Alternative fuel for PNG

PAPUA New Guinea should consider other fuel sources such as hydrogen, a charity says.
The Reverend Joseph Maru Humanitarian Foundation Inc says it has a technology that can produce hydrogen fuel in all the provinces in the country.
This technology was developed by US-based Startech, an environmental technology company that produces and markets low-cost waste minimisation, resource recovery and pollution prevention systems.
If introduced in Papua New Guinea, it would cost over K40 million “which is quiet cheap but will greatly reduce environmental damages”, foundation vice-president Thompson Benguma said.
A mechanical engineer, Mr Benguma was encouraging town and city authorities to acquire the plasma waste converter technology to handle their wastes.
“This technology has ‘zero carbon’ and has very little or no effect on the environment,” he said.
These systems process all forms of hazardous and non-hazardous waste and by-products, including household wastes while converting most into valuable commodity products.
Mr Benguma said it could be acquired by most urban centres in the country.
The plasma waste converter system would be used to convert waste into useful commodity products.
“One of these products is a gas which is called synthesis or plasma converted gas (PCG),” he said.
“Hydrogen is separated from the PCG by passing it through the star cell which is a ceramic membrane filtration unit designed to extract hydrogen from the synthesis gas which is rich in carbon and hydrogen.
“Hydrogen can now be used as fuel for motor vehicles and can also be used to run power generators to produce up to one megawatts of electricity.”
He said most urban centres produce more than adequate waste required.
He added: “When hydrogen, as a fuel, combines with air, the principal resulting product is water. No carbon dioxide (CO2) results in the combustion process since there are no carbons in hydrogen.”