(VOVWORLD) - Household waste is one of the main sources of environmental pollution. But that waste can be turned into useful things like fertilizer and gasoline. That’s the goal of a pilot waste treatment plant at a landfill in the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang run by mechanic Vo Hoai Phong.
 The mini waste treatment plant run by Vo Hoai Phong. (Photo: VOV) |
Vo Hoai Phong owns an automobile repair garage in HCM city. Between 2016 and 2019, Phong spent 800,000 USD researching waste treatment methods.
He used his experience as a mechanic to build an anaerobic waste incinerator that produces synthetic gas and generates electricity. Phong also built several machines that can be used to sort waste and grind solid waste and synthetic plastic to produce construction materials. His waste treatment models operate using recirculated waste water to minimize impact on the environment. His criteria are: no odor, no landfill, no smoke, and no waste discharge into the environment.
Phong and his colleagues founded the Nam Long Xanh Joint Stock Company to turn waste into useful products and protect the environment.
“Despite several initial failures, I didn’t give up but continued until I succeeded. The local authorities approved our model and allowed us to set up a waste treatment plant. I plan to open more plants to produce organic fertilizer for local farmers and reduce the use of toxic pesticides. We also intend to supply oil and gasoline products to the market,” said Phong.
Last year, Phong moved his business to Long Binh commune in Tien Giang province where he had seen an enormous amount of waste being dumped.
“The local authorities suggested I test my waste treatment model here. This seemed a good place to pilot my technology,” said Phong.
For nearly a year, Phong and his wife Luong Thi Thu Thao lived in a camp right on the landfill.
“We tried to think about the benefit to the community, and forget about our own difficulties. We slept in a hammock or on the garbage truck. We cleared a place to eat on the side of the landfill. I stood side by side with my husband and his colleagues until the waste treatment plant was completed,” Thai recalled.
 Vo Hoai Phong burns refined materials made from plastic waste. (Photo: VOV) |
After getting approval from the local authorities, Phong and his colleagues spent more than 1.2 million USD on the machinery and equipment needed to put the plant into operation. Phong also developed a biological product to treat odors coming from the 3,000-square-meter landfill. Do Hoang Dung, deputy head of Hoa Phu hamlet, Long Binh commune, took an interest in the process of the waste treatment plant.
“The landfill used to pollute the air, which affected the lives of the people in the neighborhood. Since Mr. Phong set up the waste treatment plant, there has been no more bad smell, and no more flies. He has produced an effective biological product for crops and made it available to the local farmers,” he said.
The Nam Long Xanh Company’s waste treatment plant processes more than 20 tons of garbage per day and turns it into 6 tons of organic fertilizer and 200 liters of gasoline.