Local firm investing P1.2B in 4 CO2 plants

Casava, Bio-ethanol Plant. INQUIRER.net PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines–Local firm Philippine Industrial Carbonics Inc. (PICI) is investing about P1.2 billion to put up four facilities that can recover and process carbon dioxide from ethanol plants for sale to industries.

PICI president Lowell L. Sy said in an interview with the Inquirer that these carbon dioxide recovery plants, which will be set up in San Carlos City in Negros Occidental, would be the first in the Philippines and Southeast Asia to use the latest waterless carbon dioxide scrubbing technology for gas from a bioethanol plant.

Sy said the gas from a bioethanol plant could be recovered, purified and liquefied into high quality food grade liquid carbon dioxide, which can then be used for instance by beverage bottling companies.

Most of the carbon dioxide requirements in the country are imported, while a portion is provided by distilling firms.

Supply, however, can be erratic.

“The Philippines doesn’t have an industry such as this, and so with us coming in, we can supply part of the requirements,” Sy said. “We could also help lower the price in the market.”

According to Sy, the first facility, which will cost P300 million and will be operational by March or April 2015, will have an initial capacity of 48 tons a day. This project has also been granted incentives by the Philippine Economic Zone Authority as the facility will be put up within the San Carlos Agro-Industrial Eco-Zone, thus allowing the duty free processing of products for the local market or for export.

Sy added that his company had forged a partnership with San Carlos Bioenergy Inc. (SCBI), the owner of the ethanol plant, for the supply of raw carbon dioxide gas.–Amy R. Remo