration ceremony, said the city authorities and residents are both concerned about waste treatment. Reducing the percentage of buried waste and stopping the burying is clearly a roadmap that the city has to pursue.

The trial run of the Go Cat WTE Plant developed by HMC and HCMC Environment & Urban Area Co Ltd has shown initial results. 

In November, HCMC authorities released a decision on offering big investment incentives to projects on treating waste with advanced technologies. 

These include incentives related to land policy. Investors can enjoy land rent reduction of up to 70 percent, or rent exemption for 11 years.

Nguyen Xuan Quang, an expert, also supports the WTE plant development strategy, saying that this is the best choice for countries with limited land fund and energy sources.

However, he warned there would be two challenges for Vietnam. First, the waste must be sorted at the source. Second, Vietnam needs to be capable of mastering technologies to ensure the smooth operation of plants. 

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