Batu District, E Java succeeds in developing biogas for fuel

Jakarta, Aug 1 (Antara) - The Animal Husbandry Training Center (BBPP) of Batu, in East Java, succeeded in developing bio-gas into alternative source of energy to replace fossil fuel. Head of the BBPP of Batu Rudy Rawendra said bio-gas as a new and renewable source of energy had been developed by dairy cattle farmers in Batu and regency of Malang. "The farmers have adopted bio-gas technology. BBPP of Batu also has used bio-gas as fuel for its office cars," Rudy said in Batu on Friday. He said around 7,000 farmers raising dairy cows in Batu and Malang have adopted the technology to produce bio-gas. With zero waste technology, cow dung which contains methane gas is processed into fuel. Rudy said bio-gas produced by the farmers is used mainly as household fuel. Most livestock farmers in the country have only two to three cows each but they have succeeded in using the animal waste into fuel, he said. He said high cost would be needed to produce bio-gas commercially "The cost could be as high as Rp10 billion to produce bio-gas fuel commercially ," he said.