This project in the Nakron Ratchasima Province in northeastern Thailand addresses the wastewater cycle of a starch plant. Being located in an agricultural region, General Stach Ltd. daily produces 600 tons of starch mainly extracted from cassava roots cultivated by local farmers. As a by-product, 5,000 m3 of waste water area caused per day. Before the implementation of an Upflow Anaerobisc Sludge Blanket (UASB), the waste water was treated through cascading lagoons with an average retention time of over one year. This resulted in the release of methane into the atmosphere due to the high amount of organic content in the anaerobic environment of the ponds. With the new UASB technology, the organic matter in the waste water is broken down with the help of a blanket of granulated sludge and transformed into methane.This methane is not released into the air but captured and utilized to heat the starch drying boiler at the plant. The average annual emission reduction is of approximately 100,000 tons of CO2-equivalents.Since the project does not convert agricultural or natural land, it contributes to the conservation of the local biodiversity. In addition, the treated water is reused in the plant while the sludge from the waste water treatment system can also be used as an agricultural fertilizer.How do biogas projects help fight global warming?In biogas facilities, biomass ferments into biogas in sealed digesters. Biomass may consist of organic waste or dung from cows or other animals. In countries like India or Vietnam, families use the gas from small biogas plants for cooking. This reduces CO2 emissions that would be produced by cooking with wood or charcoal. Biogas plants also prevent methane from escaping into the atmosphere - as is the case when organic waste is stored in a mine. Instead, the resulting gas is fed directly from the closed container to the cooking units.