Thai researchers turn food waste into biochar

A team of researchers from the King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT) has devised a technique for turning two types of food waste into fuel comparable to low-grade coal, the Thai media has reported.

Specifically, the technique turned bread leftovers, vegetable leftovers and fruit peel into a so-called “biochar” which is a charcoal-like product that contains no petroleum. It is made by heating biomass.

Dr. Trairat Muangthong-on, head of the team, said the technique can be applied to reduce the disposal cost of food waste while also generating a low-cost fuel for industries.

Trairat said the breakthrough can be also adopted by government agencies in their push for sustainability.

The United Nations Environment Programme reported that in 2019 there was over 931 million tonnes of food waste around the world. The Thai Pollution Control Department revealed that there were 9.68 million tonnes of food waste in the country in 2022.

Trairat said his team will next research how to turn other types of food waste into biochar and try applying the technique with waste at factories making sugar from sugarcane and at animal food factories