- Korea will invest KRW29.8bn ($20.4m) to turn manure into fuel.
- The programme targets cattle manure waste excess and environmental pollution.
- Officials see manure as “underutilised biomass” to safeguard renewable energy resilience.
South Korea’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) and Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment (MCEE) have come together to solve an increasingly urgent issue with cattle manure.
As Korea’s farmland declines, the country is producing more manure than its farming sector can recycle.
Increased incidents of agal bloom have been observed as excess nutrients from compost leeches into its rivers and streams.
“In response to social and environmental changes, the way livestock manure, particularly cattle manure, is treated also requires a fundamental transformation,” said Kim Go-eung, director general of the Resource Circulation Bureau of the MCEE.
Korea is also seeking to reduce its reliance on imported woody biomass, such as wood pellets and wood chips used in renewable energy generation, amid concerns that dependence on overseas suppliers undermines the energy security benefits of a domestic renewable resource.
Described as an “underutilised biomass” cattle manure is seen as a suitable alternative to help strengthen energy security while creating value from agricultural waste streams.
“By successfully securing technologies for producing high-quality, low-cost solid fuel from cattle manure and agricultural by-products, we will create a circular livestock manure biomass ecosystem that operates effectively in real farming environments,” said Lee Jae-sik, director general of MAFRA’s Livestock Policy Bureau.
Areas of investment
From 2026 to 2029, the government will invest KRW29.8bn ($20.4m) in three technology development projects by MAFRA and MCEE.
“This multi-ministerial R&D initiative is significant because it establishes an integrated system covering everything from the collection and quality management of cattle manure generated on farms to the production of low-energy solid fuel,” said Lee.
The funding will support MAFRA on the commercialisation of solid fuel technologies.
It elaborated that it would establish a standardised management system covering feedstock collection, traceability and quality control, enabling cattle manure and agricultural by-products to be managed at consistent quality levels.
It will also develop a develop technologies to commercialise cattle manure-based solid fuel, including standardised feedstock management, low-energy drying systems, and processes to ensure consistent fuel quality.
It also plans to deploy IoT-based smart production systems and develop solid fuel products suitable for direct use in agricultural boilers and other facilities.
The government will also fund MCEE’s development of biomass solid fuel production and utilisation technologies and the advancement of pollution prevention technologies for related facilities.
It is targeting an output of high-calorific-value fuel exceeding 3,500 kcal/kg at a production rate of 15 tonnes per day.
It also plans to demonstrate the fuel’s use in a 330 MW commercial power plant and a 4 MW combined heat and power facility, while advancing pollution-control technologies to reduce emissions, recover ammonia, treat wastewater and improve the environmental performance of solid fuel production and utilisation.
Kim concluded: “We are at a critical moment for converting livestock manure into energy. We will provide close support for the necessary technology development so that we do not miss this golden opportunity and will actively work towards establishing a livestock manure solid fuel ecosystem.”
