Landfills will be a little lighter in the Cape with a new biogas plant set to open on Wednesday in Athlone.

The new waste-to-energy plant will focus on converting organic waste into useable bio-methane which will be used to create products such as liquid carbon dioxide, organic fertiliser and compressed biomethane.

The gas will be marketed as an alternative to LPG and diesel, and the carbon dioxide will be used in industry, agriculture and waste-water treatment.

The new venture will be undertaken by gas company Afrox and New Horizons Energy. The companies said that it expects the plant to begin bio-gas production by the middle of this year.

Cost, jobs and partnerships

New Horizons Energy CEO Egmond Ottermann said the plant will cost around R400-million, with 60% of the plant being financed by the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), and is expected to create 80 full-time jobs.

He said the plant was being planned over the last five years and that strategic partnership agreements were made during this period.

One included a partnership with Waste Mart which has agreed to deliver more than 500 tonnes of organic household, municipal and industrial waste to the plant every month.

Afrox has will use the compressed bio-methane and distribute it to its customers as an alternative to LPG or diesel.

Bio-methane gains popularity

Going green has gained much popularity globally. As a result, bio-methane was identified as a product that could serve as an alternative to existing polluting fuels that are used to generate electricity or are used in a range heating processes.

“There’s great potential for making products such as plastic bricks and roof tiles,” Ottermann told Engineering News. “We expect many more little industries to be established close to the plant so that we can drive zero waste to landfill.”

Afrox marketing manager Heinrich Uytenbogaardt said there was a “relatively underdeveloped market in South Africa, and in Cape Town in particular” for natural gas and that it was widely used around the world.

He added that this was “relatively new technology for South Africa and is exciting in its growth potential and variety of applications for local markets.”