Bangladesh scientists turn waste into oil

Germany News.Net
Wednesday 27th August, 2008

Scientists in Bangladesh have developed ways to produce petroleum from degradable organic municipal waste and are now studying its feasibility before going to commercial production.

Yunus Miah, principal engineer of the state-run Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, has said his scientists were using husk of paddy and oil seeds besides wastes.

First they decompose the garbage and produce bio-oil from these wastes. Then they upgrade the bio-oil to petroleum products.

'We will have to have an economic analysis of the finding before going to commercial production,' he said.

Dhaka daily produces around 15,000 tonnes garbage and the cost of collecting it is only nominal, he said, adding that there are still obstructions, poverty being the most important of them, in the way ot taking technology to the field.

Miah said: 'We as a poor country will face many difficulties to go into commercial production,' he added.

Bangladesh imports most petroleum products, about 3.7 million tonnes annually.

The country has limited coal and natural gas reserve. Its gas supply is short of demand while the coal mines are largely undeveloped.

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